James J. Braddock
James J. Braddock | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | James Walter Braddock June 7, 1905 |
| Died | November 29, 1974 (aged 69) |
| Nationality |  American |
| Other names | Bulldog of Bergen, Pride of the Irish, Pride of New Jersey, Cinderella Man |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | Light heavyweight Heavyweight |
| Height | 6 ft 2+1⁄2 in (1.89 m) |
| Reach | 75 in (191 cm) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 86 |
| Wins | 51 |
| Wins by KO | 26 |
| Losses | 26 |
| Draws | 7 |
| No contests | 2 |
James Walter "Cinderella Man" Braddock (June 7, 1905 – November 29, 1974) was an American boxer of Irish descent who was the world heavyweight champion from 1935–37.
Fighting under the name James J. Braddock (ostensibly to follow the pattern set by two prior world boxing champions, James J. Corbett and James J. Jeffries), he was known for his powerful right hand, granite chin and an amazing comeback from a floundering career. He had lost several bouts due to chronic hand injuries and was forced to work on the docks and collect social assistance to feed his family during the depression. In 1935 he fought Max Baer for the Heavyweight title and won. For this unlikely feat he was given the nickname "Cinderella Man" by Damon Runyon. Braddock was managed by Joe Gould.
Early life
Braddock was born in Hell's Kitchen in New York City on West 48th Street, within a couple of blocks of the Madison Square Garden venue, where he would later become famous. He was the son of Elizabeth (née O'Tool) and Joseph Braddock.[1] He stated his life's early ambition was to play football for Knute Rockne at the University of Notre Dame, but he had "more brawn than brains."
Career
Braddock pursued boxing, turning pro at the age of 21, fighting as a light heavyweight. After three years, Braddock's record was 44-2-2 with 21 knockouts.
In 1928, he pulled off a major upset by knocking out highly-regarded Tuffy Griffiths. The following year he earned a chance to fight for the title, but he narrowly lost to Tommy Loughran in a 15-round decision. Braddock was greatly depressed by the loss and badly fractured his right hand in several places in the process. His career suffered as a result, as did Braddock's disposition.
His record for the next 33 fights fell to 11-20-2. With his family in poverty during the Great Depression, Braddock had to give up boxing for a little while and worked as a longshoreman. Due to frequent injuries to his right hand, Braddock compensated by using his left hand during his longshoreman work, and it gradually became stronger than his right. He always remembered the humiliation of having to accept government relief money, but was inspired by the Catholic Worker Movement, a Christian social justice organization founded by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin in 1933 to help the homeless and hungry. After his boxing comeback, Braddock returned the welfare money he had received and made frequent donations to various Catholic Worker Houses, including feeding homeless guests with his family.[2]
Baer vs. Braddock
In 1934, Braddock was given a fight with the highly touted John "Corn" Griffin. Although Braddock was intended simply as a stepping stone in Griffin's career, he knocked out the "Ozark Cyclone" in the third round. Braddock then fought John Henry Lewis, a future light heavyweight champion. He won in one of the most important fights of his career. After defeating another highly regarded heavyweight contender, Art Lasky, whose nose he broke during the bout on March 22, 1935, Braddock was given a title fight against the World Heavyweight Champion, Max Baer.
Baer hardly trained for the bout. Braddock, on the other hand, was training hard. "I'm training for a fight. Not a boxing contest or a clownin' contest or a dance," he said. "Whether it goes 1 round or 3 rounds or 10 rounds, it will be a fight and a fight all the way. When you've been through what I've had to face in the last two years, a Max Baer or a Bengal tiger looks like a house pet. He might come at me with a cannon and a blackjack and he would still be a picnic compared to what I've had to face."
Considered little more than a journeyman fighter, Braddock was hand-picked by Baer's handlers because he was seen as an easy payday for the champion. Instead, on June 13, 1935, at Madison Square Garden Bowl, Braddock won the Heavyweight Championship of the World as the 10-to-1 underdog in one of the most stunning upsets in boxing history.
During the fight, a dogged Braddock took a few heavy hits from the powerful younger champion (30 years vs 26 years for Baer), but Braddock kept coming, wearing down Baer, who seemed perplexed by Braddock's ability to take a punch. In the end, the judges gave Braddock the title with a unanimous decision.
Heavyweight Champion
James Braddock suffered from problems with his arthritic hands after injuries throughout his career, and in 1936, his title defense in Madison Square Garden against the German Max Schmeling was canceled under suspicious circumstances. Braddock argued he would have received only a US$25,000 purse against Schmeling, compared to $250,000 against rising star Joe Louis.[citation needed]
Louis was considered to be the more dangerous opponent and the fact he, as a black man, could be heavyweight champion made many boxing insiders against him getting a title shot. Braddock agreed to the fight with the stipulation that he would receive 10% of Promoter Mike Jacobs future fights. So if Braddock beat Louis or Louis retired, the deal was for any fight and any boxer that Jacobs was handling for the next ten years. This money did not include the purse, just money from the concessions i.e. hotdogs, drinks, tee shirts programs etc. So win or lose Joe Gould got Braddock a great deal. While Braddock was able to knock down Louis in the fight, Louis went on to win. Louis was quoted as saying that Braddock was the bravest man he ever fought.[3]
Personal life
Braddock married Mae Fox in 1930 and the couple had three children, James (Jay), Howard and Rosemarie. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942 and became a 1st Lieutenant. Upon return, he worked as a marine equipment surplus supplier and helped construct the Verrazano Bridge in the early 1960s.[4]
Death and legacy
On his death in 1974 at the age of 69, James J. Braddock was interred in the Mount Carmel Cemetery in Tenafly, New Jersey. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2001. James J. Braddock North Hudson County Park in North Bergen, New Jersey is named in his honor.[5]
The 2005 biographical film Cinderella Man tells the story of James J. Braddock. Directed by Ron Howard, and starring Russell Crowe as Braddock and Renée Zellweger as his wife, Mae (Fox).[6] The film had an estimated budget of $88 million and grossed $108.5 million worldwide.[7] Paul Giamatti, playing Braddock's manager Joe Gould, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The role of neighbor Sara Wilson was played by Rosemarie DeWitt, who is Braddock's real-life granddaughter (daughter of Braddock's daughter Rosemarie Braddock and husband Kenny DeWitt). The film received mostly positive reviews.[8]
Professional boxing record
See also
- List of heavyweight boxing champions
- Boyle's Thirty Acres
- Joe Louis Arena (located in Detroit, Michigan)
- Cinderella Man (A 2005 film about Braddock)
Notes
- ^ [1]
- ^ Dorothy Day
- ^ Movie: Cinderella Man
- ^ James J. Braddock."Dictionary of American Biography, Supplement 9: 1971-1975. Charles Scribner's Sons, 1994
- ^ Rounds, Kate. "James J. Braddock Park—North Bergen" Palisade magazine; Summer 2010; Page 16
- ^ [2]
- ^ Cinderella Man at The Numbers
- ^ Cinderella Man at Rotten Tomatoes
References
- Joe Louis, Edna Rust, Art Rust Jr., Joe Louis: My Life
- Joe Louis, 66, Heavyweight King Who Reigned 12 Years, Is Dead, Obituary, NY Times, April 13, 1981.
- Louis' TAX issues
- Jenny Nolan, "The Brown Bomber -- The Man Behind The Fist", The Detroit News
- "Remembering Joe Louis", WTVM
- "The Long Loneliness," by Dorothy Day, 1952
External links
- Official James J. Braddock website (includes videos of some rounds of Braddock's fights with Baer and Louis)
- "James J. Braddock". Find a Grave. Retrieved 2008-02-07.
- Braddock's career record - from the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame
- Collection of critical opinion of Cinderella Man at Rotten Tomatoes
- Braddock's short biography at the International Boxing Hall of Fame
- James Braddock vs Max Baer, 13 June 1935, all rounds
- James Braddock vs Joe Louis, 22 June 1937, all rounds
- Boxing record for James J. Braddock from BoxRec (registration required)
- 1905 births
- 1974 deaths
- American boxers of Irish descent
- American people of Irish descent
- Boxers from New York
- Heavyweight boxers
- Light-heavyweight boxers
- World Boxing Association Champions
- World heavyweight boxing champions
- American military personnel of World War II
- People from North Bergen, New Jersey
- People from West New York, New Jersey
- People from Manhattan