In his May 20, 1938 loss to Glen Lee at Madison Square Garden, Krieger lost all but one round in the opinion of the "Milwaukee Journal", despite a recent layoff by Lee. Krieger's loss to a boxer who had no advantage in reach did not bode well for his upcoming fight with the more skilled and slightly taller Freddie Steele. The "Journal" also noted that Lee was able to send hooks to Krieger throughout the bout, indicating that Solly was having trouble defending during infighting.