The famous American boxer James Braddock, who made money in the ring in the first half of the 20th century, was far from the best heavyweight champion. But he remained forever in the history of world boxing. He was nicknamed Cinderella Man. From an unemployed man who fed a large family on unemployment benefits, he turned into a real champion. He managed to make the dream of everyone deprived come true. He was not only the personification of the “American Dream”, but also a symbol of victory over bitter failures...
Hard childhood
The biography of Braddock James began at the very beginning of the summer of 1905 in New York. He grew up in a poor large family of immigrants from Ireland. A little later, the whole family moved to New Jersey.
The boxer's father worked as an ordinary loader and at the same time worked as a security guard. The financial resources he received were completely insufficient. He was paid meager money. However, they were paid extremely irregularly. In this situation, young James had to quit school and start earning money on his own.
Thus, when he was fourteen years old, he took a job with a well-known company called Western Union. He was a courier there. Braddock gave all the money he received to his parents. He continued to work until he discovered an ineradicable craving for boxing.
Amateur boxer
His older brother instilled a passion for boxing in the future champion. His name was Joe. James had been to relevant competitions several times and understood that he was strongly attracted to these fights. As a result, his brother became not only his coach, but also his manager.
The eighteen-year-old boxer managed to fight his first fight at the amateur level. He performed under the pseudonym Jimmy Ryan. After some time, the talented athlete began performing under the name James Jay Braddock.
The career of a promising boxer was more than successful. And just three years later, in the spring of 1926, Braddock entered the professional ring.
Start of a professional career
Meanwhile, Joe Braddock continued to pursue his brother's career. As a manager, he understood perfectly well that James’s sports career directly depended on his work. And, accordingly, the better he copes with his responsibilities, the faster and more successfully the young athlete’s career progresses. Unfortunately, over time, the older brother realized that he lacked organizational skills. And so James got a new manager. His name was Alfred Barnett.
Well, then a significant historical meeting took place with Joe Gould. This man was the manager and manager of boxer Harry Galfand, from Brooklyn. One day Gould came to the boxing gym with his ward. His task was to show Galfond to his colleagues and evaluate his skill. As a result, they decided to put him in sparring with Braddock.
Gould was shocked by James' talent and immediately offered him a contract, implying a very long-term cooperation. The boxer agreed to the proposal and signed the document.
Undoubtedly, if this chance meeting had not taken place, it is still unknown how the career of not only Braddock, but also the manager himself, would have developed. Most importantly, Gould firmly believed in the abilities of the aspiring boxer. He clearly understood that on the way he had found a real uncut diamond.
So, work with the new manager began to boil. Thanks to the cohesive efforts of management and the talent of the boxer, Braddock began to literally shine in the ring.
By the middle of the summer of 1929, the athlete already had thirty victories in his treasury. Note that he knocked out his opponents 21 times.
First championship fight
Meanwhile, boxer James Braddock has a chance to fight for the championship belt. For this he must compete with the famous boxer Tommy Loughran, who had amazing technique. He was truly an excellent athlete.
The fight took place in 1929 and lasted all fifteen rounds. By this time, Braddock had managed to raise his professional bar to unprecedented heights. But during the competition he did not allow himself to relax.
Alas, when the fight ended, the judges decided to award the victory to Loughran, who again managed to defend the championship title.
A series of failures
After this defeat, James Braddock's sports career rapidly went downhill. In a word, the boxer broke down mentally. It seemed that he had already lost faith in himself. He did not believe in his talent and invincibility. As a result, he suffered one defeat after another.
Added to this streak of failures that befell the athlete was the difficult financial situation in the United States. We are talking about the Great Depression. The boxer lost all his savings and investments in one of the taxi companies.
And James Gould's manager was forced to look for new ways to make money. As a result
During this period, the only joy for James was his beloved woman. Her name was May. They met as follows. The boxer had an acquaintance named Howard Fox. And he had a sister, May. She then worked as a telephone exchange operator. James fell deeply in love with her, and after a while she agreed to become his wife. Although she understood perfectly well that it was a very difficult period in her husband’s life.
In addition, the wife turned out to be a very powerful lady. And the athlete was repeatedly called “henpecked.” Although, in fact, such marriages are considered the strongest. Eventually, they had three children.
...Meanwhile, James Braddock, whose personal life was going well, continued to try to make money from fights. However, injuries and failures relentlessly pursued him. Until the spring of 1933, he did not win a single victory. And, accordingly, his once famous name began to disappear from all serious ratings.
The real highlight was a fight with a mediocre athlete named Abe Feldman. This was in September 1933. During the match, Braddock broke his arm. After this, he decided to end his career as a professional boxer.
James had to look for work. He was ready to take on any income. He shoveled snow, loaded coal, and worked as a loader on the docks. In addition, he wrote a corresponding application in order to receive unemployment benefits.
Return
Thus, Braddock's brilliant career seemed to be over. Perhaps the boxer himself apparently thought so. He lost hope of returning to the boxing ring. But Gould did not think so, and continued to believe in James's lucky star. By the way, despite the fact that at one time he was looking for a replacement for Braddock, he never broke his contract with him. He rushed around the city and offered it as an excellent fighter.
Be that as it may, Braddock's manager's continuous attempts to promote him were successful. James received an offer to fight a young boxer named John Griffin. He only had a couple of days to prepare for the fight. The battle took place in the summer of 1934. In the 3rd round he managed to knock out his opponent deeply.
It was very surprising to everyone that boxer James Braddock was in excellent physical shape: his arm had healed and become stronger. In addition, for several months he worked a lot in the fresh air. In a word, he was reborn like a Phoenix.
However, this victory did not provide an opportunity to improve his financial situation. Braddock received only $250. Moreover, the lion's share of this money went to pay off debts. Thus, the boxer was once again left poor. But the saddest thing was that there were no battles planned at all.
Fortunately, manager Gould was able to secure subsequent fights for James. So, Braddock fought John Lewis. He beat him on points. And in the early spring of 1935, he entered the ring with Art Lasky. According to experts, this fight was one of the best in the boxer’s career. The judges unanimously declared James the winner.
On the wave of success, Braddock returned to the country the entire amount that he received as an unemployed man. This step raised him high in the public eye. And the athlete’s popularity grew. And mainly among insolvent people. After all, James was able to prove by his own example that you can always not only return, but also succeed. By the way, around the same time he was nicknamed Cinderella man.
James Braddock - Max Baer
As James began to be talked about again among boxers, Gould began to recommend him as a candidate for the world title. He, of course, managed to realize this plan. In the upcoming fight, Braddock's opponent was the famous Max Baer, nicknamed the Livermore Executor.
A lot of people liked James. They liked his last convincing fights, where he won. They believed in him. But at the same time they believed that fighting the Executor was more than unrealistic. In this situation, Braddock seemed to them to be a kind of whipping boy. And, accordingly, the bets were “ten to one” in Max’s favor.
In the meantime, James Braddock, whose photo you see in the article, continued to seriously prepare for the title fight. He clearly understood that fate had given him another chance to escape poverty. And he must not miss it.
Baer, in turn, took the preparation too superficially. He had no doubt about his victory, so he had fun, flew around the United States, and even injured his hands just before the fight. But, as it happens, Fortune never forgives laziness. Actually, the titled champion actually underestimated his opponent.
The fight lasted 7 rounds. The victory went to James Braddock. He became the new world champion, and his compatriots called him the pride of the Irish. He was a folk hero.
James Braddock's victory against Max Baer was truly symbolic. People began to believe that with willpower, as James did, one could defeat someone who seemed invincible.
Meanwhile, Baer admitted defeat, but at the same time continued to consider Braddock a frivolous and weak opponent. He said that he felt sincere pity for him. At the same time, he called James his friend. As for the defeat, Max attributed it to the fact that his hands were seriously injured.
Unsportsmanlike match
By this time it was time to defend the championship title. First of all, Max Schmeling from Nazi Germany claimed this fight. At one time he managed to defeat the invincible Joe Louis.
However, Gould and Braddock realized that a miracle would not happen, and therefore tried in every possible way to avoid the battle. In any case, for two years James continued to be considered the world champion. He toured the United States participating in various events and holding exhibition fights, where he fought with his own trainer and demonstrated how to train properly. In a word, he was involved in everything except professional sports, and, accordingly, all this did not represent any sporting interest.
Meanwhile, Schmeling continued to insist on his own, hoped for a meeting in the ring and turned to James. But he admitted that he was injured and, accordingly, was not yet ready for the fight, which, in fact, was just nonsense. By and large, no one wanted to give up the champion belt to Nazi Germany. Almost everyone understood that the German boxer would win in a possible fight.
Another important factor was money. Louis's management invited James to fight their ward, who also wanted to get the championship belt. The fight was planned to take place in America, while the Schmeleng fight would have taken place in Germany. Accordingly, James had no intention of going to the Nazi lair. And he and Louis clapped hands and agreed on the upcoming fight. Moreover, if Braddock had fought a German in Germany, he would have received 10 times less money than for a fight with Joe Louis in America. That's what it was all about!
By the way, upon learning about the future event, Max Baer immediately announced that James would not defend his title. And he was right.
The battle between the two titans took place in the summer of 1937. In the 8th round, Braddock was knocked out. He ended the fight with a knocked out tooth. In addition, he received twenty-three stitches. Well, Louis’ championship was, of course, recognized.
But James was able to turn his defeat into a personal mercantile victory. In this sad fight for him, he earned 250 thousand dollars. In addition, Gould managed to show amazing dexterity. Under the terms of the agreement with Louis' management, James will receive ten percent of the proceeds from Joe's next ten fights.
In a word, Braddock became a real rich man.
Let us note right away that James Braddock very skillfully managed the money he earned. His children always came first. He managed to send his two sons to the famous university at Yale. And my daughter goes to one of the prestigious music schools in America.
Sunset Cinderella
In 1938, James Braddock fought English boxer Tommy Farr. He was highly revered in Great Britain and was considered to be one of the best fighters in the history of Foggy Albion.
The fight was essentially equal. But the panel of judges decided to side with James. He won on points. Thus, this fight was the last in his sports career. He officially quit the sport.
When World War II began, Braddock and Gould went to serve. They graduated from one of the military schools and in 1942 joined the ranks of the regular American army. For three years, Braddock taught self-defense to soldiers on an island in the Pacific Ocean.
When he returned, he began selling welding equipment. He also supplied equipment to the Marines. In addition, he took part in the construction of the famous Verrisano Bridge in New York. He worked until the very end.
He passed away in the late autumn of 1974. He was 69.
Posthumous fame
In 2001, Braddock was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. And four years later, a film was released that told the path to fame that James Jay Braddock took. The film is called Cinderella man. But in the domestic box office it was called “Knockdown”. The main role in the film about James Braddock was played by the brilliant actor Russell Crowe. Many note that it is difficult to imagine anyone else in this role, the actor took on the role of the famous boxer so perfectly.
The film about James Braddock received many awards and accolades. He also managed to collect about $100 million at the box office.
Braddock Knockdown James Walter ( June 7, 1905 – November 29, 1974) was an American boxer who
Fighting under the name James J. Braddock (ostensibly to follow the pattern set by two previous world boxing champions, James J. Corbett and James J. Jeffries), he was known for his strong right hand, steady chin and comeback from a floundering career. He lost several bouts due to chronic hand wounds and was forced to work on the docks and collect public assistance to feed his family during the Great Depression. In 1935 he fought Max Baer for the Heavyweight title and won. For this unlikely feat, he was given the nickname "Knockdown" by Damon Runyon. Braddock was managed by Joe Gould.
Youth
Braddock was born in Hell's Kitchen in New York City on West 48th Street, within a few blocks of the Madison Square Garden venue where he later became famous. He was the son of Irish-American parents Elizabeth (née O'Toole) and Joseph Braddock. He stated that his early life's ambition was to play football for Knute Rockne at the University of Notre Dame, but he had “more brawn than brains.”
Career
Braddock pursued boxing, turning pro at the age of 21, fighting as a light heavyweight. After three years, Braddock's record was 44-2-2 with 21 knockouts.
In 1928 he pulled off a major upset, knocking out highly prized Tuffy Griffiths. The following year he earned a chance to fight for the title, but he narrowly lost to Tommy Lauren in a 15-round decision. Braddock was significantly depressed by the loss and horribly broke his right arm in several places in the process. His career suffered as a result, as did his location.
His record for his next 33 bouts fell to 11-20-2. With his family in poverty during the Great Depression, Braddock had to give up boxing for a while and worked as a longshoreman. Due to frequent injuries to his right hand, Braddock compensated by using his left hand during his job as a longshoreman, and it gradually became stronger than his right. He always remembered the insult of having to accept government relief money, but was inspired by the Catholic Worker Movement, a Christian social justice organization founded by Dorothy Day and Peter Morin in 1933 to help the homeless and hungry. After his boxing return, Braddock returned the welfare money he received and made frequent donations to various Catholic Worker Houses, including feeding homeless guests with his family.
Personal life
Braddock married May Fox in 1930, and the couple had three children, James (Jay), Howard and Rosemary. He enlisted in the US Army in 1942 and became a 1st Lieutenant. Upon his return, he worked as a marine surplus equipment supplier and helped build the Verrazano Bridge in the early 1960s.
Death and inheritance
On his death in 1974 at the age of 69, James J. Braddock was interred at Mount Carmel Cemetery in Tenafly, New Jersey. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2001. James J. Braddock North Hudson County Park in North Bergen, New Jersey is named in his honor.
The 2005 biopic Knockdown tells Braddock's story. Directed by Ron Howard, it stars Russell Crowe as Braddock and Renee Zellweger as his wife, May. 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 Giamati, playing Braddock's manager Joe Gould, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Neighbor Sarah Wilson was played by Rosemary Dewitt, who is Braddock's real-life granddaughter (daughter of Rosemary Braddock's daughter and Braddock's husband Kenny Dewitt). The film received mostly positive reviews.
University of Michigan football coach Lloyd Carr used Knockdown to inspire his team during their 2006 season.
This heavyweight champion has firmly entered the history of world boxing. His uniqueness is that he was able to achieve high results in boxing without any large amounts of money or connections.
Even for this, the famous journalist Damon Runyon called him “Cinderella” (in English: Cinderella Man). He gained well-deserved fame, and the history of its formation is filled with interesting moments. James has become a symbol of victory over any difficulties and failures. He proved that the impossible is possible!
Braddock was born on June 7, 1905 in New York, in the Hell's Kitchin area. His parents were Irish settlers - Elizabeth and Joseph Braddock. James lived in a large family, which moved from New York to New Jersey in his early childhood.
The family was poor, since James's father was a loader and at the same time worked as a security guard, and did not receive much for his work. For this reason, Jim also had to start working at the age of 14 to help feed his family members. He started working for Western Union as a courier in a factory.
However, after some time, he discovered an irresistible craving for boxing. All this happened thanks to James's older brother, Joe Braddock. First he was his coach and then his manager.
James Braddock's first amateur fight took place in 1923. He performed then under the name Jimmy Ryan. Later he began performing as James Jay Braddock.
His career began to rapidly gain momentum and already in April 1926 (in just 3 years!) he began to fight with professional boxers.
Then Alfred Barnett became James' new manager after his brother Joe. But the key moment in Braddock's success was meeting his future manager Joe Gould, which was very interesting.
Gould came to the gym where James trained and wanted to watch his boxer Harry Galfand fight with other athletes. It was Braddock who was set to spar against Harry. Gould liked James's performance better and decided to sign him to a long-term contract.
By July 1929, Braddock already had 30 victories under his belt, 21 of which were knockouts. However, he had only three defeats and three draws. Impressive, isn't it?
When Braddock defeated Pete Latzo, Jimmy Slattery and Tuffy Griffithson, he was given the opportunity to enter the ring with Tommy Loughran and fight for the light heavyweight title. The battle took place on July 18, 1929. It is important to note that Tommy Loughran was an excellent boxer.
He had a wonderful technique for striking while moving. Moreover, he was able to bring the dancing jab style to a masterful level. But the biggest problem that James faced in his fight with Tommy was that it was almost impossible to properly hit his opponent. As a result of this, Braddock was defeated.
After this fight, James' career as a boxer dropped significantly. Plus, financial problems arose as a result of the “Great Depression” in the country, which led to Braddock losing his savings and investments in a taxi company. Even his manager Gould decided to find himself a backup boxer - Ray Miller. Braddock's only joy was creating a family with the woman he loved.
Braddock tried to earn money by continuing to participate in boxing sparring, but to no avail. One failure followed him after another. In a fight with boxer Abe Feldman in 1933, James broke his right arm. After this sparring, he decided to stop boxing and took a job as a loader, and then signed an application for social security benefits.
One might have thought that Braddock's boxing career was over. However, Joe Gould did not decide to completely terminate the contract with James, since he still believed in his further success. Gould, whenever possible, suggested Braddock as an excellent boxer. In the end, luck smiled on James. On June 14, 1934, he fought with John Griffin, whom he knocked out in the third round.
The next fight was with John Lewis, who had already defeated James in the ring before. And on November 16, 1934, our “Cinderella” wins the fight with Lewis on points. Then, on March 22, 1935, Braddock fought Art Lasky and won a huge victory!
Then Braddock decides to give all the funds received from the social assistance program back to the state. After this, James's popularity grows by leaps and bounds among the public!
Joe Gould got Braddock into the World Heavyweight Championship and allowed him to compete against Max Baer. The battle took place on June 13, 1935.
The sparring lasted a full 7 rounds. The famous boxer did not expect that his opponent would be able to hold out against him for long. As a result, Max lost, and James won a fair victory and became the heavyweight champion!
Braddock's victory over Baer became a symbol of the fact that if you want something strongly and put in the necessary effort, you can achieve a lot and emerge victorious. And this is one of the reasons why James Jay Braddock remains a popular athlete in the USA for a long time.
It is surprising that after winning the championship title, James began to refuse all professional fights, preferring exhibition sparring with his own trainer Jack McCarthy.
And then Braddock does not appear before us in the best light. A match was supposed to take place in which James was obliged to defend his championship title from the German challenger Max Schmeling. But in order to earn money in a not entirely honest way, the title defense did not take place in 1936.
The fact was that Braddock was offered a large sum of money, which would last him for the rest of his life, on one simple condition - to cancel the match with Schmeling and fight Joe Louis in order to lose to him. Louis's managers were afraid that Schmeling would defeat James and the title would go to the Germans, and no one wanted that in America.
As a result, on June 22, Braddock fought with Joe Louis. In the 8th round, Louis knocked James out completely. The former champion suffered a crushing defeat.
On January 21, 1938, his match took place with another strong opponent - Tommy Farr. And although Braddock was able to win, according to many experts, this victory was very, very doubtful. After this battle, James decides to say goodbye to boxing and in 1942 he joins the army.
After demobilization, he begins working in a company selling equipment from army reserves. Then he joins the engineers' union. In the 1960s, he helped with money in the construction of the Verrazano Bridge. James Braddock died on November 29, 1974, when he was 69 years old.
James-Walter Braddock, also known as Jim Braddock, was born on June 7, 1906 in New York, USA, an American professional boxer and world heavyweight champion.
Jim "The Cinderella Man" Braddock came from a family of Irish immigrants.
After becoming a boxer, Jim Braddock received the nickname "Cinderella", and for good reason. A child of the New York slums, young James could not later recall a time when he ate to his fill. Then Braddock became a dock worker, but just in those years the Great Depression struck the United States, and this young, hefty man wandered around the streets of New York as an unemployed worker, doing odd jobs. Jim Braddock received some pennies by participating in third-rate boxing fights. But Jim Braddock had certain boxing abilities, a strong character, and gradually he began to stand out from the ranks of drunken, incompetent fighters.
Like Charles Perrault's Cinderella, Jim Braddock was incredibly lucky. He had only three fights with more or less strong boxers - with Carne Griffin, John Lewis and Art Lasky. Having defeated them, to the surprise of everyone, Jim Braddock was announced by the Boxing Commission as a participant in the title match with Max Baer. The bosses of professional boxing understood perfectly well that the world champion would not be able to withstand a fight with a great fighter, and they needed Max Baer precisely as a “king”, since the public liked him, and especially the Jewish part of the country, and this is where the candidacy of the former docker surfaced.
In essence, Braddock only fought one big fight. He had only one famous rival - Max Baer. And the victory over Max Baer brought the docker Jim into the gallery of “immortals”; this happens in life. But at the same time, we must pay tribute to Jim Braddock: he, already 30 years old, without high skill, fought with Max Baer frantically, because he understood that fate had given him one single chance to get out of poverty, and Braddock took advantage of this chance.
Jim Braddock's opponent, Max Baer, entered the ring in the most complacent state. Having fooled around enough before the referee's decisive command, Max Baer immediately attacked James. The frivolous, cocky Max Baer could not even imagine that the challenger would resist him.
Yes, no matter how trained Max Baer was, in terms of his capabilities and class he was superior to Jim Braddock, gloomy with tension. There is a well-known expression: “A hungry boxer is a terrible boxer.” The champion did not let up in his clowning and pranks in the ring, not realizing that in front of him was an embittered opponent ready for anything.
The first rounds were fairly evenly contested, but the challenger still had some advantage. Jim Braddock worked hard to score the winning points, which didn't bother Max Baer at all. In the sixth, Max finally breaks through Braddock's defense, who begins to bleed from the nose. In the eighth round, the champion forces Jim into a corner. His correct, sharp blows, it would seem, should finish off the challenger, but he only snorted and was generally far from collapsing.
But all this was just episodes. Jim Braddock missed blows, and then sent no less sensitive ones, and he gained more of them.
Confronting Braddock in the center of the ring in the final round, Max Baer whispered in a friendly manner: "I'm glad you're getting the big money, James. You'll put it to better use than I did." And although Max Baer won this round, the referee declared the stubborn Irishman the world champion: Jim Braddock won 7 rounds, Max Baer - 4 rounds, the rest of the referees declared them equal.
The new champion, Jim Braddock lost his title in his very next fight against the legendary Joe Louis. But Jim managed the money he earned skillfully. He sent his two sons to Yale University and his daughter to music school. He himself began to take care of business on the acquired farm.
In 1942, Braddock volunteered for the army and took part in combat operations, proving himself to be a brave soldier.
Jim Braddock born June 7, 1906 in New York into a family of Irish immigrants.
Having become a boxer, he received the nickname “Cinderella”, and for good reason. A child of the New York slums, young James could not later recall a time when he ate to his fill. Then he became a dock worker, but just in those years the Great Depression struck the United States, and this young, hefty man wandered around the streets of New York as an unemployed worker, doing odd jobs.
Some pennies James Braddock received by participating in third-rate boxing fights. But he had certain boxing abilities, a strong character, and gradually he began to stand out from the ranks of drunken, inept fighters.
Like Charles Perrault's Cinderella, he was incredibly lucky. He had only three fights with more or less strong boxers - Carn Griffin, John Lewis and Art Lasky, and having defeated them, to the surprise of everyone, the Boxing Commission announced that he was a participant in the title match with Baer. The bosses of professional boxing understood perfectly well that the world champion would not be able to withstand a fight with a great fighter, and they needed Max precisely as a “king”, since the public liked him, and especially the Jewish part of the country, and this is where the candidacy of the former docker came up.
In fact, Braddock fought only one big fight. He had only one famous opponent - this, you understand, is Max Baer. And the victory over him brought the docker into the gallery of “immortals”; this happens in life too. But we must give James credit Braddock: he, already 30 years old, not having high skill, fought with Behr frantically, because he understood that fate had given him one and only chance to get out of poverty, and he used this chance.
His opponent climbed into the ring in the most complacent state. Having played the fool enough until the decisive command of the referee, he immediately attacked James: the frivolous, cocky Max did not even realize that the challenger would resist him.
Yes, no matter how untrained Baer was, in terms of his capabilities and class he was superior to the one who was gloomy from tension Braddock. But here I would like to freely quote the famous expression: “A hungry boxer is a terrible boxer.” The champion did not let up in his clowning and pranks in the ring, not realizing that in front of him was an embittered opponent ready for anything.
The first rounds were fairly evenly contested, but the challenger still had some advantage. By the sweat of his brow, he scored winning points, which did not bother Baer at all. In the sixth, he finally breaks through the defense of James, who begins to have a nosebleed... In the eighth round, the champion drives his opponent into a corner, and his correct, sharp blows, it would seem, should finish off Braddock, but he only snorted and was generally far from collapsing.
But all this was just episodes. Braddock missed blows, and then sent no less sensitive ones, and he got more of them. Confronting the challenger in the center of the ring in the final round, Baer whispered in a friendly manner: "I'm glad you're getting the big money, James. You'll put it to better use than I did." And although Baer won this round, the referee declared the stubborn Irishman the world champion: Braddock won 7 rounds, Baer - 4, the rest of the arbitrators declared them equal.
The new champion lost his title in his next fight against the legendary Joe Louis, but he managed the money he earned skillfully. He sent his two sons to Yale University and his daughter to music school. He started farming himself. In 1942, he volunteered for the army and took part in combat operations, proving himself to be a brave soldier. He passed away on November 29, 1974, dying quietly on his farm.