Have Lou Nova and Max Baer ever fought each other?

Yes. Lou Nova and Max Baer have met 2 times and Lou Nova leads the series 2-0.

Who has the better record, Nova or Baer?

Lou Nova is 49-9-5 and Max Baer is 68-13. Max Baer has the higher win percentage.

Who has more knockouts, Nova or Baer?

Lou Nova has 31 knockout wins and Max Baer has 51. Max Baer has more.

Do Nova and Baer have any common opponents?

Lou Nova and Max Baer share 2 common opponents: Joe Louis and Tony Galento. Max Baer fared better against 1 of them.

How much fight data does Kill The Body have on Nova and Baer?

This comparison is drawn from 7 bouts tracked for Lou Nova and 81 bouts tracked for Max Baer. Method and activity splits reflect those bouts only.

Lou Nova vs Max Baer — Records, Stats & Common Opponents

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Max Baer

Lou Nova (49-9-5) and Max Baer (68-13) are compared on record, finishing method, activity, and common opponents on Kill The Body. The two have met 2 times. They share 2 common opponents.

Nova

Wins31 KO · 63%

Losses

Draws7 tracked bouts

Baer

Wins51 KO · 75%

Losses

Draws81 tracked bouts

Head to Head

Nova leads 2–0

Lou Nova and Max Baer have met 2 times; Nova leads 2–0.
Met	1939Jun 1	1941Apr 4	Series
Lou NovaFighter A	WWon	WWon	2–0W–L
Max BaerFighter B	LLost	LLost	0–2W–L
Result	TKOR11Baer vs Nova	TKOR8Baer vs Nova	2Meetings

The Numbers

Nova 1 · Baer 7 of 8 measurable rows

NovaEdge = longer wingBaer

Record: 49-9-568-13 (edge)
Win %0–100%: 81.7%
84% (edge)
Wins by knockoutmax 51: 31
51 (edge)
KO rate0–100%: 63.27%
75% (edge)
Stoppage rate (tracked wins)^†0–100%: 100% (edge)
75%
Times stopped^†max 4: 4
3 (edge)
Title reignsmax 2: 0
2 (edge)
Bouts per year^‡max 6.8: 1.4
6.8 (edge)
Bouts trackedcoveragemax 81: 7
81

† Counted from bouts Kill The Body has ingested, not a career total. · ‡ Across each fighter's tracked career span. · Bars are scaled per row — percentages on 0–100, counts against the larger of the two. Every figure is also printed as text.

Tale of the Tape

Heightnot held: Lou Nova: No height on file; Max Baer: 6′0″
Reachnot held: Lou Nova: No reach on file; Max Baer: 81″
Agenot comparable: Lou Nova: Died aged 78; Max Baer: Died aged 50
Stance: Lou Nova: Orthodox; Max Baer: Orthodox

Lou Nova left, Max Baer right, as everywhere on this page. Age is stated, not scored — neither age nor stance carries an edge.

How They Win

Tracked bouts only

Lou Nova2 wins · from 7 tracked bouts

2 by KO/TKO 100%

Max Baer68 wins · from 81 tracked bouts

51 by KO/TKO 75%15 on the cards 22%2 by another method or unrecorded 3%

One square per tracked win. Counted from the bouts Kill The Body has ingested for each fighter — Lou Nova 7, Max Baer 81 — not from a career-complete method table.

Common Opponents

2 shared

2 shared · Baer better on 1 · even on 12 shared · Max Baer better on 1 · even on 1

NovaLou Nova

Opponent

BaerMax Baer

Lou Nova
Loss, TKO 6
1941Sep 1941
LouisJoe LouisUnited States 66–3 · HeavyweightEvenEven — 0–1 both
Max Baer
Loss, KO 4
1935Sep 1935
Lou Nova
Loss, TKO 14
1939Sep 1939
GalentoTony GalentoUnited States 79–26–6 · HeavyweightBaer betterMax Baer better — 1–0 to 0–1
Max Baer
Win, RTD 7
1940Jul 1940

Both sides are set at the same size on purpose. Kill The Body does not score a second-round knockout above a split decision — the edge counts losses first and wins as the tiebreak, and the rest is yours to argue. Shared opponents are matched on fighter identity, not on name, so two different fighters with the same name never merge into one row.

Current Form

Oldest left · newest right

Lou Nova has lost three straight, after one straight win. Nova last boxed on Aug 9, 1943.LWLLL

Galento Sep 1939Baer Apr 1941Louis Sep 1941Savold May 1942Savold Aug 19431.4 tracked bouts per year

Max Baer had won four in a row before losing by stoppage to Lou Nova. Baer last boxed on Apr 4, 1941.WWWWL

Murphy Sep 1939Ritchie Sep 1939Galento Jul 1940Comiskey Sep 1940Nova Apr 19416.8 tracked bouts per year

Common Questions

With the rows behind them

Have Lou Nova and Max Baer ever fought each other?: Yes. Lou Nova and Max Baer have met 2 times and Lou Nova leads the series 2-0.
Who has the better record, Nova or Baer?: Lou Nova is 49-9-5 and Max Baer is 68-13. Max Baer has the higher win percentage.
Who has more knockouts, Nova or Baer?: Lou Nova has 31 knockout wins and Max Baer has 51. Max Baer has more.
Do Nova and Baer have any common opponents?: Lou Nova and Max Baer share 2 common opponents: Joe Louis and Tony Galento. Max Baer fared better against 1 of them.
How much fight data does Kill The Body have on Nova and Baer?: This comparison is drawn from 7 bouts tracked for Lou Nova and 81 bouts tracked for Max Baer. Method and activity splits reflect those bouts only.

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Lou Nova vs Max Baer — record, stats and common opponents compared

Lou Nova

Max Baer