Adolf Heuser (3 October 1907 – 19 November 1988)Erinnerung an die "Bulldogge vom Rhein" , ''General Anzeiger'', 3 October 2007. Retrieved 28 September 2019 was a
German
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* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
boxer Boxer most commonly refers to:
* Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing
*Boxer (dog), a breed of dog
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Animal kingdom
* Boxer crab
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Bonn
The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ru ...
to a bricklayer father, Heuser was one of sixteen children. He had thirty amateur fights before making his professional debut on 2 August 1929 at light heavyweight with a points win over former European champion Fernand Delarge.Adolf Heuser, die “Rheinische Bulldogge” , Boxen.de, 25 January 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2019 In November 1930 he beat Dutch champion Piet Brand, and in January 1931 challenged for Ernst Pistulla's German light heavyweight title, the fight ending in a draw. After seven straight wins, including victories over former French champion Moise Bouquillon, former Belgian champion
Jack Etienne
Cloud9 Esports, Inc., or simply Cloud9 (C9), is an American professional esports company based in Santa Monica, California. The company was originally founded as a professional ''League of Legends'' team by Jack and Paullie Etienne in May 201 ...
, and reigning Belgian champion Gustave Limousin, he faced Pistulla again in September that year, with both the German and European light heavyweight titles at stake. The fight again ended in a draw.
Heuser travelled to the United States in October 1931 for a series of fights. After being unbeaten in his first twenty fights, he suffered his first defeat in December when he lost a points decision to Patsy Perroni in
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
. He won all of his remaining fights on the US trip, before returning to Germany after suffering an ear injury.
In June 1932, Heuser knocked out José Martínez Valero in the first round in
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...
to take the vacant IBU European light heavyweight title.
Later that year he returned to the US for another series of fights, and after five straight victories, including a decision win over NBA world champion George Nichols, in March 1933 he challenged
Maxie Rosenbloom
Max Everitt Rosenbloom (November 6, 1906 – March 6, 1976) was an American professional boxer, actor, and television personality. Nicknamed "Slapsie Maxie", he was inducted into '' The Ring's'' Boxing Hall of Fame in 1972, the International Je ...
for the
NYSAC
The New York State Athletic Commission or NYSAC, also known as the New York Athletic Commission, is a division of the New York State Department of State which regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of New York, ...
world light heavyweight title at Madison Square Garden; Rosenbloom beat a tired Heuser by unanimous decision, inflicting only the second defeat of Heuser's career. Heuser went on to lose his last three fights of his second spell in the US.
Back in Germany, Heuser won four fights before challenging Adolf Witt in August 1934 for the German (BDB) light heavyweight title, the fight ending in a draw. Over the next three years, Heuser beat Hans Schönrath and
Karel Sys
Karel Sys (14 February 1914 – 19 June 1990) was a Belgian boxer who having started his professional career at welterweight went on to become heavyweight champion of Europe on two occasions, winning the title in both 1943 and 1952.
Career
Sys m ...
. In August 1937 he again challenged Witt for the German title, this time knocking him out in the eighth round to become German champion. In February 1938 he beat Sys on points, and the following month stopped
Gustave Roth
Gustave Roth (1909–1982) was a Belgian
Belgian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to, Belgium
* Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent
* Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and Germa ...
in the seventh round to add the IBU world and European titles. He had been due to fight
John Henry Lewis
John Henry Lewis (May 1, 1914 – April 18, 1974) was a hall of fame American boxer who held the World Light Heavyweight Boxing Title from 1935 to 1938. ''The Ring'' boxing magazine named Lewis the 16th greatest light heavyweight of all-time. His t ...
for the NYSAC world title, but the fight was cancelled after the NYSAC controversially stripped Lewis of the title. Instead, he made a successful defence of his European title against Preciso in September 1938.
He moved up to heavyweight and in March 1939 beat Heinz Lazek to become European heavyweight champion. Heuser was initially ordered to defend this European title against Italian champion Sante De Leo (who had previously accepted a challenge to face Lazek), which prompted the German authorities to threaten to withdraw from the IBU in protest, but in July 1939 Heuser faced
Max Schmeling
Maximilian Adolph Otto Siegfried Schmeling (, ; 28 September 1905 – 2 February 2005) was a German boxing, boxer who was heavyweight champion of the world between 1930 and 1932. His two fights with Joe Louis in 1936 and 1938 were worldwide cul ...
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
, with the German and European titles at stake; Schmeling knocked him out in the first round. Heuser remained unconscious in the ring for some time, and needed
artificial respiration
Artificial ventilation (also called artificial respiration) is a means of assisting or stimulating respiration, a metabolic process referring to the overall exchange of gases in the body by pulmonary ventilation, external respiration, and interna ...
to revive him.
The following month, Heuser fought Preciso in what should have been a defence of his European light heavyweight title, and although he won the fight, he had lost the title at the weigh-in after failing to make the weight.
In March 1940 he challenged Jean Kreitz for the German title; Kreitz was controversially declared the winner, but the fight was declared a no contest the next day. The two fought again for the title in September, this time with Kreitz stopping Heuser in the eighth round.
Heuser moved back up to heavyweight, and after losing to
Walter Neusel
Walter Neusel (November 25, 1907 – October 3, 1964) was a German heavyweight boxer. During his career he held the distinction of being recognized as German Heavyweight Champion. Statistical boxing website BoxRec rates Neusel as the sixth best ...
, a draw with Lazek and a win over Kölblin led to a challenge for Lazek's German heavyweight title in February 1942; Heuser knocked Lazek out in the third round to become German champion once again. He retained the title with a drawn fight against Neusel in June, but in September Neusel stopped him in the ninth round to take the title.
Heuser suffered from depression and was left impoverished by
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, in which his house was destroyed,Adolf Heuser , ''
Der Spiegel
''Der Spiegel'' (, lit. ''"The Mirror"'') is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of 695,100 copies, it was the largest such publication in Europe in 2011. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...
'' 27/1952, 2 July 1952. Retrieved 28 September 2019 and although he never fought for a title again, he continued until February 1949, his final fight a loss to Helmut Janke, having only won one of his last twelve fights, subsequently retiring at the age of 41.
He spent the rest of his life in a
psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociative ...
, spending some time working as a volunteer in a restaurant in Bonn.
Heuser died on 19 November 1988 in the Rheinische Landeskliniken in Bonn, at the age of 81.
A road in Bonn, the Adolf-Heuser-Weg, was named after him in 1997.Adolf-Heuser-Weg , stadtplan.bonn.de. Retrieved 28 September 2019