James Braddock is a famous boxer of the last century. The full name is James Walter Braddock, but fans called him Jim Braddock. Legendary American boxer, world heavyweight champion. The range of hands of a professional boxer reached two meters. A truly powerful boxer, James Braddock. Photos illustrating the article only partially demonstrate its strength and vitality.
Boxer's homeland
James is a descendant of Irish settlers. Born in the Clinton (Manhattan) area, which was famous for its high crime rate. The area is located between 34th and 59th streets on one side and 8th Avenue and the Hudson River on the other. Clinton is the criminal center of New York, which, due to the difficult environment, has earned the deserved name "Hell's Kitchen". For a long time, German and Irish immigrants settled in the area, usually poor or middle-class people.
Modern Clinton is now built up with a huge number of theaters, high-end restaurants and rich apartment buildings. But at the time of James Braddock, life in this area was a living hell, in every sense of the word. Perhaps it was such an environment that prompted the future professional to become strong and indestructible in order to stay alive and protect his loved ones. One of the nicknames of the legendary boxer is Cinderella.
Braddock James: biography
Jim was born on June 7, 1905 in a poor large family. Parents - Joseph and Elizabeth Braddock. The boxer's father worked as a loader and worked as a security guard. The money that his father earned was never enough: it was worthless crumbs that were paid irregularly. In such circumstances, Jim had no choice but to go and earn money on his own. At the age of 14, Braddock went to his first job to help his parents. The first position of the future boxer is a courier in the world-famous Western Union.
Thanks to his older brother, Joe James felt how much he was attracted to boxing fights. At first, Joe was his coach, and after a while - manager.
The first unprofessional battle of James took place in the 29th year of the last century. James decided to perform under an assumed name - Jimmy Ryan. After some time, the boxer performed under the name James Jay Braddock.
Beginning of a career and an amazing acquaintance
In just three years, the young Braddock turned from an amateur into a professional boxer. The manager of the boxer, after his brother Joe became A. Barnet. The career of talent depends on his work, so the better the manager manages his work, the faster the career of his ward advances.
Boxer manager Harry Galfand was Joe Gould. Joe once came to the gym where his boxer trained. Galfand was sparred with Braddock, and Gould admired the skill of the young boxer. Deciding not to lose a minute, Joe signed a contract with James, which implied a long-term cooperation. Joe believed in a talented boxer and realized that he had met a rough diamond. Thanks to the coordinated work of a wonderful manager and a talented boxer, in a short time behind the athlete there were 30 professional victories, of which 21 were knockouts.
Championship fight with Tommy Laugran
After James J. Braddock defeated D. Slatteri , P. Lutzo and T. Griffithson, he was able to enter the ring with Tommy Laugran to fight for the light heavyweight title. The boxer raised his professional bar to unprecedented heights, but did not allow himself to relax. July 18, 1939 the battle took place, which lasted all 15 rounds. At the end of the battle, according to the points, the judges awarded the victory to Tommy Laugran and sent Bradock to the “moral knockout”.
Career decline
After losing in a fight with Tommy Laugran, Braddock’s career quickly rolled down. It seemed that he had lost all faith in himself, professional skills, invincibility and defeated battle after battle. The financial situation in the country as a result of the Great Depression also played a significant role. Boxer manager Joe Gould, who helped James climb to the top, found a backup athlete. The only joy for Braddock at that time was his lover May, who agreed to become his wife, despite the difficult period in the boxer's life.
James Braddock tried to feed his family, taking part in a variety of sparring, but this did not bring the desired results. Fights brought defeat one after another. During a fight with Abe Feldman, Jim breaks his arm and decides to leave boxing. Disappointed with himself, Braddock follows in the footsteps of his father and gets a job as a loader, and then even receives unemployment benefits.
Return to the ring
When did he become famous as a boxer James Braddock? The biography tells us that Joe Gould did not stop believing in him as a boxer, so he did not break the contract with him during the difficult period of his life. Gould offers James as a professional boxer wherever possible, but no one believes that Braddock is capable of anything. Jim himself lost all hope of returning to the ring again.
But Gould’s efforts to promote Braddock were successful. He was able to arrange a fight with John Griffon. James only had two days to prepare for this fight. And in the third round, Jim knocks out the opponent. A few months later, Joe Gould agrees on a fight with John Lewis, whom Braddock defeats on points. In March 1935, the boxer entered the ring with Art Laski, and this time luck smiles at a professional athlete.
Champion fight with Max Baer
Thanks to Bradock’s grandiose victories, Joe Gould was able to negotiate a fight with Max Baer for the world heavyweight title. The fight lasted seven rounds. Baer could not even imagine that Jim could hold out for many long rounds. As a result of the game, Baer lost, and Braddock received a well-deserved long-awaited victory and became the new world heavyweight champion. After this fight, James Braddock was called the "Pride of the Irish."
Leaving professional boxing
After numerous victories, Braddock decides to give part of the money to the state. Thanks to this act, the popularity of a boxer is growing at an incredible speed. He is talked about not only by boxing enthusiasts and athletes, but also by the public and statesmen. Strange, but after winning the championship title, Braddock refuses to participate in professional fights, and enters into sparring only with his coach.
In 1936, Braddock was supposed to defend his title in a fight with German boxer Max Schmeling, but the meeting did not take place. Instead, a duel with Joe Louis took place . In the eighth round, Louis knocked out Braddock. And two years later, a fight with Tommy Farro took place. Braddock won and said goodbye to professional boxing. Subsequently, James enters the army. After serving, Braddock sells military supplies, then goes to the Engineers' Union and then financially participates in the construction of the Verrazanno Bridge.
The legendary boxer died at the age of 69 years, in 1974.
The film "Knockdown"
James Braddock is a boxer about whom the biographical feature film Knockdown was shot. The director of the picture is Ron Howard, the main role was played by Russell Crowe. The film was released in 2005 and collected more than one hundred million dollars at the box office. The plot tells about the life of Braddock, affecting not only professional, but also personal life. The film has received many awards and international class awards.