In boxing, one thing matters more than anything else—more than courage, more than strength, more than talent: motivation. James Walter Braddock, known to all as Jim, had one motivation that drove him further than he ever imagined: his family.
Jim Braddock was born in 1905 in Hell’s Kitchen, New York, just a couple of blocks from Madison Square Garden. His family, of Irish descent and strong Catholic values, lived in poverty, and Jim, still a teenager, had to take on humble jobs to help support his siblings. Between 1919 and 1923, he worked as a Western Union messenger, delivery boy, and printing shop apprentice. These were also the years when he discovered boxing, honing his technique and eventually winning the New Jersey amateur championship in both the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions.
At 21, he turned professional, fighting as a light heavyweight and earning solid results. He quickly got a shot at facing Tuffy Griffiths, a highly rated fighter and the clear favorite. Against all odds, Jim won. The following year, on July 18, 1929, he challenged Tommy Loughran for the light heavyweight world title. Loughran, a very savvy boxer, avoided Braddock’s powerful right hand by constantly moving and never presenting a fixed target. Jim lost the bout and also suffered a serious fracture to his right hand—the first of many—revealing a troubling bone fragility.
After the defeat, he fell into a deep depression, but tried to lift himself back up, especially for his family. On January 25, 1930, he married Mae, the woman who would stand by his side for life and give him three children: James, Howard, and Rosemarie.
These were the years of the Great Depression, which devastated the lives of millions who lost everything—including Jim Braddock.
Unemployed and with a badly injured right hand, Braddock kept fighting in an effort to support his family and put food on the table. He lost sixteen out of twenty-two bouts, re-fracturing his right hand several times. Eventually, he decided to hang up his gloves. He hit rock bottom, swallowing his pride and begging for help from friends and acquaintances, ultimately turning to the government for public assistance.
To scrape together some money, Jim took a job as a dockworker. But his right hand hurt too much, so he had to rely entirely on his left, working himself to the bone—unknowingly strengthening it in the process.
Then fate stepped in—with its unpredictable twists—a skilled manager, Joe Gould (to whom Braddock would remain forever loyal), and above all, Jim’s fierce determination not to give in to adversity. To get back in shape, Jim returned to grueling training and, thanks to Gould, climbed into the ring again, scoring a few victories.
In 1934, he got the chance to fight John Corn Griffin due to a last-minute cancellation. To everyone’s astonishment, Braddock knocked Griffin out in the third round. Then came John Henry Lewis, whom he defeated by decision—once again defying all odds—and Art Lasky, beaten by unanimous decision.
That’s how he earned a shot at the title, against Max Baer, one of the most fearsome punchers of all time. Once again, Braddock was the underdog. But he made good use of past experiences and, in the ring, kept away from Baer’s devastating right hand, fighting a smart and determined match.
On June 13, 1935, at Madison Square Garden—the same arena he had only glimpsed from a distance as a boy—Jim completed his masterpiece. Against all odds—he was a 10-to-1 underdog—he defeated Max Baer by unanimous decision.
He became the heavyweight champion of the world and, to everyone, the Cinderella Man.
Braddock later fought in a series of exhibition matches, until his first title defense was arranged—against a rising star named Joe Louis. At the time, Jim suffered from severe arthritis in his hands and stepped into the ring with numb arms due to the medication taken to manage the pain.
Despite his condition, Jim didn’t hesitate for a moment—driven by reasons perhaps not so noble, but very real: money. Joe Gould had negotiated a contract that guaranteed Braddock 10% of Louis’s future earnings for the next ten years, in addition to a substantial purse.
Although it may seem contradictory, Jim gave it everything he had and even knocked Louis down in the first round. But Louis was 23 and at his peak, while Jim was 32 and worn down. In the eighth round, Louis landed a powerful right hook that put Braddock on the canvas for good.
He would fight one last time in 1938, beating Tommy Farr by unanimous decision after flooring him three times. Then he retired.
In 1942, alongside his loyal manager Joe Gould, Braddock enlisted in the U.S. Army. During World War II, he served on the island of Saipan, where he trained soldiers in hand-to-hand combat.
After the war, he worked in construction, helping to build the Verrazzano Bridge in New York, and later became a supplier of equipment for the Navy.
Braddock died peacefully in his sleep in 1974, at the age of 69—at peace with himself.