a great Boxer is gone
Max Schmeling, 99; boxer from Germany fought Louis
By Roy Kammerer, Associated Press | February 5, 2005
BERLIN -- Max Schmeling wanted to be a heavyweight champion, not a symbol of Nazi supremacy.
He thrilled Germany by knocking out Joe Louis, but there was another side to the fighter that Hitler tried to portray as an Aryan superman.
Schmeling, who fought Louis in two of the most politically charged sporting events ever as the world moved toward war in the late 1930s, once hid two Jewish boys in his apartment from Nazis and later reportedly helped some Jewish friends escape death camps.
He said he feared only one thing in a long life that ended Wednesday at the age of 99.
"I don't want anyone to say I was a good athlete, but worth nothing as a human being -- I couldn't bear that," Mr. Schmeling said in 1993.
The German had nothing to fear in the end. Tributes poured in across his homeland, where he remained an idol known for his generosity long after his fights with Louis sparked a propaganda war between the Nazi government and the United States.
President Horst Koehler of Germany, on a state visit to Israel, lauded Mr. Schmeling as a "great example in sport" and for "his humanity." Formula One champion Michael Schumacher called Schmeling "a man of firm principles."
Over the years, Mr. Schmeling gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to help the elderly and poor through the Max Schmeling Foundation. He treasured his friendship with Louis and quietly gave the down-and-out American money. He also paid for Louis's funeral in 1981.
Gene Kilroy, Muhammad Ali's former business manager, said he talked to Ali yesterday. Kilroy said Ali told him: "Max Schmeling had a lot of class. He had a lot of respect for Joe Louis in the ring and out of the ring. I'm sure he's in heaven now. He and Joe are talking about their old fights."
Mr. Schmeling took many young athletes under his wing during the final decades of his life, among them heavyweight fighters Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko of Ukraine.
"A friend and mentor to us has died. He meant a lot to us," said Vitali Klitschko, the WBC heavyweight champion. "He sent us faxes by victories and comforted us in defeats. Max Schmeling showed us the way to America."
Mr. Schmeling was buried yesterday next to his wife, Anny Ondra, in Hollenstedt at a ceremony attended by a small circle of friends. The Rev. Olaf Koenitz said it was Schmeling's wish to be buried privately.
Mr. Schmeling's extraordinary career will be remembered for his bouts with Louis, which produced a lasting bond between the boxers despite a charged atmosphere when they fought.
Born Sept. 28, 1905, of humble origins in a small town in the state of Brandenburg, Mr. Schmeling became interested in boxing after seeing a film about the sport.