James J. Braddock

James Walter Braddock (June 7, 1905 – November 29, 1974) was an American boxer who was the world heavyweight champion from 1935 to 1937.

Fighting under the name James J. Braddock (ostensibly to follow the pattern set by two prior world boxing champions, James J. Corbett and James J. Jeffries), Braddock was known for his spoiling, counterpunching style, powerful right hand, and iron chin. He lost several bouts because of chronic hand injuries and was forced to work on the docks and collect social assistance to feed his family during the Great Depression. He made a comeback, and in 1935 he fought Max Baer for the world heavyweight championship and won. For this unlikely feat he was given the nickname "Cinderella Man" by Damon Runyon. Braddock was managed by Joe Gould. on West 48th Street in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood. He grew up in Hudson County, New Jersey. He was one of seven children being raised by Irish immigrant parents Elizabeth O'Tool and Joseph Braddock.

Braddock became notorious for his exploits as a playground fighter at St. Joseph's Parochial School in West New York, New Jersey. He stated his life's early ambition was to play college football for Knute Rockne at the University of Notre Dame, though this did not come to pass, as he remarked that he had "more brawn than brains".

From 1919 to 1923, Braddock worked a series of jobs: a messenger boy for Western Union, a printer's devil, a teamster and an errand boy in a silk mill.

Boxing career

Braddock pursued boxing, fighting as a light heavyweight. His first fight in a ring occurred on November 27, 1923. On March 21, 1925, Braddock knocked out Johnny Emerson and won the New Jersey amateur light heavyweight championship. The fight lasted 107 seconds. Two days later, he defeated Tom Bodman, a fighter forty pounds heavier, to take the state's heavyweight title. Braddock turned professional at the age of 21. After three years, his record was , with 21 knockouts.

On April 13, 1926, Braddock fought Al Settle at Amsterdam Hall in Union City, New Jersey in his first professional fight. In 1928, Braddock pulled off a major upset by knocking out highly regarded Tuffy Griffiths. The following year he earned a chance to fight for the title, but he narrowly lost to Tommy Loughran in a 15-round decision. Braddock was greatly depressed by the loss and badly fractured his right hand in several places in the process.

Max Baer fight

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 was given a title fight against the World Heavyweight Champion, Max Baer.

Despite Braddock's recent impressive victories, he was hand-picked by Baer's handlers because he was seen as a little more than a journeyman fighter, an easy payday for the champion. Baer hardly trained for the bout; Braddock, on the other hand, trained hard. "I'm training for a fight, not a boxing contest or a clownin' contest or a dance," he said. "Whether it goes one round or three rounds or ten rounds, it will be a fight and a fight all the way. When you've been through what I've had to face in the last two years, a Max Baer or a Bengal tiger looks like a house pet. He might come at me with a cannon and a blackjack and he would still be a picnic compared to what I've had to face."

The bout occurred on June 13, 1935, at Madison Square Garden Bowl, in Long Island City, New York. Baer, ever the showman, "brought gales of laughter from the crowd with his antics" the night he stepped between the ropes to meet Braddock. As Braddock "slipped the blue bathrobe from his pink back, he was the sentimental favorite of a Bowl crowd of 30,000, most of whom had bet their money 8-to-1 against him." During the fight, a dogged Braddock took a few heavy hits from the powerful younger champion (30 years versus 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, outpointing Baer 8 rounds to 6. A 10-to-1 underdog, Braddock won the Heavyweight Championship of the World in what was called "the greatest fistic upset since the defeat of John L. Sullivan by Jim Corbett". Braddock argued he would have received only a US$25,000 purse against Schmeling, compared to $250,000 against rising star Louis. There was also concern that if Schmeling lost, the Nazi government would deny American fighters opportunities to fight for the title. Finally, American commentators had expressed opposition to the fight in light of the connections between Schmeling and Adolf Hitler, with whom the German fighter had been associated after his earlier victory over Louis. The New York State Athletic Commission fined Gould and Braddock $1,000 each for canceling the fight with Schmeling.

In his only defense of the heavyweight title, Braddock lost to Louis in the 8th round by a knockout, the only one of his career.

Braddock and Louis saw each other frequently over the years, and the "Brown Bomber" always greeted him the same way:

"Hello, Champ." As Jeremy Schaap wrote, "[Louis] fought eight world heavyweight champions, more than any other fighter ever, but he never called anyone but Jim Braddock 'champ.'" On the other hand, shortly after winning the title, Louis was quoted as saying, "I don't want to be called champ until I whip Max Schmeling". (Louis defeated Schmeling in 1938, part of his 12-year reign as Heavyweight champion, the longest championship reign in boxing history.)

Seven months after the Louis fight, Braddock had his next match with Tommy Farr and won in what turned out to be his last match.

While the fight with Louis was the end of Braddock as a major boxing force, part of his contract for that bout was to gain a portion of Louis' earnings over the next decade, which proved very lucrative for him.

Later life

Braddock enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942 and became a first lieutenant. He served in the Pacific theater on the island of Saipan, where he trained enlisted men in hand-to-hand combat. He invested in a marine equipment surplus supplier, which also lost money.

Personal life

thumb|250px|Braddock (left) and [[Joe Gould (boxing)|Joe Gould (center), training as officers at the Atlantic Coast Transportation Corps Officers Training School in Fort Slocum, New York]]

Braddock married Mae Fox in 1930, and the couple had three children, James (Jay) Jr., Howard and Rosemarie. He used the money from his fight with Joe Louis to buy a $14,000 home in North Bergen.

Braddock was a member of the Fairview Teeko Club, New Jersey, where he was regarded as one of the strongest teekoists.

Death and legacy

thumb|James J. Braddock North Hudson Park in [[North Bergen, New Jersey]]

After his death in 1974 at the age of 69, On September 16, 2008, a , bronze statue of Braddock was erected in the park named in his honor not far from where he lived and trained. The statue was created by internationally renowned sculptor Zenos Frudakis.

The 2005 biographical film Cinderella Man tells Braddock's story. Directed by Ron Howard, it stars Russell Crowe as Braddock and Renée Zellweger as his wife, Mae. The film had an estimated budget of $88 million and grossed $108.5 million worldwide. Crowe's performance earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor. 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. The film received mostly positive reviews.

Professional boxing record

All information in this section is derived from BoxRec, unless otherwise stated.

Official record

All newspaper decisions are officially regarded as “no decision” bouts and are not counted in the win/loss/draw column.

{|class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="text-align:center"

!Result

!Record

!Opponent

!Type

!Round, time

!Date

!Location

!Notes

|88

|Win

|style="text-align:left;"| Tommy Farr

|SD

|10

|Jan 21, 1938

|style="text-align:left;"|

|87

|Loss

|46–24–4

|style="text-align:left;"| Joe Louis

|KO

|8 (15)

|Jun 22, 1937

|style="text-align:left;"|

|86

|Win

|46–23–4

|style="text-align:left;"| Max Baer

|UD

|15

|Jun 13, 1935

|style="text-align:left;"|

|85

|Win

|45–23–4

|style="text-align:left;"| Art Lasky

|UD

|15

|Mar 22, 1935

|style="text-align:left;"|

|84

|Win

|44–23–4

|style="text-align:left;"| John Henry Lewis

|PTS

|10

|Nov 16, 1934

|style="text-align:left;"|

|83

|Win

|43–23–4

|style="text-align:left;"| Corn Griffin

|TKO

|3 (5),

|Jun 14, 1934

|style="text-align:left;"|

|82

|style="background:#DDD"|

|42–23–4

|style="text-align:left;"| Abe Feldman

|NC

|6 (10)

|Sep 25, 1933

|style="text-align:left;"|

|81

|Win

|42–23–4

|style="text-align:left;"| Chester Matan

|PTS

|10

|Jul 21, 1933

|style="text-align:left;"|

|80

|Win

|41–23–4

|style="text-align:left;"| Les Kennedy

|PTS

|10

|Jun 21, 1933

|style="text-align:left;"|

|79

|Loss

|40–23–4

|style="text-align:left;"| Al Stillman

|UD

|10

|May 19, 1933

|style="text-align:left;"|

|78

|Loss

|40–22–4

|style="text-align:left;"| Martin Levandowski

|MD

|10

|Apr 5, 1933

|style="text-align:left;"|

|77

|Win

|40–21–4

|style="text-align:left;"| Al Stillman

|TKO

|10 (10)

|Mar 21, 1933

|style="text-align:left;"|

|76

|Loss

|39–21–4

|style="text-align:left;"| Al Ettore

|DQ

|4 (8)

|Mar 1, 1933

|style="text-align:left;"|

|75

|Loss

|39–20–4

|style="text-align:left;"| Hans Birkie

|PTS

|10

|Jan 20, 1933

|style="text-align:left;"|

|74

|Win

|39–19–4

|style="text-align:left;"| Martin Levandowski

|PTS

|10

|Jan 13, 1933

|style="text-align:left;"|

|73

|Loss

|38–19–4

|style="text-align:left;"| Lou Scozza

|TKO

|6 (10)

|Nov 9, 1932

|style="text-align:left;"|

|72

|Loss

|38–18–4

|style="text-align:left;"| Tom Patrick

|PTS

|10

|Oct 21, 1932

|style="text-align:left;"|

|71

|Win

|38–17–4

|style="text-align:left;"| Dynamite Jackson

|PTS

|10

|Sep 30, 1932

|style="text-align:left;"|

|70

|Loss

|37–17–4

|style="text-align:left;"| John Henry Lewis

|PTS

|10

|Sep 21, 1932

|style="text-align:left;"|

|69

|Loss

|37–16–4

|style="text-align:left;"| Tony Shucco

|PTS

|Jul 25, 1932

|style="text-align:left;"|

|68

|Win

|37–15–4

|style="text-align:left;"| Vicente Parrile

|PTS

|Jun 21, 1932

|style="text-align:left;"|

|67

|Loss

|36–15–4

|style="text-align:left;"| Charley Retzlaff

|SD

|10

|May 13, 1932

|style="text-align:left;"|

|66

|Loss

|36–14–4

|style="text-align:left;"| Baxter Calmes

|UD

|10

|Mar 18, 1932

|style="text-align:left;"|

|65

|Loss

|36–13–4

|style="text-align:left;"| Al Gainer

|PTS

|10

|Dec 4, 1931

|style="text-align:left;"|

|64

|style="background:#DDD"|

|36–12–4

|style="text-align:left;"| Maxie Rosenbloom

|NC

|2 (10),

|Nov 10, 1931

|style="text-align:left;"|

|63

|Loss

|36–12–4

|style="text-align:left;"| Joe Sekyra

|PTS

|10

|Oct 9, 1931

|style="text-align:left;"|

|62

|Draw

|36–11–4

|style="text-align:left;"| Andy Mitchell

|PTS

|10

|Sep 3, 1931

|style="text-align:left;"|

|61

|Win

|36–11–3

|style="text-align:left;"| Jack Kelly

|PTS

|10

|Mar 30, 1931

|style="text-align:left;"|

|60

|Win

|35–11–3

|style="text-align:left;"| Jack Roper

|KO

|1 (6),

|Mar 5, 1931

|style="text-align:left;"|

|59

|Loss

|34–11–3

|style="text-align:left;"| Ernie Schaaf

|SD

|10

|Jan 23, 1931

|style="text-align:left;"|

|58

|Win

|34–10–3

|style="text-align:left;"| Phil Mercurio

|KO

|2 (10)

|Sep 19, 1930

|style="text-align:left;"|

|57

|Loss

|33–10–3

|style="text-align:left;"| Babe Hunt

|PTS

|10

|Aug 11, 1930

|style="text-align:left;"|

|56

|Win

|33–9–3

|style="text-align:left;"| Joe Monte

|PTS

|10

|Jul 2, 1930

|style="text-align:left;"|

|55

|Loss

|32–9–3

|style="text-align:left;"| Harold Mays

|PTS

|10

|Jun 5, 1930

|style="text-align:left;"|

|54

|Loss

|32–8–3

|style="text-align:left;"| Billy Jones

|UD

|10

|Apr 7, 1930

|style="text-align:left;"|

|53

|Loss

|32–7–3

|style="text-align:left;"| Leo Lomski

|SD

|10

|Jan 17, 1930

|style="text-align:left;"|

|52

|Win

|32–6–3

|style="text-align:left;"| Jake Warren

|KO

|2 (6)

|Dec 7, 1929

|style="text-align:left;"|

|51

|Loss

|31–6–3

|style="text-align:left;"| Maxie Rosenbloom

|PTS

|10

|Nov 15, 1929

|style="text-align:left;"|

|50

|Loss

|31–5–3

|style="text-align:left;"| Yale Okun

|PTS

|10

|Aug 27, 1929

|style="text-align:left;"|

|49

|Loss

|31–4–3

|style="text-align:left;"| Tommy Loughran

|UD

|15

|Jul 18, 1929

|style="text-align:left;"|

|48

|Win

|31–3–3

|style="text-align:left;"| Eddie Benson

|KO

|1 (10)

|Apr 22, 1929

|style="text-align:left;"|

|47

|Win

|30–3–3

|style="text-align:left;"| Jimmy Slattery

|TKO

|9 (10)

|Mar 11, 1929

|style="text-align:left;"|

|46

|Win

|29–3–3

|style="text-align:left;"| George Gemas

|KO

|1 (10)

|Feb 4, 1929

|style="text-align:left;"|

|45

|Loss

|28–3–3

|style="text-align:left;"| Leo Lomski

|MD

|10

|Jan 18, 1929

|style="text-align:left;"|

|44

|Win

|28–2–3

|style="text-align:left;"| Tuffy Griffiths

|TKO

|2 (10),

|Nov 30, 1928

|style="text-align:left;"|

|43

|Win

|27–2–3

|style="text-align:left;"| Pete Latzo

|PTS

|10

|Oct 17, 1928

|style="text-align:left;"|

|42

|Loss

|26–2–3

|style="text-align:left;"| Joe Sekyra

|PTS

|10

|Aug 8, 1928

|style="text-align:left;"|

|41

|Draw

|26–1–3

|style="text-align:left;"| Nando Tassi

|PTS

|10

|Jul 25, 1928

|style="text-align:left;"|

|40

|style="background:#DDD"|Draw

|26–1–2

|style="text-align:left;"| Billy Vidabeck

|NWS

|10

|Jun 27, 1928

|style="text-align:left;"|

|39

|Loss

|26–1–2

|style="text-align:left;"| Joe Monte

|PTS

|10

|Jun 7, 1928

|style="text-align:left;"|

|38

|style="background:#DDD"|Win

|26–0–2

|style="text-align:left;"| Jimmy Francis

|NWS

|10

|May 16, 1928

|style="text-align:left;"|

|37

|Win

|26–0–2

|style="text-align:left;"| Jack Darnell

|KO

|4 (10)

|May 7, 1928

|style="text-align:left;"|

|36

|Win

|25–0–2

|style="text-align:left;"| Paul Swiderski

|PTS

|Jan 6, 1928

|style="text-align:left;"|

|35

|Draw

|24–0–2

|style="text-align:left;"| Joe Monte

|PTS

|10

|Oct 7, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|34

|style="background:#DDD"|Loss

|24–0–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Herman Heller

|NWS

|10

|Aug 31, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|33

|style="background:#DDD"|Win

|24–0–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Vic McLaughlin

|NWS

|10

|Aug 10, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|32

|Win

|24–0–1

|style="text-align:left;"| George LaRocco

|UD

|Jul 21, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|31

|style="background:#DDD"|Win

|23–0–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Jimmy Francis

|NWS

|10

|Jul 13, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|30

|style="background:#DDD"|Win

|23–0–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Jimmy Francis

|NWS

|10

|Jun 8, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|29

|style="background:#DDD"|Loss

|23–0–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Paul Cavalier

|NWS

|10

|May 27, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|28

|Draw

|23–0–1

|style="text-align:left;"| George LaRocco

|PTS

|10

|May 20, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|27

|style="background:#DDD"|Win

|23–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Jack Stone

|NWS

|10

|May 11, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|26

|Win

|23–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Stanley Simmons

|TKO

|1 (6),

|May 2, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|25

|Win

|22–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Frankie Lennon

|TKO

|3 (6)

|Apr 19, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|24

|Win

|21–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Jack O'Day

|KO

|3 (10)

|Mar 22, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|23

|Win

|20–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Tom McKiernan

|KO

|2 (10)

|Mar 15, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|22

|Win

|19–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Nick Fadil

|PTS

|Mar 8, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|21

|Win

|18–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Lou Barba

|PTS

|Mar 3, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|20

|Win

|17–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Jack Nelson

|UD

|Feb 15, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|19

|Win

|16–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Johnny Alberts

|KO

|4 (6)

|Feb 1, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|18

|Win

|15–0

|style="text-align:left;"| George LaRocco

|KO

|1 (4),

|Jan 28, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|17

|Win

|14–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Tom McKiernan

|TKO

|3 (8)

|Jan 13, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|16

|style="background:#DDD"|Draw

|13–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Doc Conrad

|NWS

|Dec 20, 1926

|style="text-align:left;"|

|15

|Win

|13–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Joe Hudson

|PTS

|Dec 8, 1926

|style="text-align:left;"|

|14

|Win

|12–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Al Settle

|PTS

|Dec 4, 1926

|style="text-align:left;"|

|13

|style="background:#DDD"|

|11–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Willie Daly

|NC

|1 (6)

|Nov 18, 1926

|style="text-align:left;"|

|12

|Win

|11–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Lou Barba

|PTS

|Nov 12, 1926

|style="text-align:left;"|

|11

|Win

|10–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Jack O'Day

|KO

|1 (8)

|Oct 27, 1926

|style="text-align:left;"|

|10

|Win

|9–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Carmine Caggiano

|KO

|1 (6),

|Sep 30, 1926

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|8–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Ray Kennedy

|KO

|1 (6)

|Sep 16, 1926

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|7–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Mike Rock

|KO

|1 (6),

|Sep 13, 1926

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|6–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Gene Travers

|KO

|1 (6),

|Sep 7, 1926

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|5–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Walter Westman

|TKO

|3 (6)

|Jul 9, 1926

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|4–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Jim Pearson

|2 (4)

|Jun 28, 1926

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|3–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Lee Dobson

|KO

|1 (4)

|Jun 18, 1926

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|2–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Phil Weisberger

|May 1, 1926

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|1–0

|style="text-align:left;"| George Deschner

|2 (6)

|Apr 22, 1926

|style="text-align:left;"|

|style="background:#DDD"|Draw

|0–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Al Settle

|Apr 13, 1926

|style="text-align:left;"|

Unofficial record

Record with the inclusion of newspaper decisions in the win/loss/draw column.

{|class="wikitable mw-collapsible" style="text-align:center"

!Result

!Record

!Opponent

!Type

!Round, time

!Date

!Location

!Notes

|88

|Win

|style="text-align:left;"| Tommy Farr

|SD

|10

|Jan 21, 1938

|style="text-align:left;"|

|87

|Loss

|51–26–7

|style="text-align:left;"| Joe Louis

|KO

|8 (15)

|Jun 22, 1937

|style="text-align:left;"|

|86

|Win

|51–25–7

|style="text-align:left;"| Max Baer

|UD

|15

|Jun 13, 1935

|style="text-align:left;"|

|85

|Win

|50–25–7

|style="text-align:left;"| Art Lasky

|UD

|15

|Mar 22, 1935

|style="text-align:left;"|

|84

|Win

|49–25–7

|style="text-align:left;"| John Henry Lewis

|PTS

|10

|Nov 16, 1934

|style="text-align:left;"|

|83

|Win

|48–25–7

|style="text-align:left;"| Corn Griffin

|TKO

|3 (5),

|Jun 14, 1934

|style="text-align:left;"|

|82

|style="background:#DDD"|

|47–25–7

|style="text-align:left;"| Abe Feldman

|NC

|6 (10)

|Sep 25, 1933

|style="text-align:left;"|

|81

|Win

|47–25–7

|style="text-align:left;"| Chester Matan

|PTS

|10

|Jul 21, 1933

|style="text-align:left;"|

|80

|Win

|46–25–7

|style="text-align:left;"| Les Kennedy

|PTS

|10

|Jun 21, 1933

|style="text-align:left;"|

|79

|Loss

|45–25–7

|style="text-align:left;"| Al Stillman

|UD

|10

|May 19, 1933

|style="text-align:left;"|

|78

|Loss

|45–24–7

|style="text-align:left;"| Martin Levandowski

|MD

|10

|Apr 5, 1933

|style="text-align:left;"|

|77

|Win

|45–23–7

|style="text-align:left;"| Al Stillman

|TKO

|10 (10)

|Mar 21, 1933

|style="text-align:left;"|

|76

|Loss

|44–23–7

|style="text-align:left;"| Al Ettore

|DQ

|4 (8)

|Mar 1, 1933

|style="text-align:left;"|

|75

|Loss

|44–22–7

|style="text-align:left;"| Hans Birkie

|PTS

|10

|Jan 20, 1933

|style="text-align:left;"|

|74

|Win

|44–21–7

|style="text-align:left;"| Martin Levandowski

|PTS

|10

|Jan 13, 1933

|style="text-align:left;"|

|73

|Loss

|43–21–7

|style="text-align:left;"| Lou Scozza

|TKO

|6 (10)

|Nov 9, 1932

|style="text-align:left;"|

|72

|Loss

|43–20–7

|style="text-align:left;"| Tom Patrick

|PTS

|10

|Oct 21, 1932

|style="text-align:left;"|

|71

|Win

|43–19–7

|style="text-align:left;"| Dynamite Jackson

|PTS

|10

|Sep 30, 1932

|style="text-align:left;"|

|70

|Loss

|42–19–7

|style="text-align:left;"| John Henry Lewis

|PTS

|10

|Sep 21, 1932

|style="text-align:left;"|

|69

|Loss

|42–18–7

|style="text-align:left;"| Tony Shucco

|PTS

|Jul 25, 1932

|style="text-align:left;"|

|68

|Win

|42–17–7

|style="text-align:left;"| Vicente Parrile

|PTS

|Jun 21, 1932

|style="text-align:left;"|

|67

|Loss

|41–17–7

|style="text-align:left;"| Charley Retzlaff

|SD

|10

|May 13, 1932

|style="text-align:left;"|

|66

|Loss

|41–16–7

|style="text-align:left;"| Baxter Calmes

|UD

|10

|Mar 18, 1932

|style="text-align:left;"|

|65

|Loss

|41–15–7

|style="text-align:left;"| Al Gainer

|PTS

|10

|Dec 4, 1931

|style="text-align:left;"|

|64

|style="background:#DDD"|

|41–14–7

|style="text-align:left;"| Maxie Rosenbloom

|NC

|2 (10),

|Nov 10, 1931

|style="text-align:left;"|

|63

|Loss

|41–14–7

|style="text-align:left;"| Joe Sekyra

|PTS

|10

|Oct 9, 1931

|style="text-align:left;"|

|62

|Draw

|41–13–7

|style="text-align:left;"| Andy Mitchell

|PTS

|10

|Sep 3, 1931

|style="text-align:left;"|

|61

|Win

|41–13–6

|style="text-align:left;"| Jack Kelly

|PTS

|10

|Mar 30, 1931

|style="text-align:left;"|

|60

|Win

|40–13–6

|style="text-align:left;"| Jack Roper

|KO

|1 (6),

|Mar 5, 1931

|style="text-align:left;"|

|59

|Loss

|39–13–6

|style="text-align:left;"| Ernie Schaaf

|SD

|10

|Jan 23, 1931

|style="text-align:left;"|

|58

|Win

|39–12–6

|style="text-align:left;"| Phil Mercurio

|KO

|2 (10)

|Sep 19, 1930

|style="text-align:left;"|

|57

|Loss

|38–12–6

|style="text-align:left;"| Babe Hunt

|PTS

|10

|Aug 11, 1930

|style="text-align:left;"|

|56

|Win

|38–11–6

|style="text-align:left;"| Joe Monte

|PTS

|10

|Jul 2, 1930

|style="text-align:left;"|

|55

|Loss

|37–11–6

|style="text-align:left;"| Harold Mays

|PTS

|10

|Jun 5, 1930

|style="text-align:left;"|

|54

|Loss

|37–10–6

|style="text-align:left;"| Billy Jones

|UD

|10

|Apr 7, 1930

|style="text-align:left;"|

|53

|Loss

|37–9–6

|style="text-align:left;"| Leo Lomski

|SD

|10

|Jan 17, 1930

|style="text-align:left;"|

|52

|Win

|37–8–6

|style="text-align:left;"| Jake Warren

|KO

|2 (6)

|Dec 7, 1929

|style="text-align:left;"|

|51

|Loss

|36–8–6

|style="text-align:left;"| Maxie Rosenbloom

|PTS

|10

|Nov 15, 1929

|style="text-align:left;"|

|50

|Loss

|36–7–6

|style="text-align:left;"| Yale Okun

|PTS

|10

|Aug 27, 1929

|style="text-align:left;"|

|49

|Loss

|36–6–6

|style="text-align:left;"| Tommy Loughran

|UD

|15

|Jul 18, 1929

|style="text-align:left;"|

|48

|Win

|36–5–6

|style="text-align:left;"| Eddie Benson

|KO

|1 (10)

|Apr 22, 1929

|style="text-align:left;"|

|47

|Win

|35–5–6

|style="text-align:left;"| Jimmy Slattery

|TKO

|9 (10)

|Mar 11, 1929

|style="text-align:left;"|

|46

|Win

|34–5–6

|style="text-align:left;"| George Gemas

|KO

|1 (10)

|Feb 4, 1929

|style="text-align:left;"|

|45

|Loss

|33–5–6

|style="text-align:left;"| Leo Lomski

|MD

|10

|Jan 18, 1929

|style="text-align:left;"|

|44

|Win

|33–4–6

|style="text-align:left;"| Tuffy Griffiths

|TKO

|2 (10),

|Nov 30, 1928

|style="text-align:left;"|

|43

|Win

|32–4–6

|style="text-align:left;"| Pete Latzo

|PTS

|10

|Oct 17, 1928

|style="text-align:left;"|

|42

|Loss

|31–4–6

|style="text-align:left;"| Joe Sekyra

|PTS

|10

|Aug 8, 1928

|style="text-align:left;"|

|41

|Draw

|31–3–6

|style="text-align:left;"| Nando Tassi

|PTS

|10

|Jul 25, 1928

|style="text-align:left;"|

|40

|Draw

|31–3–5

|style="text-align:left;"| Billy Vidabeck

|NWS

|10

|Jun 27, 1928

|style="text-align:left;"|

|39

|Loss

|31–3–4

|style="text-align:left;"| Joe Monte

|PTS

|10

|Jun 7, 1928

|style="text-align:left;"|

|38

|Win

|31–2–4

|style="text-align:left;"| Jimmy Francis

|NWS

|10

|May 16, 1928

|style="text-align:left;"|

|37

|Win

|30–2–4

|style="text-align:left;"| Jack Darnell

|KO

|4 (10)

|May 7, 1928

|style="text-align:left;"|

|36

|Win

|29–2–4

|style="text-align:left;"| Paul Swiderski

|PTS

|Jan 6, 1928

|style="text-align:left;"|

|35

|Draw

|28–2–4

|style="text-align:left;"| Joe Monte

|PTS

|10

|Oct 7, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|34

|Loss

|28–2–3

|style="text-align:left;"| Herman Heller

|NWS

|10

|Aug 31, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|33

|Win

|28–1–3

|style="text-align:left;"| Vic McLaughlin

|NWS

|10

|Aug 10, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|32

|Win

|27–1–3

|style="text-align:left;"| George LaRocco

|UD

|Jul 21, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|31

|Win

|26–1–3

|style="text-align:left;"| Jimmy Francis

|NWS

|10

|Jul 13, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|30

|Win

|25–1–3

|style="text-align:left;"| Jimmy Francis

|NWS

|10

|Jun 8, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|29

|Loss

|24–1–3

|style="text-align:left;"| Paul Cavalier

|NWS

|10

|May 27, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|28

|Draw

|24–0–3

|style="text-align:left;"| George LaRocco

|PTS

|10

|May 20, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|27

|Win

|24–0–2

|style="text-align:left;"| Jack Stone

|NWS

|10

|May 11, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|26

|Win

|23–0–2

|style="text-align:left;"| Stanley Simmons

|TKO

|1 (6),

|May 2, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|25

|Win

|22–0–2

|style="text-align:left;"| Frankie Lennon

|TKO

|3 (6)

|Apr 19, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|24

|Win

|21–0–2

|style="text-align:left;"| Jack O'Day

|KO

|3 (10)

|Mar 22, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|23

|Win

|20–0–2

|style="text-align:left;"| Tom McKiernan

|KO

|2 (10)

|Mar 15, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|22

|Win

|19–0–2

|style="text-align:left;"| Nick Fadil

|PTS

|Mar 8, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|21

|Win

|18–0–2

|style="text-align:left;"| Lou Barba

|PTS

|Mar 3, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|20

|Win

|17–0–2

|style="text-align:left;"| Jack Nelson

|UD

|Feb 15, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|19

|Win

|16–0–2

|style="text-align:left;"| Johnny Alberts

|KO

|4 (6)

|Feb 1, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|18

|Win

|15–0–2

|style="text-align:left;"| George LaRocco

|KO

|1 (4),

|Jan 28, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|17

|Win

|14–0–2

|style="text-align:left;"| Tom McKiernan

|TKO

|3 (8)

|Jan 13, 1927

|style="text-align:left;"|

|16

|Draw

|13–0–2

|style="text-align:left;"| Doc Conrad

|NWS

|Dec 20, 1926

|style="text-align:left;"|

|15

|Win

|13–0–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Joe Hudson

|PTS

|Dec 8, 1926

|style="text-align:left;"|

|14

|Win

|12–0–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Al Settle

|PTS

|Dec 4, 1926

|style="text-align:left;"|

|13

|style="background:#DDD"|

|11–0–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Willie Daly

|NC

|1 (6)

|Nov 18, 1926

|style="text-align:left;"|

|12

|Win

|11–0–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Lou Barba

|PTS

|Nov 12, 1926

|style="text-align:left;"|

|11

|Win

|10–0–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Jack O'Day

|KO

|1 (8)

|Oct 27, 1926

|style="text-align:left;"|

|10

|Win

|9–0–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Carmine Caggiano

|KO

|1 (6),

|Sep 30, 1926

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|8–0–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Ray Kennedy

|KO

|1 (6)

|Sep 16, 1926

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|7–0–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Mike Rock

|KO

|1 (6),

|Sep 13, 1926

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|6–0–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Gene Travers

|KO

|1 (6),

|Sep 7, 1926

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|5–0–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Walter Westman

|TKO

|3 (6)

|Jul 9, 1926

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|4–0–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Jim Pearson

|2 (4)

|Jun 28, 1926

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|3–0–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Lee Dobson

|KO

|1 (4)

|Jun 18, 1926

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|2–0–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Phil Weisberger

|May 1, 1926

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|1–0–1

|style="text-align:left;"| George Deschner

|2 (6)

|Apr 22, 1926

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Draw

|0–0–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Al Settle

|Apr 13, 1926

|style="text-align:left;"|

Titles in boxing

Major world titles

NYSAC heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)
NBA (WBA) heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)

The Ring magazine titles

The Ring heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)

Undisputed titles

Undisputed heavyweight champion

Notes

References

External links

James J. Braddock – CBZ Profile
Boxing Hall of Fame
ESPN.com
Official James J. Braddock website (includes videos of some rounds of Braddock's fights with Baer and Louis)
Braddock's career record – from the Official James J. Braddock website
Collection of critical opinion of Cinderella Man at Rotten Tomatoes
James Braddock vs Max Baer, 13 June 1935, all rounds
James Braddock vs Joe Louis, 22 June 1937, all rounds

Boxing career

Max Baer fight

Later life

Personal life

Death and legacy

Professional boxing record

Official record

Unofficial record

Titles in boxing

Major world titles

The Ring magazine titles

Undisputed titles

See also

Notes

References

External links