Max Baer vs Primo Carnera, New York 1934

35mm HD Nitrate Theatrical Print Scan

Max Baer KOs Primo Carnera in 11 rounds at Madison Square Garden Bowl, New York on June 14, 1934. The film of this fight has long been preserved and widely distributed over the years, though on the web it is mostly found in very poor quality. The stills here, and the video clip, are from from a rare 35mm nitrate print I acquired some years ago and was just recently scanned to HD. As was the custom during the depression years, the fight portions were shot at silent speed (16-18 frames per second) to save on cost, with the crowd sounds dubbed in later. The pre- and post fight portions were filmed at standard sound 24fps speed to capture the ring announcements. In this clip, I have slowed the speed 25% to approximate real time.

Though Baer came out strong in the first two rounds, he was unable to KO Carnera and fought in furies thereafter. This gave Carnera time to recover, and it was Primo who often came forward, forcing the fight through the middle rounds. By the 11^th round, Carnera was exhausted, and quit after a final barrage by Baer. I chose to show Round 6 because it’s not only rare, but one of the better rounds for Primo. The two trade blows in some good action and the verbal exchanges are on display as well.

What I like most about this footage is the clarity of the film and seeing not only the fighter’s expressions, but the trash talking as well. Baer and Carnera had been in the ring together before, as actors, while filming the Hollywood movie The Prizefighter and The Lady a year earlier. The two no doubt relished getting down to actual combat.

Some thoughts on Carnera: There’s no question that Carnera’s career is padded by a number of fixed victories, but those fights served in part as his boxing education. The softer competition bought him time to develop his skills. But even at his best Primo, though athletic and who certainly had his moments, was never a very skilled boxer. Not that he didn’t try, but he suffered from Acromegaly and Gigantism, a hormonal disorder that develops when the pituitary gland produces too much growth hormone during adulthood, and accounted for Primo’s massive 6’6’ 260lb size. The illness meant, in short, that Primo’s brain was wired for a smaller body. His nervous system had to work much harder to maintain balance and coordination to perform than an unaffected person. He had great strength but he didn’t have the reaction time a champion boxer needs to combine speed and power, evade punches, and to anticipate and react to his opponent’s moves. I appreciate that Primo went a long way with what he had.