Welcome to Part Two of What If's look at how Max Schmeling and Joe Louis would have fared against the backdrop of a completely changed World War II. Part 1 is here. When last we left our scene, Max Schmeling owned two wins over Joe Louis, and at Hitler's behest had kept the title as an exhibition through Germany over the course of 1939. Meanwhile, Poland allied with the … [Read more...]
What If Special: Louis-Schmeling (Part I): The Gathering Storm
Welcome to another edition of What If? This week, the first part of a trilogy set against the backdrop of an alt-history World War II: When Joe Louis and Max Schmeling met at Yankee Stadium on June 19, 1936, the world was only beginning to get familiar with the ambitions of Adolf Hitler in Germany. Mussolini's Fascist Italy had just avenged its humiliation by Ethiopia 40 … [Read more...]
The Closers: Part Three
by Ted Sares The Closers: Part One The Closers: Part Two “He can run but he can't hide.”—Joe Louis As mentioned in Part Two, others who had a knack for throwing caution to the wind and going in for the kill were Carlos Zarate, Wilfredo Gomez, Thomas Hearns, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, and Pipino Cuevas. Their victims often paid dearly; broken noses, broken eye sockets … [Read more...]
Heavyweight Boxing – All Nobility Gone
Nobility is an oft-misused word, generally confined to tales of ancient Greek or Roman origin, to refer to deeds done in subjugation of the individual ego in favour of the greater good. Hercules performs 12 tasks to save a nation; Jason battles for the Fleece to preserve the future for his people. I used to use the word in the seventies to refer to heavyweight boxers. It … [Read more...]
My Top Ten Best Fighters
by Ted Sares “There’s easier access today to the global scene of boxing, through the internet, and when more information is provided to you more easily, it makes you more knowledgeable about what you’re researching.”—Ed Brophy, IBHOF Though many a pundit has had a go at it, there is no such thing as the “best” or most “correct “pound-for-pound list. In the end, the … [Read more...]