1930's Sports | Boxing

The Next Most Popular Sport.

Boxing was Americas second most popular sport, next to baseball, in the 1930s, though much of the attraction had a lot to do with the heavy gambling that accompanied the bouts. But if a fight were going to be a sensational one—even in the lean years of the Depression—fans tried to scrape up good money to see it. The Depression did hurt gate receipts, but radio also cut into profits as more and more Americans tuned in to ringside coverage. The career of Joe Louis paralleled the rise of boxing on the wireless and contributed significantly to the popularity of other sports reported over the new medium.

Revolving Champions.

With the retirement of Gene Tunney the heavyweight title remained vacant from August 1928 to June 1930, while a series of elimination bouts to determine the new champion were fought. Max Schmeling won the championship when Jack Sharkey was disqualified for a foul in...