Description
Jim Braddock
Birth name: James Walter Braddock
Alias: The Cinderella Man
Nationality: USA
Residence: North Bergen, New Jersey, USA
Birth place: New York, New York, USA
Record: 47-24-4
27 KOs 2 KOs
Division: Heavy
Bouts: 78
Career: 1926-1938
Debut: 1926-04-13
Braddock’s 1934 to 1935 comeback had created a sensation in fight circles. Damon Runyon dubbed him the “Cinderella Man” because of his rags-to-riches story and The Ring magazine now rated him as the number two heavyweight contender, behind Germany’s Max Schmeling. When the Madison Square Garden Corporation, who virtually controlled the heavyweight championship at the time, demanded Schmeling face Braddock to determine who would get a chance at Max Baer?s title, Schmeling outright refused to fight Jimmy. As a result, Garden executives arranged a title shot for Braddock. Younger and much bigger, the hard-hitting, wild-brawling Baer came into the fight the favorite by eight-to-one. However, Max failed to take his challenger seriously and neglected to train properly for the match. On June 13, 1935, at Madison Square Garden, the champion found himself having an unexpected tough time. Braddock, meanwhile, fought the fight with determination and skill. He used constant movement and a stiff left jab to keep Max unsettled. Baer tried to throw his haymaker right hand, but Braddock knew to look out for it and the champion usually missed by a long distance. Unable to compete with Braddock’s conditioning and technical precision, Baer could do little else but gasp for breath and make faces at his opponent. The champion fouled on occasion and, when warned by the referee, made theatrical gestures of apology to the crowd and Braddock. The result was a unanimous decision for Braddock in one of the great upsets in the annals of the heavyweight championship. In two years, Jim Braddock had gone from living off of government assistance to capturing the richest prize in sports.
