SPORTSCLOPEDIA 55: ON JUNE 19, 1936, SCHMELING GIVES LOUIS HIS FIRST KNOCKOUT LOSS
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 19 Jun 2023
The first fight between Joe Louis and Max Schmeling took place on June 19, 1936, at the famous Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York, U.S. The bout was scheduled for fifteen rounds and the stadium's seats were sold out. Some 57 million people listened to their radios for the live coverage.
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Schmeling carefully studied Louis' style and publicized that he had found the key to victory. Boxing fans became interested to see the white German rising star against the famed African-American former world champion.
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Schmeling used his jabs effectively in the first three rounds and followed them up occasionally with his right cross. Louis was shocked by his opponent's fighting style. In the fourth round, a pummeling right found Louis' chin, and Louis went to the canvas for the first time in his career in twenty-eight professional fights. Schmeling continue to use this style effectively, and Louis just could not counter the offensive.
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Louis then suffered an eye injury and Schmeling's jab kept landing on in his face, piling up points and widening his lead. In round twelve, Schmeling connected a right to Louis' body, followed by another right hand to the jaw. Louis dropped near his corner and was counted out by referee Arthur Donovan.
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This was Louis' only knockout loss that time. The only other knockout in his career was dealt by Rocky Marciano fifteen years later. Louis was at the twilight of his fighting form and Marciano a rising boxing hero at that time.
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Bradley Beal from the Washington Wizards was traded to the Phoenix Suns for Chris Paul, Landry Shamet and multiple second-round picks. Christopher Emmanuel Paul nicknamed "CP3", Paul, age 38 of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S., has won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, an NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award, two Olympic gold medals in 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Summer Games, and led the NBA in assists five times and steals a record six times. He has also been named to twelve NBA All-Star teams, eleven All-NBA teams, and nine NBA All-Defensive teams. In 2021, he was selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
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Bradley Emmanuel Beal Sr. , age 29 of St. Louis, Missouri, U.S., was selected by the Wizards with the third overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft. With the Wizards, Beal was selected to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2013 and the All-NBA Third Team in 2020, and is a three-time NBA All-Star.
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