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.[1] Statistical boxing website BoxRec rates Neusel as the sixth best German boxer ever across all weight divisions.[2]

Walter Neusel
Statistics
Real name	Walter Neusel
Nickname(s)	Der Blonde Tiger
Weight(s)	Heavyweight
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 1 ^1⁄2 in)
Nationality	German
Born	(1907-11-25)November 25, 1907 Bochum, Nordrhein-Westfalen
Died	October 3, 1964(1964-10-03) (aged 56) Berlin
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	90
Wins	68
Wins by KO	36
Losses	13
Draws	9
No contests	0

Professional career

Neusel turned professional in 1930, racking up a 32–0–2 record before experiencing his first lost against Belgian pugilist Pierre Charles via points decision.[3] During this period, Neusel scored wins over top European heavyweight contenders Gipsy Daniels (twice) and Larry Gains. In 1933, Neusel followed his contemporary Max Schmeling to America, where he became popular due to his aggressive style.[3] In 1934, he defeated King Levinsky and the future Hall of Famer Tommy Loughran. 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.[3]

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.[4] Though the audience figures vary from 90,000–102,000 it was unquestionably the largest number of spectators in German history.[5] 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 to a 12 round draw. Following up with back-to-back victories over Welsh contender Jack Petersen.[6] In 1935, Neusel returned to America to face former Heavyweight World Title holder Primo Carnera; losing the bout via fourth round knockout.[6] He then returned to Europe and beat South African challenger Ben Foord twice, with both wins sandwiched around a loss to Tommy Farr.[7]

World War II era & later career

In 1940, Neusel won the German Heavyweight title against Arno Kölblin in Berlin.[8] He lost the title to Heinz Lazek in the latter part of 1940, but regained it against Adolf Heuser in 1942. He lost it for the last time against Hein ten Hoff in 1946.[8] 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.[1] Neusel retired after a knockout loss to Conny Rux in 1950.[1]

Notable bouts

Result	Opponent	Type	Rd., Time	Date	Location	Notes[1]
Loss	Conny Rux	KO	5 (10)	1950-03-18	Funkturmhalle, Westend Berlin
Draw	Hein ten Hoff	PTS	12	1949-09-18	Reiterstadion, Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen
Win	Max Schmeling	PTS	10	1948-05-23	Sportplatz, Altona, Hamburg
Loss	Hein ten Hoff	KO	7 (12)	1947-10-15	HSV Platz, Hamburg	For German BDB Heavyweight Title
Loss	Hein ten Hoff	PTS	12	1946-08-03	HSV Sportplatz Rothenbaum, Hamburg	Lost German BDB Heavyweight Title
Win	Adolf Heuser	TKO	9 (12)	1942-09-06	Deutschlandhalle, Charlottenburg, Hamburg	Won German BDB Heavyweight Title
Draw	Adolf Heuser	PTS	12	1942-06-27	Union Sportplatz, Hamburg	For German BDB Heavyweight Title
Loss	Heinz Lazek	PTS	12	1941-10-26	Deutschlandhalle, Charlottenburg, Hamburg	For German BDB Heavyweight Title
Win	Arno Kölblin	PTS	10	1941-04-27	Deutschlandhalle, Charlottenburg, Hamburg
Win	Adolf Heuser	TKO	9 (10)	1941-01-26	Deutschlandhalle, Charlottenburg, Hamburg
Loss	Heinz Lazek	PTS	12	1940-11-03	Sportpalast, Schoeneberg, Berlin	Lost German BDB Heavyweight Title
Win	Arno Kölblin	PTS	12	1940-06-22	Eisstadion, Friedrichshain, Berlin	Retained German BDB Heavyweight Title
Win	Arno Kölblin	PTS	12	1938-11-11	Deutschlandhalle, Charlottenburg, Hamburg	Won German BDB Heavyweight Title
Loss	Heinz Lazek	PTS	15	1938-09-16	Ice Rink, Vienna	For EBU Heavyweight Title
Win	Heinz Lazek	PTS	12	1938-07-16	Schwebenhalle, Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg
Win	Ben Foord	DQ	8 (12)	1938-04-16	Hanseatenhalle, Hamburg
Loss	Tommy Farr	KO	3 (12)	1937-06-15	Harringay Arena, Harringay, London
Win	Jack Petersen	TKO	10 (12)	1937-02-01	Harringay Arena, Harringay, London
Win	Ben Foord	PTS	15	1936-11-18	Harringay Arena, Harringay, London
Loss	Primo Carnera	TKO	4 (10))	1935-11-01	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win	Jack Petersen	TKO	12 (12)	1935-06-25	Wembley Stadium, Wembley, London
Win	Jack Petersen	TKO	11 (15)	1935-02-04	Empire Pool, Wembley, London
Draw	Len Harvey	PTS	12	1934-11-26	Empire Pool, Wembley, London
Loss	Max Schmeling	KO	9 (15)	1934-08-26	Sandbahn Lokstedt, Hamburg
Win	Tommy Loughran	SD	10	1934-05-04	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win	King Levinsky	PTS	10	1934-03-09	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win	Gipsy Daniels	PTS	10	1932-11-26	Festhalle, Frankfurt, Hessen
Win	Larry Gains	UD	10	1932-10-17	Salle Wagram, Paris
Win	Gipsy Daniels	PTS	10	1931-07-31	Sportplatz Allee Altona, Altona, Hamburg

References

1. Walter Neusel's Professional Boxing Record. BoxRec.com. Retrieved on May 18, 2014.
2. All-Time Pound-for-Pound Rankings (Germany). BoxRec.com. Retrieved on May 18, 2014.
3. Walter Neusel der "blonde Tiger" von der Dorneburg Wanne-EickelHistory.de Retrieved on April 30, 2014
4. Schmeling (1977), p. 286
5. Schmeling (1977), p. 287
6. WALTER NEUSEL UND DER MEGAKAMPF GEGEN SCHMELING Boxen.de Retrieved on April 30, 2014
7. Walter Neusel – German Boxer Munzinger.de Retrieved on April 30, 2014
8. WALTER NEUSEL, 56, GERMAN BOXER, DIES NYTimes.com Retrieved on April 30, 2014

Bibliography

• Schmeling, Max (1977). Erinnerungen. Frankfurt/Berlin: Ullstein. ISBN 978-3-5482-7508-6.

External links

• Boxing record for Walter Neusel from BoxRec

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Arno Kölblin	German BDB Heavyweight Champion November 11, 1938 – November 3, 1940	Succeeded by Heinz Lazek
Preceded by Adolf Heuser	German BDB Heavyweight Champion June 27, 1942 – August 3, 1946	Succeeded by Hein ten Hoff