NationMaster - Encyclopedia: James J. Braddock

' (September , 1991) was an American heavyweight boxing champion. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For the mixed martial arts division of the same name, see Heavyweight (MMA). ... // America usually means either: The Americas, the lands and regions of the Western hemisphere, often divided into North America and South America The United States of America. ... is the 190th day of the year (191st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the state of New York and the entire United States. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... This is a chronological list of world heavyweight boxing champions, as recognized by the following organizations: The World Boxing Association (WBA), founded in 1921 as the National Boxing Association (NBA), The World Boxing Council (WBC), founded in 1963, The International Boxing Federation (IBF), founded in 1983, and The World Boxing...

Fighting under the name James J. Braddock (ostensibly to follow the pattern set by two prior champions, James J. Corbett and James J. Jeffries), his amazing comeback from a floundering career (that saw him lose several bouts before struggling to support his family by working on the docks during the Great Depression) earned him the nickname The Cinderella Man from Damon Runyon. His manager was Joe Gould. James John Corbett, born September 1, 1866 in San Francisco, California, United States â€“ died February 18, 1933 in Bayside, New York, was a heavyweight boxing champion. ... James Jackson Jeffries (The Boilermaker) (born April 15, 1875 in Carroll, Ohio, United States â€“ died March 3, 1953 in Burbank, California) was a world heavyweight boxing champion. ... For other uses, see The Great Depression (disambiguation). ... Damon Runyon Damon Runyon (October 4, 1884 â€“ December 10, 1946) was a newspaperman and writer. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Early life and boxing career

James Walter 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 that made him famous. His Irish Catholic family was poor and wasn't able to provide him with a formal education or with any luxuries of life. Like most Irish Catholic boys of his era, his desire was to play football for Knute Rockne's Notre Dame. However, poverty and a need to feed his family prevented Braddock from following his dream. After a successful amateur boxing career during which he simultaneously held the amateur championships of New Jersey in the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions, James Braddock turned pro at the age of 21, fighting as a light heavyweight. After three years, Braddock's record was 34-5-7 with 21 knockouts. View from between 47th and 48th street on Ninth Avenue looking north toward Time Warner Center and Hearst Tower Hells Kitchen, also known as Clinton and Midtown West, is a neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City that includes roughly the area between 34th Street and 57th Street, from... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG, known colloquially simply as The Garden, has been the name of four arenas in New York City, United States. ... Irish Catholics are persons of predominantly Irish descent who adhere to the Roman Catholic faith. ... In boxing, the light heavyweight division is the weight division between cruiserweight over 175 pounds (79. ... For the mixed martial arts division of the same name, see Heavyweight (MMA). ...

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 championship, but he narrowly lost to Tommy Loughran in a fifteen-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. Gerald Ambrose Tuffy Griffiths (January 1, 1907 â€“ November 15, 1968) was an American boxer. ... Tommy Loughran (November 29, 1902 - July 7, 1982) was a light-heavyweight boxing champion and elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame. ...

His record for the next thirty-three fights fell to 11-20-2, fighting with what close friends described as "generalized indifference."^{[citation needed]} With his family in poverty during the Great Depression, Braddock had to give up boxing for a time 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 Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker Movement, a Christian anarchist 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.{<ref.: http://palefire.typepad.com/justice/.>} This image has an uncertain copyright status and is pending deletion. ... The Catholic Worker Movement is a Catholic organisation founded by Servant of God Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin in 1933. ...

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 (and friend of future heavyweight champion Joe Louis) who had previously defeated Braddock. 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. After his boxing career Corn Griffin became a police officer in Columbus, GA. According to the 1950-8-25 Panama City News-Herald he didnt carry the traditional policemans club since his old one-two sledgehammer-like fists are as good as ever, but may be not as... John Henry Lewis (1914-1974) was a boxer who was world Light Heavyweight champion. ... Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 â€“ April 12, 1981), best known as Joe Louis and nicknamed The Brown Bomber, a native of Lexington, Alabama, is regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxing champions of all time. ... is the 81st day of the year (82nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ... Maximilian Adalbert Madcap Maxie Baer (February 11, 1909 â€“ November 21, 1959) was a famous American boxer of the 1930s, onetime Heavyweight Champion of the World, and actor. ...

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. Baer admitted afterwards that he had underestimated Braddock as "a chump" and had received the worst pummeling of his professional career. is the 164th day of the year (165th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ... Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG, known colloquially simply as The Garden, has been the name of four arenas in New York City, United States. ...

During the fight, a dogged Braddock took 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. 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 cancelled in 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. It was also likely that Braddock's manager, Joe Gould, did not want a potential German victory to be used as Nazi propaganda. Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG, known colloquially simply as The Garden, has been the name of four arenas in New York City, United States. ... Maximillian Adolph Otto Siegfried Schmeling (September 28, 1905 â€“ February 2, 2005) was a German boxer whose two fights with Joe Louis transcended boxing and became worldwide social events because of their racial and national associations. ... USD redirects here. ... Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 â€“ April 12, 1981), best known as Joe Louis and nicknamed The Brown Bomber, a native of Lexington, Alabama, is regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxing champions of all time. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

James Braddock vs. Joe Louis

When ready to fight, the thirty-two-year-old Braddock chose to defend his title against the 23-year-old star Joe Louis. Realizing that Louis would be a heavy favorite and being an astute businessman, Joe Gould negotiated an agreement whereby Braddock would receive 10% of Louis's future earnings. At Comiskey Park, in front of fifty thousand fans, Braddock knocked Louis down in the first round of their June 22, 1937 bout, but Louis recovered and dominated the bout, winning by an eighth round stoppage. According to James, Louis threw far more punches than Braddock. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2264x3000, 500 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): James J. Braddock ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2264x3000, 500 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): James J. Braddock ... Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 â€“ April 12, 1981), best known as Joe Louis and nicknamed The Brown Bomber, a native of Lexington, Alabama, is regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxing champions of all time. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is about the original Comiskey Park. ... is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Although James never complained, few knew that during the fight for Louis, Braddock actually received medication for arthritis. James barely lifted his left during the fight because the medicine numbed him like a muscle relaxant. James' only lucky punch happened in an uppercut, simply since he failed to raise his left over his head. His follow up punch missed Louis's chin, and slammed into Joe's chest. The punch cracked around the auditorium. Only an inch short kept James from retaining the title. Joe Louis worked James over in the subsequent rounds, added twenty-three stitches, and moving a tooth right through his mouthpiece and into his lip. Everyone enjoyed the fight that night, and even though a loss, it was perhaps Braddock's best fight. Joe Louis is on record as saying Braddock was "the most courageous fighter I ever fought." Braddock is purported to have aided Louis with some of his tax problems with the IRS later in life and the two developed an abiding friendship.

Retirement, World War II

Braddock always said he wanted his hand raised in his final fight. His last ring performance was in 1938, when he fought Welsh boxer Tommy Farr. Braddock came from behind to win a unanimous decision, breaking and bloodying Farr's nose, cracking two of his ribs, and knocking him down three times. The last two rounds were considered by many sportswriters to be the best of Braddock's life.

Following his retirement, James and manager Joe Gould both enlisted into the U.S. Army in 1942, where they became first lieutenants. Before the war ended, James served on the island of Saipan, where he trained enlisted men in hand-to-hand combat. In 1944, he received the James J. Walker Award in recognition of his long and meritorious service to the boxing industry. Saipan seen from the air A map of Saipan, Tinian & Aquijan Saipan (IPA: in English) is the largest island and capital of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean (15Â°10...

Later in life, working as an Operating Engineer in Local 825, he helped to construct the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, and also worked as a marine equipment surplus supplier, running generators and welding equipment. Braddock and his wife Mae raised their three children, Jay, Howard and Rosemarie, in a house they bought in North Bergen, New Jersey. The International Union of Operating Engineers is a labor union within the AFL-CIO representing primarily construction workers who work as heavy equipment operators, mechanics, and surveyors and stationary engineers, who maintain heating and other systems in buildings and industrial complexes, in the United States and Canada. ... The Verrazano Narrows Bridge (properly written as the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge) is a suspension bridge that connects the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn in New York City at the Narrows, the reach connecting the relatively protected upper bay with the larger lower bay. ... North Bergen is a township in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. ...

On his passing in 1974 at the age of 69, James W. Braddock was interred in the Mount Carmel Cemetery in Tenafly, New Jersey. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2001. The James J. Braddock North Hudson County Park in North Bergen is named in his honor. The Bishops Mausoleum at Mount Carmel Cemetery. ... Tenafly (pronounced ) is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. ... The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) is located in Canastota, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta. ... North Bergen Township is a Walsh Act township located in Hudson County, New Jersey. ...

The film: Cinderella Man

The 2005 biographical film Cinderella Man tells the story of James J. Braddock. Directed by Ron Howard, and starring Russell Crowe as Braddock with Renée Zellweger as his wife Mae, the movie had an estimated budget of $88 million, but only managed to gross $108.5 million world-wide. 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). This is a list of film-related events in 2005. ... Poster for Man on the Moon (1999), a biopic A biographical pictureâ€” often shortened to biopicâ€” is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Russell Ira Crowe (born April 7, 1964) is a New Zealand-Australian[1] actor. ... RenÃ©e Kathleen Zellweger (born April 25, 1969) is an Academy Award-winning American film actress. ... Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti (born June 6, 1967) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor. ... Rosemarie DeWitt is an American actress. ...

Although the film received many positive reviews (80% were positive according to Rottentomatoes.com), some critics argued that part of Braddock's journey was glamorized too much by director Ron Howard. ^{[citation needed]} One example is that throughout the film, Max Baer (Braddock's final opponent at the climax of the movie) is portrayed in a semi-hostile (and inaccurate) manner. The character of Baer in the movie is portrayed as an arrogant villain who shows no remorse after killing men in the ring. In reality, Baer was badly shaken by the one death he caused, giving money to the family of his victim and putting the victim's children through at the University of Notre Dame, which Baer regarded as the best Catholic university in America.^{[citation needed]} Baer's son, actor Max Baer Jr. of The Beverly Hillbillies fame, has stated that he remembered his father having nightmares over the bout. ^[1] This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Maximilian Adalbert Madcap Maxie Baer (February 11, 1909 â€“ November 21, 1959) was a famous American boxer of the 1930s, onetime Heavyweight Champion of the World, and actor. ... This article is about the boxer and actor. ...

Max Baer was flamboyant and high spirited, laughing and joking with regularity. However, this was more for show than to be malicious. In reality he was regarded by those who knew him best as humble, gentle, and sensitive, once remarking, "The only thing I don't like about boxing is that usually some guy gets hurt, and it's not me."

However, short of this one discredit, the film was said to be fairly accurate, though the film is seen from the perspective of Braddock, who viewed Baer in this way, particularly after the disparaging remarks made by Baer about Braddock's wife during the fight.^{[citation needed]}

Braddock once remarked, "If he said those things to upset me, he succeeded, and he also lost. The guy obviously didn't know what kind of a guy I am, or he would have kept his gloves up and his mouth shut." ^{[citation needed]} These words are themselves paraphrased in the movie toward the end of one round. The scene in which Baer quarrels with Braddock at a restaurant was also based on a real life incident, ^{[citation needed]} although the true circumstances of the altercation remain unclear.

Contents

Early life and boxing career

Baer vs. Braddock

James Braddock vs. Joe Louis

Retirement, World War II

The film: Cinderella Man

See also

References

External links

Contents

Early life and boxing career var ACE_AR = {Site: '756743', Size: '300250'};

Baer vs. Braddock

James Braddock vs. Joe Louis

Retirement, World War II

The film: Cinderella Man

See also

References

External links

Early life and boxing career