Walter Neusel (November 25, 1907 – October 3, 1964) was a German
heavyweight
Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling.
Boxing Professional
Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...
boxer Boxer most commonly refers to:
* Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing
*Boxer (dog), a breed of dog
Boxer or boxers may also refer to:
Animal kingdom
* Boxer crab
* Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans
* Boxer snipe ee ...
. During his career he held the distinction of being recognized as German Heavyweight Champion. Statistical boxing website
BoxRec
BoxRec or boxrec.com is a website dedicated to holding updated records of professional and amateur boxers, both male and female. It also maintains a MediaWiki-based encyclopaedia of boxing.
The objective of the site is to document every profess ...
rates Neusel as the sixth best German boxer ever across all weight divisions. All-Time Pound-for-Pound Rankings (Germany) BoxRec.com. Retrieved on May 18, 2014.
Professional career
Neusel turned professional in 1930, racking up a 32–0–2 record before experiencing his first lost against
Belgian
Belgian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to, Belgium
* Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent
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*Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...
pugilist Pierre Charles via points decision.Walter Neusel der "blonde Tiger" von der Dorneburg Wanne-EickelHistory.de Retrieved on April 30, 2014 During this period, Neusel scored wins over top European heavyweight contenders
Gipsy Daniels
William "Gipsy" Daniels (9 February 1903 – June 1967), was a Welsh Light-heavyweight boxing champion of Britain who, in an eighteen-year career, took in 141 contests, including eight fights in New York City, and notably knocked out Max Schmeli ...
(twice) and
Larry Gains
Lawrence Samuel "Larry" Gains (12 December 1900 – 26 July 1983) was a Black Canadian heavyweight boxer who was champion of Canada and the British Empire. One of the top heavyweights of his era, he was denied the opportunity to become World Ch ...
. In 1933, Neusel followed his contemporary
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 ...
to America, where he became popular due to his aggressive style. In 1934, he defeated
King Levinsky
King Levinsky (10 September 1910 – 30 September 1991), also known as Kingfish Levinsky, was an American heavyweight boxer who fought during the 1930s. He was born Harris Kraków and was a member of the Kraków fish-selling family of Maxwell St ...
and the future Hall of Famer
Tommy Loughran
Thomas Patrick Loughran (November 29, 1902 – July 7, 1982) was an American professional boxer and the former World Light Heavyweight Champion. Statistical boxing website BoxRec lists Loughran as the #7 ranked light heavyweight of all time ...
. These accomplishments earned him a ranking as one of the Ring Magazine's Top 10 heavyweights, setting up a bout with Schmeling for European supremacy.
First bout with Schmeling
On August 26, 1934 in Hamburg came a very important match for European boxing, Neusel against Schmeling. The venue was the dirt track facility in the immediate vicinity of Hagenbeck Zoo, which boxing promoter Walter Rothenburg had rebuilt within a few weeks in a rushed manner. Though the audience figures vary from 90,000–102,000 it was unquestionably the largest number of spectators in German history.Schmeling (1977), p. 287 Neusel lost the match via ninth round technical knockout, putting up a valiant effort but ultimately being outclassed by Schmeling.
European contender
After the Schmeling fight, Neusel held another future Hall of Famer in
Len Harvey
Leonard Austen Harvey (11 July 1907 – 28 November 1976) was a British boxer. A great defensive boxer, he boxed at every weight division available at the time, from flyweight to heavyweight. He became the light-heavyweight and heavyweight ch ...
to a 12 round draw. Following up with back-to-back victories over Welsh contender Jack Petersen.WALTER NEUSEL UND DER MEGAKAMPF GEGEN SCHMELING Boxen.de Retrieved on April 30, 2014 In 1935, Neusel returned to America to face former Heavyweight World Title holder
Primo Carnera
Primo may refer to:
People
*DJ Premier (born 1966), hip-hop producer, sometimes goes by nickname Primo
*Primo Carnera (1906–1967), Italian boxer, World Heavyweight champion 1933–1934
*Primo Cassarino (born 1956), enforcer for the Gambino cri ...
; losing the bout via fourth round knockout. He then returned to Europe and beat South African challenger
Ben Foord
Benjamin Foord (21 January 1913 – 29 September 1942) was a South African professional mixed class boxer of the 1930s and 1940s, who won the South African heavyweight title, British Boxing Board of Control (BBBoFC) British heavyweight tit ...
twice, with both wins sandwiched around a loss to
Tommy Farr
Tommy may refer to:
People
* Tommy (given name)
* Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''Tommy'' (1931 film), a Soviet drama film
* ''Tommy'' (1975 fil ...
.Walter Neusel – German Boxer Munzinger.de Retrieved on April 30, 2014
World War II era & later career
In 1940, Neusel won the German Heavyweight title against
Adolf Heuser
Adolf Heuser (3 October 1907 – 19 November 1988)
in 1942. He lost it for the last time against
Hein ten Hoff
Hein ten Hoff (19 November 1919 – 13 June 2003) was a German boxer and ''Präsident des Bundes Deutscher Berufsboxer'' (BDB). He was the son of a Dutch peasant, who left The Netherlands for Germany (Oldenburg Land) in the end of the 1930s, ...
in 1946. In 1948, Neusel had a rematch with arch-rival Schmeling, 14 years after the initial encounter. This time Neusel prevailed with a points decision victory over 12 rounds. Neusel retired after a knockout loss to in 1950. and died from a heart attack in 1964.
Notable bouts
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, style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Opponent
, style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Type
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, style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Date
, style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Location
, style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", NotesWalter Neusel's Professional Boxing Record BoxRec.com. Retrieved on May 18, 2014.
, - align=center
, Loss
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,
,
,
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, style="background:#abcdef;", Draw
, align=left,
Hein ten Hoff
Hein ten Hoff (19 November 1919 – 13 June 2003) was a German boxer and ''Präsident des Bundes Deutscher Berufsboxer'' (BDB). He was the son of a Dutch peasant, who left The Netherlands for Germany (Oldenburg Land) in the end of the 1930s, ...
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 ...
Hein ten Hoff
Hein ten Hoff (19 November 1919 – 13 June 2003) was a German boxer and ''Präsident des Bundes Deutscher Berufsboxer'' (BDB). He was the son of a Dutch peasant, who left The Netherlands for Germany (Oldenburg Land) in the end of the 1930s, ...
Hein ten Hoff
Hein ten Hoff (19 November 1919 – 13 June 2003) was a German boxer and ''Präsident des Bundes Deutscher Berufsboxer'' (BDB). He was the son of a Dutch peasant, who left The Netherlands for Germany (Oldenburg Land) in the end of the 1930s, ...
Arno Kölblin
Arno Kölblin (9 October 1911 – 19 December 1988)Arno Kölblin
Arno Kölblin (9 October 1911 – 19 December 1988)Heinz Lazek
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win
, align=left, Heinz Lazek
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win
, align=left,
Ben Foord
Benjamin Foord (21 January 1913 – 29 September 1942) was a South African professional mixed class boxer of the 1930s and 1940s, who won the South African heavyweight title, British Boxing Board of Control (BBBoFC) British heavyweight tit ...
Tommy Farr
Tommy may refer to:
People
* Tommy (given name)
* Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''Tommy'' (1931 film), a Soviet drama film
* ''Tommy'' (1975 fil ...
Ben Foord
Benjamin Foord (21 January 1913 – 29 September 1942) was a South African professional mixed class boxer of the 1930s and 1940s, who won the South African heavyweight title, British Boxing Board of Control (BBBoFC) British heavyweight tit ...
Primo Carnera
Primo may refer to:
People
*DJ Premier (born 1966), hip-hop producer, sometimes goes by nickname Primo
*Primo Carnera (1906–1967), Italian boxer, World Heavyweight champion 1933–1934
*Primo Cassarino (born 1956), enforcer for the Gambino cri ...
Len Harvey
Leonard Austen Harvey (11 July 1907 – 28 November 1976) was a British boxer. A great defensive boxer, he boxed at every weight division available at the time, from flyweight to heavyweight. He became the light-heavyweight and heavyweight ch ...
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 ...
Tommy Loughran
Thomas Patrick Loughran (November 29, 1902 – July 7, 1982) was an American professional boxer and the former World Light Heavyweight Champion. Statistical boxing website BoxRec lists Loughran as the #7 ranked light heavyweight of all time ...
King Levinsky
King Levinsky (10 September 1910 – 30 September 1991), also known as Kingfish Levinsky, was an American heavyweight boxer who fought during the 1930s. He was born Harris Kraków and was a member of the Kraków fish-selling family of Maxwell St ...
Gipsy Daniels
William "Gipsy" Daniels (9 February 1903 – June 1967), was a Welsh Light-heavyweight boxing champion of Britain who, in an eighteen-year career, took in 141 contests, including eight fights in New York City, and notably knocked out Max Schmeli ...
Larry Gains
Lawrence Samuel "Larry" Gains (12 December 1900 – 26 July 1983) was a Black Canadian heavyweight boxer who was champion of Canada and the British Empire. One of the top heavyweights of his era, he was denied the opportunity to become World Ch ...
Gipsy Daniels
William "Gipsy" Daniels (9 February 1903 – June 1967), was a Welsh Light-heavyweight boxing champion of Britain who, in an eighteen-year career, took in 141 contests, including eight fights in New York City, and notably knocked out Max Schmeli ...