The Day My Grandfather Fought Max Baer: A Family Legend Reexamined

A grandson investigates the legendary family tale of his grandfather’s exhibition bout with Max Baer — and discovers that some legends hold more truth than we think.

A family story. A boxing legend. But did it actually happen as it is told?

My grandfather stood toe-to-toe with Max Baer — at least, that’s how the family legend goes. One punch from the heavyweight champion, and he went down like a sack of bricks.

I’ve been told that story my whole life. But here’s the thing: I can’t find any proof it actually happened.

The story told is this:

My grandfather was a boxer. He was the undercard just before a Max Baer fight. If you don’t know who Max Baer is, watch the movie Cinderella Man. Max Baer was known as a ferocious boxer and someone you should think twice about before entering the ring.

With Max Baer as the protagonist of this family story, it became an instant favorite and was often shared at family gatherings and retold to friends and coworkers. As far as folklore, it doesn’t get better than this.

With Max Baer on the card that night, the venue was likely filled with many hoping to see the famous heavyweight champion put on a show. Early in the night, my grandfather’s opponent didn’t show — a common hiccup in small-time boxing.

One boxer not showing up on an undercard fight was not a concern for the event’s promoter. The problem was that Max Baer’s opponent did not show as well.

The promoter had a crisis.

Not one, but two fighters were no-shows.

And one of them? Max Baer’s opponent.

A refund would ruin him.

So he made a wild ask:

He asked my grandfather if he would fight three rounds with Max Baer as an exhibition. He asked Max the same question, and both agreed to give the crowd what they wanted.

Max Baer would fight.

At the time, my grandfather must have known of Baer’s reputation in the ring, but he accepted the challenge, and the stage was set for a fantastic tale that my family would tell over and over again to anyone who would listen.

As the story goes, when the bell sounded, my grandfather didn’t dance around the ring and try to avoid Max; he actually boxed with him — or at least thought he was boxing with Baer. He was landing some punches and was feeling pretty good at the end of the first round.

I’m sure he entered the fight with apprehension and maybe a little fear, but the first round gave him some confidence, and he was ready for round two. Six minutes to go. He could do this.

In the opposite corner, according to the family legend, Max Baer had apparently had enough of this “show.” He had let my grandfather have his three minutes of fame. There was no need to continue with this charade.

It was time to give the crowd what they came for.

As the bell sounded (I should say “tolled”) for the second round, my grandfather started his “boxing” with Baer. Then, Max decided to throw a punch. That was all it took. The exhibition was over.

The crowd was rewarded with what every boxing crowd wants — a knockout punch that didn’t make his opponent stagger but go straight to the mat and stay there.

My Father always shared the same description that he’d heard from his father. “It felt like I’d run head-first into a brick wall at full speed.” Max Baer had knocked my grandfather out cold with a single punch — one that felt like hitting a brick wall.

There is a reason boxing has weight classes, and my grandfather had just realized the difference between the light heavyweight class and that of the heavyweights.

My grandfather fought Max Baer! That was the story — the one I was always proud to share with anyone who would listen.

As I grew older and started on my history, I wanted to find documentation that supported the story. What I really wanted was to find a poster of the event to frame and hang with pride in my home.

Now, the question was hanging over me. Did it actually happen the way it was told, or was it just family folklore? My father boxed in High School and had a set of stories himself, so I knew there was boxing blood in the family.

I needed to know the facts, if there were any, to stand behind the claim of my grandfather’s bout with Max Baer, a heavyweight champion.

I started digging into the research to find answers. No one in the family had any proof; they just knew the story. I was confident I would find something, but I wasn’t sure why.

The fact that the story had always been told the same way over time helped anchor it somehow. It wasn’t embellished or sensationalized. The way my grandfather described the punch had remained the same, almost word for word, each time the story was told. I guess that made me feel there was some truth. I just needed something concrete.

Family stories have a magical way of connecting us to our past, shaping our identities, and providing a sense of belonging. Whether it’s a great-grandfather’s daring escape during war, a grandmother’s secret recipe passed down through generations, or the legendary tale of how your ancestors first settled in a new land, these stories are priceless.

As captivating as they may be, how do we know if they are true? Memories fade, details shift, and what started as fact over time may have transformed into myth. Investigating family stories can reveal fascinating truths and bring even deeper meaning to our heritage.

As I got older, I realized I wasn’t just chasing a boxing poster — I was chasing a piece of who I am.

Verifying a family story starts with gathering as much information as possible from as many sources as possible. Was there anyone who may have had firsthand knowledge? I couldn’t find anyone who knew when or where this exhibition would have taken place.

I started with what I knew. My father was born in 1930 in Ogden, Utah. That was the time and place where my grandparents had started their family. My grandfather would have been in his prime as a boxer, so I started searching for boxing records during that time.

It was the Great Depression. Distant travel for boxers and crowds was not an option, so I focused on the Ogden area.

My early efforts in searching public records gave me the first pieces of the puzzle. My grandfather was a boxer in the 1930s. In December 1931, he defeated Joe Berry on points at the Ogden Arena. In May 1936, he knocked out Frank Murphy at the Paramount Theatre.

I was off to a great start. I was motivated to put together the rest of the puzzle.

With more digging and using more robust research tools, I finally discovered enough to rid myself of the doubts I was feeling about the family legend.

What likely happened isn’t exactly how the story is told, but there were enough facts to give me confidence to continue sharing the story. Knowing more facts, I have stopped searching for the poster or boxing card, but there was enough evidence that I believe my grandfather did box with Max Baer.

Sometimes, the truth behind a family legend differs from what we expect. A few minor details may have changed over time, but the essence of the story — what it meant to the family and why it was told — remains significant.

Understanding the past strengthens families and provides more insights into our heritage, even when it’s not exactly as told.

Here is what I discovered.

My grandfather was an active participant in local boxing programs in and around Ogden, Utah, in the late 1920s and the 1930s.

In addition to the two fights mentioned above, newspaper listings from 1926 show him appearing in multiple bouts on boxing cards.

He defeated Ray Craven in a match in February, fought to a draw with two boxers, Dawson and Thomas, a week apart in March, and finished in a draw with Ralph Morley that same month.

I had documented proof: my grandfather really did box as a light heavyweight.

But what about the Max Baer part of the story? That wasn’t a tiny detail.

In 1934, a local newspaper noted that a visiting prizefighter sparred with my grandfather as part of a public workout. “He boxed three rounds with Saunders and three additional rounds with Vern Bybee.”​ My grandfather was active as a boxer (at least as a sparring partner) with well-known boxers in Ogden at that time.

And then — I found it.

A 1936 newspaper.

Max Baer. Ogden, Utah.

Exhibition bouts with local fighters.

My grandfather’s name wasn’t listed, but he was there.

Former world heavyweight champion Max Baer did appear in Utah for exhibition bouts during the 1930s. After losing his title in 1935, Baer embarked on a “comeback” tour in 1936, scheduling a series of short exhibition fights against local opponents.

Newspapers reported in April 1936 that Baer planned to open his tour in Ogden and would “meet all comers in six-round bouts.”​ Baer did fight in Utah that year. On July 24 (a prominent date in Utah), 1936, he fought a local boxer, Bob Williams, winning by a first-round knockout. These exhibitions were intended to keep Baer busy and entertain local crowds, often featuring multiple short bouts in one evening.

It wasn’t the poster. But it was better: it was possible. And that possibility was enough to keep the story alive — not as myth, but as memory backed by truth.

So these are facts.

My grandfather was an active boxer in the Ogden, Utah area in the mid-1930s.

Max Baer was holding boxing exhibitions in Ogden in 1936.

It’s possible that one day in the Ogden area in 1936, Max Baer and my grandfather could have been at the same venue, prepared to take on opponents who decided they had something more important than taking a beating.

Knowing that Max was willing to “meet all comers,” the promoter came up with a solution that would work for everyone. It wouldn’t have been advertised as a Baer vs Saunders match, but it could have happened just as the family story is told.

Sure, a few pieces were missing from the puzzle, but I had enough to continue telling the story, with some historical facts that only strengthened the likelihood that my grandfather boxed with Max Baer.

The evidence proves that my grandfather actively participated in Ogden’s boxing community and even sparred with notable fighters. Max Baer did stage exhibitions in Ogden, but his documented opponents were other local boxers. There is no verified source of Baer and Saunders facing off in a last-minute exhibition bout. It remains a fascinating tale that must be told with a disclaimer.

Whispered so as not to be heard.

Every family has incredible stories waiting to be explored, verified, and preserved. Whether the tale is a legendary exaggeration or a surprising truth, the journey of discovery is just as rewarding as the story itself. Begin your investigation today — speak with relatives, dig into historical records, and uncover the truths of your family’s past.

The truth may be hazy, but the story lives on — shaped by memory, sharpened by research, and now shared with the world.

If you’ve got a family legend, chase it. You might not find all the answers.

But what you will find is connection.