James J. Braddock
American boxer (1905-1974)
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.
Early life
Braddock was born on June 7, 1905, 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.
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This entry incorporates text from “James J. Braddock” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.