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Cinderella Man

The story is of a boxer fighting in the 1920s and ‘30s, named James J. Braddock. A rising star in his early 20s, Braddock’s record in the ring soared to 44-2-2, with 21 knockouts. With all his success, he appeared to be a rising star in the ring. Then something happened: just as he was gaining notoriety, Braddock lost by decision in an important match to a fighter named Tommy Loughran, in a ring sitting in Yankee Stadium. Braddock was devastated, so much so that his record over the next thirty-three fights fell to 11-20-2. His misfortune was then compounded when he fractured his right hand during one his matches. Following these setbacks, Braddock finally gave up boxing and applied for government relief money to support his family. He took a job as a dock worker and began what seemed to be a normal life.

It was to stay that way until something interesting occurred. In a last-minute cancellation, Braddock was offered a fight against a highly-respected fighter named John Griffin; and although Braddock was considered the underdog and a simple “stepping stone” in Griffin’s career, Braddock ended up knocking Griffin out in the third round. He was back. Braddock began rising again as a fighter until he earned the chance to fight for the title of World Heavyweight Champion.

His opponent in this monumental match was a man named Max Baer. This was a man whose punch was so powerful that he had accidentally killed a man in the ring, and his reputation matched his power. Braddock was thus considered the clear underdog. Despite these odds, Braddock trained and studied Baer’s style, learning that it was necessary to avoid Baer’s powerful right. Meanwhile, Baer viewed the match as a given victory, and so devoted little effort to his training for the match. He even taunted Braddock, saying he hoped they had an ambulance ready to take Braddock to the hospital. On the night of the match, however, in front of a crowd of 30,000 people, Braddock won by decision in one of the greatest upsets in boxing history. Because of his story, this man was to be known as the “Cinderella Man,” a story that’s told in a 2005 movie of the same name.

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