Boxing Looks Back at Former Light Heavyweight Champion Joey Maxim

Sure, the turtle won the race in that famous children's story, but the other animal fell asleep, costing it the victory. It was the turtle, however, who earned the victory by working tirelessly and not quitting until the end. Sure, Prince Albert of Monaco is only called Prince, but he is actually the leader of that small nation. For a reason only Monte Carlo residents can understand, his title is Prince, not King. Sure, Larry Bird made that heroic, down the stretch steal against the Detroit Pistons in the 1987 NBA Eastern Conference Finals to give the Boston Celtics a victory over the Detroit Pistons. Usually forgotten in that highlight is, that without Dennis Johnson there would have been no highlight at all, as it was Johnson, not Bird, who followed up Bird's heroic effort with an even more heroic effort by scoring the game winning basket with one second to go in the fourth quarter. And the list goes on. One person who deserves to be in that list is Joey Maxim. Maxim is often remembered for his fight with Sugar Ray Robinson. Most people would consider it a sin for anybody who knows about boxing to think that Maxim knocked Robinson out. What they forget is that it was Maxim, not Robinson, who was able to stand the sweltering heat of New York the night they fought. Maxim did not hit hard, yet he did the unthinkable by knocking Robinson out. And yes, it wasn't Maxim's power that did the trick. It was his conditioning. For Maxim was fighting under the same climatologic conditions as his highness of boxing the Sugar Ray, and he was about to faint himself, but he didn't. Maxim braved the heat all he could, just as Robinson did, but Maxim's body was better prepared to fight under extreme condition. Make no mistake about it then, Joey Maxim's knockout win over Sugar Ray Robinson was as valid as Thomas Hearns' beating on Jose Pipino Cuevas. As they say, fights are won during training. Joey Maxim, as bad as he was being handled by Robinson, pulled this one out even before the fight had started, for he earned the victory by training better than Robinson did. Joey Maxim was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He became an award winning amateur, winning the Golden Gloves before turning professional. Maxim was no Mike Tyson. He was not even a Mark Breland for that matter. One would more likely confuse Mickey Mouse with Queen Elizabeth II than Joey Maxim with a power puncher. But he was a steady boxer who was reliable. Maxim was not a quitter.
Joey Maxim found his way into a Championship on January 24, 1950 in London, England, where he faced the legendary, World Light Heavyweight Champion Freddie Mills. A large underdog, Maxim found punching power at exactly the right moment, taking Mills, and Mills' teeth, out in round ten to return to the United States as the new World Light Heavyweight Champion. As if that feat hadn't been enough, Maxim then challenged Ezzard Charles for the World Heavyweight title, coming up short after 15 rounds of fighting. Like any other entertainer or artist, Maxim returned, his collection of art not quite done yet. But he needed that one fight, that one play which would catapult him into immortality in the eyes of the viewing public. And so June 25, 1952 arrived. The scenario that served as center stage was Yankee Stadium. The fight had been cancelled for two days in a row because of heavy rain in the New York area. The rain left a very uncomfortable humidity at the city. Through thirteen rounds, Robinson, looking for his third division world title, dominated Maxim like water dominates fire, but the fire in Maxim was not extinguished. Robinson's hose, meanwhile, was running out of steam. At the end of round thirteen, Robinson fainted in his corner. He was not allowed to continue as he suffered from hyperthermia, a condition also commonly known as a heat stroke. While it clearly feels wrong to say Robinson lost by knockout, which he officially did, one must take into consideration that Maxim was fighting under the same circumstances as Sugar Ray, and he was still standing, albeit barely, while the sugary one was on his stool.
Among the most important aspects where a boxer's training helps during a fight is the boxer's resistance factor. Maxim won the fight in the gym and on the road, as obviously he was better prepared than Robinson to endure the exhausting heat that engulfed New York City on June 25, 1952. To further prove his endurance, Maxim lost the title to the man with the most knockouts in boxing history, Archie Moore, by a fifteen round decision. Although two more losses against Moore made Maxim 0-2 against good ol' Arch, in 45 rounds, Moore could not stop Maxim, a feat that 145 other Moore opponents could not claim. For most of the time until his departure in 2001, Maxim was remembered mostly for his strange, but real win against Robinson. Joey Maxim was like Dennis Johnson. Everyone remembers Robinson collapsed, but they all forget Maxim was still standing when he did. Everyone remembers Larry Bird got that steal, but they all forget Dennis Johnson was the one that won the game. But justice ultimately prevailed for this Cleveland native. He is enshrined in boxing's International Hall of Fame, alongside Charles, Robinson, Moore and all the other immortals. The recognition was well overdue for the man who was best remembered as a man who won one fight in the most unlikely of ways.
Maxim(Light-Heavyweight)Professional record: 115 fights; 82+ (21 KO's), 4=, 29-1949: America Light heavyweight1950-1952: World Light heavyweight- 1941 -+ (Jan-13-1941, Cleveland) Bob Perry 4 + (Jan-27-1941, Chicago) Frank Mc Bride 8 - (Feb-17-1941, Chicago) Orlando Trotter 8 + (Apr-29-1941, Cleveland) Bob Perry 6 + (Jul-11-1941, Cleveland) Tony Paoli 10 + (Jul-28-1941, Chicago) Johnny Trotter 8 + (Sep-13-1941, Youngstown) Lee OMA 8 + (Sep-15-1941, Chicago) Nate Bolden 10 + (Oct-6-1941, Chicago) Bill PETERSEN 10 + (Oct-27-1941, Chicago) Oliver Shanks kot 5 + (Dec-1-1941, Cleveland) Clarence Red Burman 10 - 1942 -- (Jan-16-1942, Chicago) Booker Beckwith 10 + (Mar-11-1942, Cleveland) Herbie Katz ko 6 + (Mar-23-1942, Baltimore) Lou Brooks 10 + (Apr-20-1942, Chicago) Frank Green ko 2 - (May-11-1942, Chicago) Charles Roth disq.2 + (Jun-1-1942, Chicago) Charles Roth ko 4 - (Jun-22-1942, Cleveland) Jimmy BIVINS 10 + (Jul-10-1942, Wilmington) Lou Brooks 10 + (Jul-27-1942, Pittsburgh) Curtis Sheppard 10 - (Aug-10-1942, Chicago) Altus Allen 10 + (Aug-27-1942, Chicago) Jack Marshall ko 8 + (Sep-22-1942, Pittsburgh) Shelton Bell 10 + (Oct-5-1942, Chicago) Hubert Hood 8 + (Oct-13-1942, Akron) Larry Lane 10 - (Oct-27-1942, Pittsburgh) Ezzard CHARLES 10 - (Dec-1-1942, Cleveland) Ezzard CHARLES 10 - 1943 -+ (Jan-18-1943, Chicago) Clarence Brown 10 + (Feb-15-1943, Chicago) Clarence Brown 10 - (Mar-10-1943, Cleveland) Curtis Sheppard ko 1 + (Mar-31-1943, Cleveland) Curtis Sheppard 10 + (Apr-26-1943, Chicago) Al Jordan 10 + (Aug-9-1943, Chicago) Nate Bolden 10 + (Oct-29-1943, Chicago) Buddy Scott 10 + (Dec-1-1943, Cleveland) Claudio Villar ko 6 - 1944 -+ (Jan-31-1944, Washington) Georgie Parks 10 + (Apr-28-1944, Detroit) Buddy Walker 10 + (May-29-1944, Chicago) Bob Garner 10 + (Jun-26-1944, Chicago) Frank Androff 10 - (Jul-27-1944, Cleveland) Lloyd MARSHALL 10 - (Dec-19-1944, Cleveland) Johnny Flynn 10 - 1945 -+ (Feb-2-1945, Chicago) Johnny Flanagan 8 + (Apr-16-1945, Detroit) Clarence Brown 10 + (Nov-26-1945, Detroit) Cleo Everett 10 - 1946 -+ (Mar-4-1946, Detroit) Howard Williams 10 - (Mar-11-1946, New York) John Thomas 10 + (Mar-27-1946, Buffalo) Ralph De John kot 1 + (Apr-1-1946, Baltimore) Buddy Walker 10 - (Apr-9-1946, Buffalo) Phil MUSCATO 10 = (May-7-1946, Buffalo) Charley Eagle 10 + (May-14-1946, Buffalo) Phil MUSCATO 12 + (Aug-2-1946, Rochester) Phil MUSCATO 10 + (Aug-14-1946, Chicago) Henry Cooper 10 + (Aug-28-1946, Camden) Jersey Joe WALCOTT 10 + (Oct-10-1946, Akron) Clarence Jones 10 + (Oct-16-1946, Toledo) Bearcat Jones ko 5 = (Nov-12-1946, Saint-Louis) Jim Ritchie 10 + (Dec-3-1946, Houston) Jimmy Webb ko 6 + (Dec-12-1946, El Paso) Al Velez 10 + (Dec-17-1946, Houston) Jack Marshall 10 - 1947 -- (Jan-6-1947, Philadelphia) Jersey Joe WALCOTT 10 + (Jan-28-1947, Miami) Marty Clark kot 7 + (May-12-1947, Louisville) Charlie Roth ko 4 - (Jun-23-1947, Los Angeles) Jersey Joe WALCOTT 10 + (Sep-8-1947, Wheeling) Clarence Jones ko 5 + (Sep-17-1947, Cleveland) John Thomas 10 + (Nov-12-1947, Chicago) Bob Foxworth 10 + (Dec-8-1947, Philadelphia) Billy Thompson 10 - 1948 -+ (Jan-9-1948, New York) Olle TANDBERG 10 + (Feb-2-1948, Little Rock) Bob Sikes 10 + (Feb-13-1948, San Francisco) Tony Bosnich 10 = (Mar-22-1948, San Francisco) Pat VALENTINO 10 + (Apr-27-1948, Houston) Louis Berlier 10 + (May-7-1948, El Paso) Francisco De La Cruz 10 + (May-27-1948, Tacoma) Roy Hawkins 10 = (Jun-7-1948, San Francisco) Pat VALENTINO 10 + (Jun-22-1948, Portland) Joe Kahut 10 + (Jun-29-1948, Seattle) Bill PETERSEN 10 + (Sep-28-1948, Portland) Bill PETERSEN 10 - (Oct-19-1948, Portland) Joe Kahut 15 + (Nov-12-1948, Chicago) Bob SATTERFIELD 10 + (Dec-7-1948, Cleveland) Jimmy BIVINS 10 - 1949 -- (Feb-28-1949, Cincinnati) Ezzard CHARLES 15 + (May-23-1949, Cincinnati) Gus LESNEVICH 15 (America, Light heavyweight)+ (Oct-25-1949, Cincinnati) Joe Kahut kot 5 + (Nov-30-1949, Wichita) Pat Mc Cafferty kot 4 + (Dec-9-1949, Grand Rapids) Bill PETERSEN 10 - 1950 -+ (Jan-24-1950, London) Freddie MILLS ko 10 (World, Light heavyweight) + (Apr-19-1950, Omaha) Joe Dawson ko 2 + (May-12-1950, Memphis) Bill PETERSEN ko 6 + (Sep-25-1950, Huntington) Johnny Swanson ko 3 + (Oct-10-1950, Salt Lake City) Bill PETERSEN 10 + (Nov-22-1950, Moline) Big Boy Brown 10 + (Dec-11-1950, San Francisco) Dave WHITLOCK ko 4 - 1951 -+ (Jan-27-1951, Indianapolis) Hubert Hood ko 3 - (May-30-1951, Chicago) Ezzard CHARLES 15 (World, Heavyweight) + (Aug-22-1951, New York) Bob MURPHY 15 (World, Light heavyweight) - (Dec-12-1951, San Francisco) Ezzard CHARLES 12 - 1952 -+ (Mar-6-1952, Saint-Paul) Ted LOWRY 10 + (Jun-25-1952, New York) Ray Sugar ROBINSON retiring 14 (World, Light heavyweight) - (Dec-17-1952, Saint-Louis) Archie MOORE 15 (World, Light heavyweight) - 1953 -+ (Mar-4-1953, Miami) Danny NARDICO 10 - (Jun-24-1953, Ogden) Archie MOORE 15 (World, Light heavyweight) - 1954 -- (Jan-27-1954, Miami) Archie MOORE 15 (World, Light heavyweight) + (Jun-7-1954, New York) Floyd PATTERSON 8 + (Nov-24-1954, Chicago) Paul ANDREWS 10 - 1955 -- (Apr-13-1955, San Francisco) Carl Bobo OLSON 10 - (Jun-28-1955, Nouvelle-Orleans) Willie PASTRANO 10 - 1956 -+ (Sep-29-1956, Vancouver) Edgardo Jose Romero 10 - 1957 -- (Jan-25-1957, Miami Beach) Eddie MACHEN 10 - (May-3-1957, Louisville) Eddie MACHEN 10 - (Jun-18-1957, Portland) Carl Bobo OLSON 10 - 1958 -- (Apr-12-1958, Stuttgart) Heinz NEUHAUS 10 - (Apr-27-1958, Milan) Giacomo Bozzano 10 - (May-17-1958, Mannheim) Ulli RITTER 10