This month’s card
is from the 1938 Churchman's Boxing Personalities set, a tobacco era product that
was included in packages of Churchman Tobacco products in England. The cards
are standard for the time period, 1 ½ x 2 ¾ in size with the typical white border.
The set consisted of 50 boxers including a number of champions and Hall of
Famers like Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis and Gene Tunney.
Baer began his boxing career in 1929 and by 1930 he was
fighting for the title of Pacific Coast Champion, a fight he won. Sadly his
opponent, Frankie Campbell, died the next day from injuries he sustained during
the fight, an event that greatly affected Baer for the rest of his life.
In 1934 he defeated Primo Carnera for the Heavyweight
Championship, which he held for one year. In 1941 he won the White Heavyweight
Championship, a title that was created after Joe Louis’ promoter refused to
give Baer a rematch for the Heavyweight Championship. He eventually retired in
early 1941 with a career record of 71-13-0 with 53 KOs. He has been inducted in
to various Boxing Hall of Fames as well as the International Jewish Sports Hall
of Fame. In 1998 he was ranked among the “50 Greatest Heavyweights of All Time”
by Ring Magazine.
His son Max Baer Jr. went on to have a successful acting
career and is probably best known for playing Jethro Bodine on the TV show The
Beverly Hillbillies.
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