FUNDAMENTALS By Michael Rosenthal
LOST FIGHT Benny Leonard KO 9 Charley White » July 5, 1920, Floyd Fitzsimmons Arena, Benton Harbor, Michigan Jack Dempsey isn’t the only great fighter to get knocked out of the ring only to climb back in and score an impressive victory. Leonard, arguably the greatest lightweight of all time, was in the middle of his legendary seven-plus-year championship reign when the New Yorker faced the highly regarded White about a two-hour drive from White’s hometown of Chicago.
MUST READ Beyond Glory: Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling and a World on the Brink, by David Margolick Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group (2005) Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling II is probably the most important fight in the history of boxing. The significance of the bout and Margolick’s ability to turn real events into a riveting page-turner make this book one of the best of its kind. Of course, the 1938 matchup for Louis’ heavyweight championship had a compelling backstory from a boxing perspective.
At 24 years old, Leonard was a superb technician who legend tells us was so good defensively that he could do battle without disturbing a single strand of his perfectly combed hair. And, as White would discover firsthand, “The Ghetto Wizard” could punch. Meanwhile, White, 29, also was an excellent boxer known for a lethal left hook, as Leonard would learn midway through the scheduled 10-round classic. In what had been a competitive fight, the most memorable moment came in the fifth round, when White landed his signature punch and followed with four right hands that drove Leonard to the ropes. It was then, according to a contemporary report in the
Schmeling, a wily veteran from Germany, stunned Louis and the boxing world by knocking out the then-22-year-old juggernaut in 1936. Louis would go on to win the world title but made it clear that he wouldn’t see himself as the champion until he avenged the setback against Schmeling. He got his chance at Yankee Stadium. That was only part of the remarkable story, however. The matchup became a Good (Louis) vs. Evil (Schmeling) tale because of the timing and their countries of birth. By 1938, the world was beginning to understand the sinister nature of Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich, which would soon spark the deadliest war in history and the Holocaust. Schmeling was no Nazi, but he was held up as an example of Aryan superiority, particularly after the earlier knockout of Louis. Meanwhile, the soft-spoken Louis became a symbol of democracy – and decency – in the burgeoning battle with fascism in spite of his own second-class status as an African American in the U.S.
FORGOTTEN CLASSIC Marco Antonio Barrera TKO 12 Kennedy McKinney » Feb. 3, 1996, Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California H BO officials couldn’t have been more fortunate when they chose the first main event for its new series Boxing After Dark. Barrera, only 22, had yet to become a major star, but he’d won his first title and was building a reputation as an exciting attraction on the West Coast, particularly as part of Forum
Boxing. McKinney, 30, won a gold medal at the 1988 Olympics and would go on to have a successful professional career, reigning twice as a 122-pound titleholder. He was an excellent technician but wasn’t afraid to stand his ground and fight, as fans nationwide found out almost 30 years ago at the home of the Los Angeles Lakers. McKinney, trying to take Barrera’s WBO junior featherweight belt, boxed well for half of a close, fast-paced fight. However, by the middle rounds, the bout had evolved into a firefight. And that played into the hands of the Mexican slugger, who got the better of fierce exchanges and gradually wore McKinney down physically. The problem for the champion? McKinney bravely refused to give up, which turned a good fight into a great one down the stretch. The American was hurt badly and
went down twice in the eighth round, when he seemed to be finished but somehow survived on wobbly legs. McKinney hit the canvas again in the ninth. And again he heard the bell to end the round. He even scored a knockdown in the 11th, when Barrera took a punch and his glove touched the canvas. Finally, in the 12th and final round, McKinney could take no more. He went down from a barrage of hard shots, and referee Pat Russell saved him from himself by stopping the fight with 55 seconds to go. The fans and HBO audience had witnessed what they hope to see every time they sit down to watch a bout: two skillful, well-prepared boxers who leave all they have in the ring. As Hall of Fame analyst Larry Merchant put it, “Folks, this is about as good as it gets!”
Tulsa Daily World, that White “half pushed and [half] knocked Leonard through the ropes for a count of four.” Then, after spectators lifted Leonard back into the ring, White made a fatal mistake: He failed to go in for the kill, which allowed Leonard to survive the round and regroup. As famed boxing writer Hype Igoe reportedly wrote at the time, White “is like the artist who can’t resist the temptation of stepping back and admiring his incompleted work.” It was largely downhill for White after that. And although White held his own for a few more rounds, the champion’s superior pedigree ultimately led to a horrific ending for the Chicagoan. White went down five times in the ninth round. He was lying on his face when he was counted out, concluding one of the wildest fights of the era. Leonard would reign for four more years, adding to his reputation as an all-time great. White tangled with many of the top 135-pounders over a successful career but – largely because of Leonard – never became a champion.
So when Louis met Schmeling a second time, a record 100 million people or more worldwide, captivated by the significance of the event, sat by
their radios to listen. The action didn’t last long, as Louis, the far superior fighter by this time, needed less than a full round to destroy Schmeling and embarrass the Nazis. No fight before or since has resonated with more people. And it all comes to life in Margolick’s masterful work. Author Joyce Carol Oates, who herself wrote prolifically about boxing, said Beyond Glory probably would become the definitive account of the event. That rings true.
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