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Max Schmeling: An Autobiography

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A true sportsman and "semi-statesman", Max Schmeling was one of the greatest and classiest of all boxers who this world has known. Upon reading this translation, by Professor George B. von der Lippe of Saint Anselm College, one acquires some sense of what it must have been like to have lived under the fascist regime that was the Third Reich. Labeled by most as "Hitler's showhorse", we can see that this unfortunate term fails to describe most of Schmeling's life. He had conversations and meetings with various prominent and contemporary statesmen, eccumenical, and showbusiness people, to name a few. In light of the attention which some boxers have recieved concerning their mental decline (e.g. Parkinson's pugilistica), Max Schmeling is fortunate enough to have maintained his faculties and provided us with this look into his life.

Anyone who thinks this is just another slick, hollow, ghost-written account of a famous sports figure's life -- athletic anectdotes and a sanitized account of a personal life -- is in for a big shock. In his autobiography, Schmeling is not telling the story of his own life so much as a cultural history of three Germanies -- the Empire he was born into, the Nazi Reich he lived through, and the Federal Republic where recently died at the age of 99.

Schmeling's account is rich with anecdotes about the "lost" Berlin of the Weimar age -- about jazz musicians, actors, poets, erotic dancers, painters, sculptors, artists, jockeys, and of course, fellow boxers. In the 1930s he also had extensive dealings with top Nazis such as Goebbels and Hitler, dealings which often got him into hot water. As he often fought in America
he given interesting and amusing accounts of the pre-WWII USA, including a garden party where he missed Al Capone by about five minutes. Though he was trotted out as the "Aryan show horse" of the Third Reich, Schmeling was indifferent to the Nazis and refused to dis-associate himself with Jews. This attitude got him drafted and, true to the extremely colorful nature of his story, he ended up a paratrooper in WWII and was decorated with the Iron Cross (second class).

Schmeling's accounts of his boxing matches vary in quality. Some he clearly doesn't remember and others, like his seminal first fight with Joe Louis, are gone into in exacting detail. It is not generally discussed today, but Schmeling destroyed the seemingly invincible Louis the first time they met, and Louis wisely waited until Max's legs were gone before he agreed to a rematch, the outcome of which we all know. Today's generation of sportscasters act as if the first fight never happened, and Max's long and extremely well-planned preparation for the fight are the most fascinating moments of the book (Schmeling is too modest to mention that he financially "carried" Louis when the IRS took everything he had in the later 1950s -- sportscasters don't talk about that either). Without meaning to, Max can be fabulously politically incorrect -- he comments with a certain amount of irony that while the '36 Olympics are remembered mainly for Jesse Owens' destruction of the myth of Aryan supremacy, Nazi Germany actually won the medal count by a wide margin (and no, you won't find that fact in any American textbook today).

Schmeling lived a long and extremely rich life that spanned a tumultuous century, and he crams as much of it as possible into this very entertaining book. Despite many personal harships and setbacks, he never lost his essentially positive outlook on life or his sense of sportsmanship and class. Many of today's athletes would do well to read this book and follow its example.

If you like a story with a happy ending, get a hold of Max Schmeling's autobiography. Even if you don't like boxing, I guarantee you will enjoy this book. Max is probably the last man alive who has met Franklin D. Roosevelt, Adolph Hitler, Joe Louis and Jack Dempsey. This is his inspiring story. Misunderstood as a Nazi, a sympathizer and Hitler's sock puppet, Schmeling was none of the above and a true philantrophist. And if you aren't convinced, there are some awesome photos in this book.

I'm not really a boxing fan, though like most people who enjoy watching and participating in sports in general, I've tried to read up on the history of boxing in order to be informed on the sport.

Having said all that, I walked into reading this autobiography with the same opinion that a lot of Americans have about Max Schmeling (that is, if they even know who he is since his era was over seventy years ago) -- that Schmeling was a fanatical Nazi, Hitler's pampered, so-called "Aryan Showhorse" who represented aryan supremacy, and who, in a wonderful example of poetic justice, received a savage comeuppance at the hands of the sensational Joe Louis in their mythical 1938 rematch.

Schmeling, in his wonderfully-written autobiography, exposes America's cartoonish characterization of him, and the political and racial hype surrounding both his matches with Joe Louis as precisely that -- a myth. The great thing about this book is that it is filled with class -- that is, Schmeling never outrightly goes on the attack against his critics or seems bitter at all that he (and perhaps to an even greater extent, Joe Louis) was exploited in a deeply personal way by fight promotors. Schmeling simply tells the story of his life both in and out of the ring, and it is his obvious honesty about both that do much to mitigate the idea that he is some sort of white supremicist.

Schmeling's story not only outlines the history of his own career in the ring, but in doing so also describes in detail the nature of the heavyweight boxing game in the 1920s through the 1940s. Along the way the reader learns the fascinating story of Germany's social scene -- particularly among young adults, as Schmeling was -- during that country's Weimar government years, and how Hitler's ascension to power in 1933 did much to destroy all that, and a large portion of Schmeling's social circle as well.

Schmeling also talks about how his employment of a Jewish trainer/coach was at odds with the nazi government, and how he was asked to disassociate himself from his many Jewish friends when he became champion (after convincingly earning a 15 round decision over Jack Sharkey in the early 30s). Of course he never disassociated himself from any of his friends on account of their religion, but typical boxing fans are unaware of this and cling to the glib and convenient stereotype of Schmeling as a racist monster.

Schmeling also gets rated by American press as some kind of sneering, aristocratic German snob who walked into the second Louis fight supremely confident that he could repeat his earlier triumph over the Brown bomber. Additionally, American press irresponsibly and incorrectly asserted that Schmeling wanted a victory over Louis to once and for all prove the supremacy of the Aryan race.

Of course, anyone interested in more than the grotesque distortions of people who want to make money and sell tickets to fill stadium seats will investigate and realize that Joe Louis was highly-favored to defeat Schmeling in both their first and second bouts, and that Schmeling was never a smug aristocrat but came from a working class background not astronomically removed from the income level of Joe Louis in his youth.

Schmeling's spectacular victory over Louis in their first bout (1936) is often written off by many who ought to know better (such as sportswriters, who supposedly know more than the average fan) as some kind of fluke, and that the second fight (which Louis won) is the only one that really counts.

It is clear from reading this autobiography that Schmeling did a tremendous amount of training for the Louis fight, and approached the bout with an almost scientific strategy to defeat the American boxer. And, lest people be misled that Louis somehow walked into the first bout overconfident and convinced of his own invincibility, readers might be interested to know that Louis himself trained hard for this fight, as it was his tune-up and final step before an eventual showdown with titleholder James Braddock.

Everyone knows that Schmeling won the first fight. He not only won, he demolished Joe Louis. Fifteen minutes after the fight was over, Joe Louis was still unconscious. What people who adore Joe Louis (I myself am more a fan of Joe Louis than I am of Max Schmeling) often don't want to recognize is that in the first Schmeling bout, Schmeling was simply the better man. This despite Joe Louis being hugely favored to win the fight. Everyone thought Joe Louis would easily destroy Schmeling (who even in 1936 was already over-the-hill and in decline as an athlete), and having their expectations thus dashed, transformed Schmeling into an ultra-villain in the 1938 bout to generate interest for a match between good and evil.

Schmeling notes with sadness but no bitterness that New Yorkers mobbed him and cheered for him in 1936 for having the courage to do battle against a man who defeated Max Baer (hitherto considered the best heavyweight on the planet, and even today considered one of the potentially great champions had he not self-destructed mentally), but booed him in 1938 because he was a "nazi."

Schmeling also writes about the politics that dictated the events that followed his sensational victory. Logically, since he destroyed Louis, he should have been next in line to fight Braddock for the title. However, since many people in positions of power in the boxing world didn't want to see the title go to germany (where they feared with a reasonable amount of justification) that it would be protected from American fighters, they prudently ducked Schmeling and still allowed the Louis-Braddock bout to go through. If Braddock won, fine, and if Louis -- the heavyweight phenom -- won, better still. But no one doubted that either Louis or Schmeling would have any trouble uncrowning Braddock, who is considered something of a caretaker champion. Thus Schmeling was shut out and at 35 past the point where he could seriously mount another title run.

The tragedies of Schmeling's boxing career are poignantly described in his autobiography, as are the deep-seated turmoils engulfing Germany during this period as the world inched ever closer to war.

Joe Louis won the second fight as a phenomenally-talented young man in his prime (24 years old) against a technically-sound though never spectacular 35 year old fighter with a great right hand punch but whose legs and back no longer were what they once were. The outcome was inevitable but the fight nevertheless generated profound interest because Schmeling won the first bout and the American media falsely and irresponsibly portrayed the second bout as some kind of showdown between Nazi germany and the Democratic USA (ironically, Joe Louis would have to have sat in the back of the bus to Madison Square Garden if he took one). Joe Louis crushed Schmeling, but Schmeling, to his credit, courageously challenged Louis to a third bout to serve as a rubber match, which Louis and his handlers refused to countenance.

Both Louis and Schmeling are noted on the record as stating they were never malignant toward one another, in fact they became good friends after their fights, maintaining correspondence and visiting each other often, and they highly respected each other. Both have asserted that the "showdown of the races" atmosphere generated for the second bout was a marketing ploy designed to exploit them both. When America couldn't exploit Louis anymore they hung him out to dry and left him penniless. Who helped him? That "evil villain" Schmeling.

Schmeling also writes about his life and times as a paratrooper in World War 2, which is in and of itself incredible as Schmeling is over six feet tall and heavy, not exactly prerequisites for an airborne soldier.

Eventually after reading this book one comes to realize that Schmeling was a better than average boxer but a magnificent, highly-intelligent human being.

Highly recommended.

The great autobiographies I have read have been written by those in their 70's and beyond. It gives the subject a sense of perspective, it ensures that writer has seen the highs and lows of experience, and typically, modesty by that point, is gone. There might be much more to the story of Max Schmeling, but what a story he tells!

Schmeling lived to be 99 years old. He competed in a time of the heavyweight division that might be called the "Silver Age". (The Golden Age belonged to the 1960's and early 1970's). Here, Gene Tunney and Jack Dempsey had just hung up their gloves, Joe Louis loomed on the horizon, and Jack Sharkey, Max Baer, Primo Carnera and James Braddock circled the rings.

Schmeling discusses his disappointment in winning the title via being the recipient of a low blow to Jack Sharkey, and his equal disappointment to losing the title in a return match due to a shameful hometown decision.

His recall of the first Joe Louis match is still fresh in his memory some forty years later, and the breathless account of it is spine tingling to read. Although there are few alive at this time who can remember this spectacular upset, it was every bit the upset of Buster Douglas over Mike Tyson some fifty five years later.

His life took a horrific turn with the rise of Hitler in Germany in the 1930's, but Shmeling was no Nazi. He was a man of conviction, and several times went to the Nazi hierarchy to plead leniency for his Jewish friends. He eventually was punished and fell out of favor of the Nazi regime, and drafted into the army where he parachuted behind enemy lines, and had to find his way back to safety, alone.

He scaled to the heights of the sports world, and in bad times, his story makes one wonder if someone less tough could have survived.

Yet, he tells his story without bitterness. The closest he comes is in speaking of James Braddock, who came off unscathed in biographies such as "Cinderella Man", but seemingly perpetrated a cruel hoax on Schmeling which raised false hopes and cost him a chance at his dream of being the first to regain a Heavyweight Championship.

His happiest moments seem to be in reuniting with old foes after retirement, and his description of Joe Louis shows a person few have described. He never fought Primo Carnera, but went searching for him during World War II, when he was reported as having been killed. His reconnection with Carnera as well was joyous, as he describes a brotherly bond.

Mr. Schmeling was an extraordinary individual who live through an incredible era of sports, politics, and war. He scaled the summit of the sports world, to the adoration of multitudes of fans.

Mr. Shmeling looks back in an astonishing moment and reveals that it was for the best that he took a horrific beating to Joe Louis in his return bout, as he would have become the poster boy for Hitler and the Nazi's had he won.

For boxing history fans, this autobiography is a treasure trove of information. Schmeling, who only recently died at the age of 99, takes the reader inside the boxing intrigues of the 1930s as well as his interaction with the Nazis as they consolidated power in Germany. Contrary to the biased and uninformed Publishers Weekly review above, Schmeling was no Nazi and had no sympathy with their aims (a fact well known to anyone with any acquaintance with boxing history). When ordered by the Nazis to divorce his Czech wife and to fire his American Jewish manager, Schmeling refused. The Nazis were interested in him for one reason, as a propaganda piece.

Schmeling was a solid and steady, though unexciting fighter. He won the championship by a foul and lost it via a bad decision (with his manager giving the world the famous, "we wuz robbed" quip). He was champion in a time of solid but not great fighters. However, the fact that he upset Joe Louis, when Louis appeared to be invincible, demonstrates that he was a first-rate fighter for any era.

The book is a re-issue of Schmeling's 1977 German autobiography with a new epilogue written by Schmeling in the late nineties. Since the book was originally published in Germany and written for German audiences, many of the personalities that Schmeling mentions will be unknown to most Americans. Thankfully, the book includes a glossary to inform the reader who the personalities were. It would have been more helpful to have had these as footnotes but that would have probably required new typesetting and thus upped publishing costs. I do have one major disappointment with the book. It has very detailed coverage of Schmeling's fighting years and some on his activities immediately after the war but I wanted to know more about Schmeling's later years. He became a wealthy businessman who was very philanthropic. Schmeling's basic modesty is probably the explanation for this omission but it still left a gap that needed filling.

In short, this is an excellent book for someone who loves boxing history and wants additional information on some of the key fights and events of the first half of the 20th century.

This is a well-written, lively memoir by an intelligent man who fought between the Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis eras. It's full of interesting stories and encounters with famous people. Schmeling's discussions with Hitler are especially interesting.

What a good, well written and thoughtful book from a boxer. He captures a great deal of his times as well as of his professional career.

Well written, fascinating & informative book. Highlights:
Boxing history-preparation for & recounting of the first Joe Lewis match
Germany between the Wars- the Berlin culture & it's vitality. The rise of Hitler.
His experiences in the the cultural society,& the political arena.
Max was married only once to Anny Ondra, a contempory, & a famous European star.
--so a love story too.
Alfred Hitchcock starred Anny Ondra inThe Manxman, a silent film, & Blackmail,his & England's first talkie-both are available dvd. Hitch never missed anything.

Well written, fascinating & informative book. Highlights:
Boxing history-preparation for & recounting of the first Joe Lewis match
Germany between the Wars- the Berlin culture & it's vitality. The rise of Hitler.
His experiences in the the cultural society,& the political arena.
Max was married only once to Anny Ondra, a contempory, & a famous European star.
--so a love story too.
Alfred Hitchcock starred Anny Ondra inThe Manxman, a silent film, & Blackmail,his & England's first talkie-both are available dvd. Hitch never missed anything.