|
The Cinderella Man - James J. Braddock 3
by Dr. Joe de Beauchamp
The fight was past the half-way mark and surprisingly, Braddock was winning. Always a better boxer than he'd been given credit for, he was obviously the more polished technician of the two. Now Baer took things seriously and his blows had bad intentions. He hit Jimmy some hard shots but Braddock's fierce determination cancelled out the effects. Even more, Max's joking gestures were unconvincing; like a comedian who's best joke falls flat on the punch line. How could he be losing to this loser? Why didn't Braddock go down? Madcap Maxie hadn't anticipated that the underdog would want to win more than he'd wanted to beat him. The champion had miscalculated the desperation that drove James Braddock; that and the resolve not to be remembered as a "bum".
When the 15th round ended the judges rendered their decision. By unanimous agreement, the new heavyweight champion of the world was the 10-1 underdog James J. Braddock. It was considered the biggest upset in boxing history and the reporters immediately dubbed Braddock "The Cinderella Man". The scruffy kid from the docks was coming home from the Ball with the crown on his head.
He was champion of the world but they still considered him an underdog. The top contenders for the crown were Max Schmelling and Joe Louis, and all the boxing scribes and experts considered either one odds-on favorite to take Braddock's crown. In June of 1936, Schmelling shocked everyone by beating the Brown Bomber, knocking him out in 12 rounds. A fight with Schmelling seemed assured and Max wanted to fight Braddock now that beating him would have meaning.
But Jimmy knew his limits; his fairy godmother had only so many charges in her wand. One more big fight, as champion, and he'd have enough money to take care of his family, which was his only goal any way. Remembering the way Schmelling had snubbed him prior to the Baer fight, and not willing to see the crown leave America, he decided to fight the dangerous Joe Louis instead.
The fight was set for the 23 year old Louis to fight the 32 year old Braddock. Again Jimmy was the underdog, even as champion, with the odds at 5-1 for Louis. But at least one man saw Braddock for what he was, a man of undaunted courage. Louis' trainer, Jack Blackburn warned Joe, "This is one cat you ain't gonna scare, Chappie. Jim Braddock ain't gonna quit, either. You're gonna have to knock him out."
On June 22nd, 1937, they met. Braddock fought masterfully, outboxing the challenger early on. In the very first round, he stunned the crowd when he dropped Louis with a solid right hand. For a moment it looked as if Louis wasn't going to beat the count, but at nine he was up. Time had run out for The Cinderella Man. He was too old, Louis too young, and the clock was chiming midnight. At the end of the seventh round Braddock was a beaten fighter and Gould wanted to stop the fight, but Jimmy shook his head.
"I want to go out like a champion. I want to be carried out," Braddock said proudly, defiantly.
In the 8th Louis did what 84 other opponents had failed to do, he knocked Jimmy out. For all intents and purposes Jimmy's boxing career was finished. He would come back once more, to fight Tommy Farr. Both men had something in common, they'd both lost to Joe Louis in their last fight. But it was Farr's only loss in his last 21 bouts, while it was Jimmy's 10th in the same number of fights. The odds favored a victory for Farr, but Braddock decisioned him over 15 rounds, perhaps snubbing his nose at the odds-makers one final time.
It was a fitting finish. He had always fought against the odds, and maybe the royal carriage had been only a pumpkin after all, but the man they called The Cinderella Man, James J. Braddock, was never a bum.
A Forgotten Champion Fights Again
"Next Tuesday at Comiskey Park, Chicage, James J Braddock, world's heavyweight champion, will defend his title against Joe Louis. It will be Braddock's first fight since 1935 when he confounded the sports world by whipping Max Baer. Since then Braddock has kept out of the ring, hoarding his title until he has become a forgotten champion to the general public. Last February he signed to meet Louis. In April he began training to fight again."
|
Interviews
|
|
This website is created and designed by Atlantis International, 2006
This is an unofficial website with educational purpose. All pictures, and trademarks are the property of their respective owners and may not be reproduced for any reason whatsoever. If proper notation of owned material is not given please notify us so we can make adjustments. No copyright infringement is intended.
