Max Baer -vs- Tony “Two Ton” Galento
(All Rounds w/post-fight Interview)
Roosevelt Stadium, New Jersey
July 2, 1940
16mm Sound Transfer
This is an update to a previous post.
This is an update to a previous post.
The Fight
The Max Baer vs Tony Galento fight film is a classic
document of pre-war Sports Americana. In
1940, Max Baer and Tony Galento, the two most colorful boxers of their day, met
for a title elimination showdown in Jersey
City. It was a
titanic slugfest. The fight began even
before the opening bell as Galento threatened Baer during the referee’s
instructions. The two went right to work in the first round, with Galento on
the attack. By round 3 however, Baer was taking control, fighting in flurries, in
between clowning and taunting the relentless Galento. After 7 rounds of bruising action, Galento collapses
in his corner and cannot answer the bell for the 8th. It was Baer’s last victory.
The Movie
The film is noteworthy for several reasons. The fight was among the best filmed bouts of
the day. It was also among the first
fight films produced as the interstate traffic of boxing films was lifted. For the first time since 1910, boxing films
could be distributed across state lines and shown across the country. As a result, fight films became feature productions
in theatres, rather than simply newsreels.
In the decade prior to the television boom, movie audiences were treated
to complete fight pictures only days after the event.
The Film
This footage in this video is taken from three sources and
shows all rounds of the fight. The
opening potion is from a VHS copy that suffers from generation loss. Despite the lack of quality, I thought it was
important to show the ring intros and referee’s instructions, as it includes Galento’s
trash talk and threat to get “twice as rough” as Baer, as if Tony ever needed
an excuse. The remaining (and superior)
source footage begins after the opening bell, and is taken from an extended 16mm
print, with Round 3 taken from the Castle Films highlight. The final minute includes the famous
“after-battle” interview with Max Baer, Lou Costello and Joe Louis.
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