Heavyweight Champion of the World - Career Recaps

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Here I will post short summaries of each boxers career once they have retired.

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Max Baer



Debut: Jan 1941
Retired: Aug 1948
Career Span: 7 years, 7 months

Career Record: 38-6-2 (35)
Prime Record: 33-0-1 (32)
Last 10 Record: 4-5-1 (3)

Former World Heavyweight Champion

Title Reign: Sep 1944 - Jul 1945, 10 months
Title Bouts Record: 2-2
Title Defenses: 1

Time in Top 10 Rankings: 3 years, 9 months


Top 5 Career Defining Bouts:

Jan 1943 -- Tomasz Adamek, TKO 4

A clash between two undefeated prospects. Baer suffering from a cut above the eye in the first found his range early and dropped Adamek twice in the fourth to bring the stoppage.

Sep 1944 -- Ed Sanders, KO 5

A fast start brought two knockdowns in the opening two rounds, but the champion fought back until a straight right turned his lights out and gave Baer the title.

Feb 1945 -- Deontay Wilder, KO 2

Previously avoided by Wilder when he was champion seemed to bring extra focus to Baer who dropped the challenger mid-way through the first from which Wilder never seemed to recover as in the second he was dropped twice more and failed to beat the count.

Jul 1945 -- Ike Ibeabuchi, L TKO 8

Having lost "a bit" Baer went into what was ultimately his final title defense as slight underdog. Still his power showed as that right hand put Ibeabuchi down for an 8-count in the fourth. By the sixth he was blowing and when he went down under a barrage of punches in the seventh it seemed over, but he got back on unsteady feet at nine and was still on them when the referee stepping in to halt it in the next round.

Mar 1947 -- Cleveland Williams, L KO 4

Baer's worst performance in the ring came at the hands of the younger and just as hard hitting Williams. Down once in the first, twice in the third and for the final time in the fourth, Baer was overwhelmed by the future title challenger.

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Willie Bean



Debut: Jan 1940
Retired: Nov 1948
Career Span: 8 years, 10 months

Career Record: 38-14-0 (26)
Prime Record: 35-7-0 (25)
Last 10 Record: 3-7-0 (1)

Time in Top 10 Rankings: 2 years, 2 months


Top 3 Career Defining Bouts:

Aug 1943 -- Young John Herrera, L UD 10

The semi-final contest wasn't much of a fight, Herrera controlled the action throughout except for the sixth when Bean landed a perfectly timed uppercut which had him down for a six-count.

Feb 1944 -- Deontay Wilder, L UD 15

Bean's title challenge was a lively encounter in which both men hit the deck over the distance. He can have no regrets about his effort as Bean left it all in the ring that night, but he was beaten by a better boxer.

Nov 1944 -- Deontay Wilder, L SD 10

With no title on stake and over a shorter distance Bean took Wilder much closer in their second go-of-it. Despite suffering a deep cut to the face in the first Bean had a good amount of success and again managed to drop his opponent. Arguably his finest moment in the ring.