Biography of James j. Braddock
A reason to fight
7 June 1905 29November 1974
The Boxer James j. Braddock, known to the general public for the biopic "Cinderella Man" (2005, Ron Howard, with Russell Crowe and Renee Zellweger) was born on June 7, 1905 by Joseph Braddock and Elizabeth O'Toole, Irish immigrants. With five sons and two daughters, the family moved from the small house in New York to the peaceful Hudson County, New Jersey. Like many little boys Jimmy likes to play baseball and swim on the banks of the Hudson River. Dreams of becoming a firefighter or railroad engineer. From 1919 to 1923 Jim Braddock accomplishes several jobs, and it is during this time that he discovered his passion for boxing. Pass few years to train and fight as a hobby around New Jersey. In 1926 enters the professional boxing circuit, in the category of medium to maximum weights. During its first year Braddock dominates the competition, beating opponent after opponent, always in the early rounds of each match. Considering that his weight is at the limit of the category, go to the upper division, thinks that Braddock heavyweight.
Its tonnage in the new category isn't the most dominant, but his right is able to compensate effectively. On July 18, 1929 Jim Braddock takes the ring of Yankee Stadium to face Tommy Loughran. Loughran has spent a lot of time studying the technique of Braddock, so for 15 long shooting tries to hold off the right hand of Jim. These will fail to lead to clear and powerful blows, and at the end of the match will lose on points. On September 3, 1929, less than two months after meeting Loughran, American exchange market collapses. The date marks the beginning of that dark period it will be identified as "great depression". Braddock, as several other millions of Americans lose everything. Without work, Jim struggle of trying to fight and therefore take home something to eat, for his wife Mae and her three children, Jay, Howard and Rosemarie. Lost sixteen of twenty-two meetings during which fractured his right hand several times. When this does not allow him more to go on, they got that put aside pride and hang up the gloves. With no other option, you queue to get the subsidy and thus find a minimum help for his family. When Fortune seems to have deserted him, in 1934 his old manager Joe Gould, offered him the opportunity to fight again. At the last minute the challenger to John "Corn" Griffin gives lump-sum, as it is called Jim Braddock, the former champion long gone, that at the beginning of her career she had won many meetings. The match between Griffin and Braddock is from opening to another meeting-exceptional event: the challenge for the world heavyweight title between defending champion Primo Carnera and the Challenger Max Baer. Against the odds, probably his, James j. Braddock defeated Griffin via knock-out in the third inning. Then comes a new opportunity to Braddock: fight against John Henry Lewis. The latter is the favorite, but Braddock again reverses the prediction, this time in ten rounds. The story of Jim excites the masses and all identify him as a hero.
In March of 1935 fights against the giant Art Lasky. On the corner of Jim appears to be nationwide. Braddock WINS after 15 suffered shooting. This extraordinary victory makes Braddock the best contender on the streets to challenge the heavyweight champion Max Baer, who in that famous evening that saw the return of Braddock in the ring, had beaten Primo Carnera. Max Baer had the reputation of a great and fierce bully, with a fist made of dynamite, probably the most strong golfer of all time. On the evening of June 13, 1935, at Madison Square Garden in New York, Braddock takes the ring to face Baer. Jim studied the style of Baer just like Tommy Loughran had made against him years earlier. The axiom was simple: Jim could beat Baer if he could stay away from deadly right Baer. In a long and hard-fought, full of charm and competitive sportsman, Braddock WINS on points after 15 gruelling rounds: James j. Braddock is the new heavyweight champion of the world. For the next two years Jim fights a series of meetings-performance. Then, on June 22, 1937, must defend the title against Joe Louis, "black bomb". Jim lost, fighting however perhaps the best match of his career. Jim Braddock wants to retire on top and the January 21, 1938, after Tommy Farr wrought in 10 shots, example of hope for millions of Americans, hangs up his gloves permanently to the nail, retiring from boxing.
After retiring in 1942, Jim and his manager Joe Gould join the u.s. Army. Before the second world war to end Jim serves on the island of Saipan. Upon returning Braddock is engaged in the construction of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and works as a supplier of equipment for the Navy. Jim and his wife Mae and their three children moved into a beautiful house in North Bergen, New Jersey, where they will live for the rest of the time. The November 29, 1974, with 85 meetings and 51 victories behind him, James j. Braddock dies in his bed. Mae Braddock continues to live in the House in North Bergen for many years before moving to Whiting (in New Jersey), where he died in 1985. The name of Jim Braddock comes into the Ring Boxing Hall of Fame in 1964, the "Hudson County Hall of Fame in 1991 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame" in 2001. The children and grandchildren of Jim Braddock today keep alive his memory, his image and his extraordinary story. That story told in a stylish and faithful, thanks to the work of the previously mentioned Ron Howard, who made the world know the portrait of the hero James j. Braddock (thanks to an extraordinary interpretation of Russell Crowe), Cinderella of boxing, able to recover from the ashes and reach the top thanks to great and noble motives.
Article contributed by the team of collaborators.