James J. Braddock nose he broke during the bout on March 22, 1935, Braddock was given a title fight against the World Heavyweight Champion, Max Baer. Baer hardly trained for the bout, but Braddock did. "I'm training for a fight. Not a boxing contest or a clownin' contest or a dance", he said. "Whether it goes 1 round or 3 rounds or 10 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
James Braddock vs. Joe Louis This was Braddock's first and only defense and occurred over two years after winning the title. Louis was knocked down early in the fight, but ultimately prevailed by way of knockout in the eighth round. This fight began an unprecedented reign by Louis that included a 12-year continuous run as champion where he defeated 25 challengers, both records that still stand. While the bout was the end of Braddock as a major boxing force, fighting only once after this fight, part of his contract with Louis was to gain a portion of Louis' earnings over the next decade. James Braddock