As a human interest story this is not so much the portrait of a monster it is made out to be but rather a tragic tale of a pro wrestling heel, who also worked as a pro boxer and had an excellent shovel hook, a good jab, a good record and good work ethic, but bad sportsmanship.

Norbert had severe brain damage after his heavyweight bout against Bonaveda and was only ridiculed for being “an asshole” by the biographer, when in fact he was suffering from the equivalent of a car accident. Yes, Norbert was “an asshole”a bad man—but at least he was a man, something most males of our day cannot say. There is something about a fighter that spits at the crowd that appeals to me.

For a German boxer he had quite a good record and an impressive 51% KO rating. In the fight clip below you see a hybrid Euro-American style of boxing, primarily flawed in terms of the right hand delivery but remarkable for the rising jab, wing block, hip control and hook. European boxers have had deficient hooks to this day. He unfortunately brought his pro wrestling antics with him, perhaps thinking that if it worked for Ali it would work for him. But he was no Ali.

Currently, in Baltimore City, homeless people are acting like a zombie horde, mugging people, which is where it goes when homeless aggression is not addressed. Look to 18:32 in if you want to see how to deal with homeless people and keep them from mugging non combatants. I like this guy and particularly enjoyed interviewing people like him. They carry a lot of pain with dignity and one day it kills them. Well, at least they carried their weight. However, interviewing people like Norbert was very stressful as they would grow attached to me and treat me like their personal confessor.

The narrator does not get what ate at Norbert. It was that he was a really good boxer and he knew it but failed to make it work for him. The closing summation is weak, only redeemed by the last line.