BERLIN (AFP) - German boxing legend Max Schmeling, who won renown for his upset victory over the previously invincible Joe Louis and his defiance of Adolf Hitler, has died aged 99.
The former world heavyweight champion passed away on Wednesday and was buried in his home state of Lower Saxony on Friday, the Max-Schmeling foundation said. A memorial service in Hamburg is being planned.
Among the tributes that poured in at the news, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder expressed his sadness of Schmeling's passing and said: "He was a star, and yet fame never went to his head.
"Schmeling distinguished himself through his sense of fair play, his modesty and his irreproachability," Schroeder said, but added that the sportsman was still able to stay "free from any airs and graces."
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