Light Heavyweight–Heavyweight · Golden Age (1920–1959)
James J. Braddock
"The Cinderella Man"
51
Wins
26
Losses
7
Draws
26
KOs
51%
KO %
- Born
- 1905
- Died
- 1974
- Nationality
- USA
- Career
- 1926–1938
Rose from Depression-era poverty to upset Max Baer.
Titles & Honours
- World Heavyweight Champion (1935–1937)
Career Timeline
1926–1938- Milestone
First recorded professional bout
vs Al Settle · D NWS
- Milestone
25th recorded win
vs Paul Swiderski · PTS. Newspaper decisions excluded.
- Title history
Title reign begins
World Heavyweight Champion (1935–1937). Year from profile title history; exact title-winning bout not identified.
- Signature fight
vs Max Baer
W UD · Madison Square Garden Bowl, Queens, New York, U.S.. Archive selection: one of the first three wins over distinct fighters profiled here, not an expert-selected signature fight.
- Milestone
Latest recorded bout
vs Tommy Farr · W SD. Not necessarily the retirement date.
Derived from the current archive and profile honours. Title-reign years are not exact bout dates; title claims are not independently verified. Signature fights use existing profile selections, or clearly labelled wins over other archived fighters when no selections exist. Year-only dates retain their original precision.
Photo Archive
1 archival photographs under their original licences.
Fight-by-Fight Record
| Date | Result | Opponent | Method | Round | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1926-04-13 | D | Al Settle | NWS | 4 | Amsterdam Hall, Union City, New Jersey , U.S. |
| 1926-04-22 | W | George Deschner | KO | 2 | Knights of Columbus, Ridgefield Park , New Jersey, U.S. |
| 1926-05-01 | W | Phil Weisberger | TKO | 1 | Jersey City , New Jersey, U.S. |
| 1926-06-18 | W | Lee Dobson | KO | 1 | Boyle's Thirty Acres , Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 1926-06-28 | W | Jim Pearson | TKO | 2 | Oakland Arena, Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 1926-07-09 | W | Walter Westman | TKO | 3 | Boyle's Thirty Acres, Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 1926-09-07 | W | Gene Travers | KO | 1 | Oakland Arena, Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 1926-09-13 | W | Mike Rock | KO | 1 | Oakland Arena, Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 1926-09-16 | W | Ray Kennedy | KO | 1 | Playgrounds Stadium, West New York , New Jersey, U.S. |
| 1926-09-30 | W | Carmine Caggiano | KO | 1 | Playgrounds Stadium, West New York, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 1926-10-27 | W | Jack O'Day | KO | 1 | Stanley Theater , Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 1926-11-12 | W | Lou Barba | PTS | 6 | Pioneer Sporting Club, New York City, New York , U.S. |
| 1926-12-04 | W | Al Settle | PTS | 6 | Walker A.C., New York City, New York, U.S. |
| 1926-12-08 | W | Joe Hudson | PTS | 6 | Manhattan A.C., New York City, New York, U.S. |
| 1926-12-20 | D | Doc Conrad | NWS | 4 | 4th Regiment Armory , Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 1927-01-13 | W | Tom McKiernan | TKO | 3 | Grotto Auditorium, Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 1927-01-28 | W | George LaRocco | KO | 1 | Madison Square Garden , New York City, New York, U.S. |
| 1927-02-01 | W | Johnny Alberts | KO | 4 | South Main Street Armory, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania , U.S. |
| 1927-02-15 | W | Jack Nelson | UD | 6 | South Main Street Armory, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| 1927-03-03 | W | Lou Barba | PTS | 4 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| 1927-03-08 | W | Nick Fadil | PTS | 6 | Pioneer Sporting Club, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| 1927-03-15 | W | Tom McKiernan | KO | 2 | Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| 1927-03-22 | W | Jack O'Day | KO | 3 | Union City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 1927-04-19 | W | Frankie Lennon | TKO | 3 | South Main Street Armory, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| 1927-05-02 | W | Stanley Simmons | TKO | 1 | Oakland Arena, Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 1927-05-11 | W | Jack Stone | NWS | 10 | Playgrounds Stadium, West New York, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 1927-05-20 | D | George LaRocco | PTS | 10 | Yankee Stadium , Bronx , New York, U.S. |
| 1927-05-27 | L | Paul Cavalier | NWS | 10 | Arcola Park, Paramus , New Jersey, U.S. |
| 1927-06-08 | W | Jimmy Francis | NWS | 10 | Playgrounds Stadium, West New York, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 1927-07-13 | W | Jimmy Francis | NWS | 10 | Playgrounds Stadium, West New York, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 1927-07-21 | W | George LaRocco | UD | 6 | Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York, U.S. |
| 1927-08-10 | W | Vic McLaughlin | NWS | 10 | Playgrounds Stadium, West New York, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 1927-08-31 | L | Herman Heller | NWS | 10 | Playgrounds Stadium, West New York, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 1927-10-07 | D | Joe Monte | PTS | 10 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| 1928-01-06 | W | Paul Swiderski | PTS | 8 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| 1928-05-07 | W | Jack Darnell | KO | 4 | Grotto Auditorium, Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 1928-05-16 | W | Jimmy Francis | NWS | 10 | Playgrounds Stadium, West New York, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 1928-06-07 | L | Joe Monte | PTS | 10 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| 1928-06-27 | D | Billy Vidabeck | NWS | 10 | Playgrounds Stadium, West New York, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 1928-07-25 | D | Nando Tassi | PTS | 10 | Ebbets Field , Brooklyn , New York, U.S. |
| 1928-08-08 | L | Joe Sekyra | PTS | 10 | Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| 1928-10-17 | W | Pete Latzo | PTS | 10 | Newark Armory, Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 1928-11-30 | W | Tuffy Griffiths | TKO | 2 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| 1929-01-18 | L | Leo Lomski | MD | 10 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| 1929-02-04 | W | George Gemas | KO | 1 | Laurel Garden, Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 1929-03-11 | W | Jimmy Slattery | TKO | 9 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| 1929-04-22 | W | Eddie Benson | KO | 1 | Broadway Auditorium , Buffalo , New York, U.S. |
| 1929-07-18 | L | Tommy Loughran | UD | 15 | Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York, U.S. |
| 1929-08-27 | L | Yale Okun | PTS | 10 | Olympic Auditorium , Los Angeles, California , U.S. |
| 1929-11-15 | L | Maxie Rosenbloom | PTS | 10 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| 1929-12-07 | W | Jake Warren | KO | 2 | Ridgewood Grove, Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| 1930-01-17 | L | Leo Lomski | SD | 10 | Chicago Coliseum , Chicago, Illinois , U.S. |
| 1930-04-07 | L | Billy Jones | UD | 10 | Philadelphia Arena , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , U.S. |
| 1930-06-05 | L | Harold Mays | PTS | 10 | Playgrounds Stadium, West New York, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 1930-07-02 | W | Joe Monte | PTS | 10 | Fenway Park , Boston, Massachusetts , U.S. |
| 1930-08-11 | L | Babe Hunt | PTS | 10 | Braves Field , Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| 1930-09-19 | W | Phil Mercurio | KO | 2 | Laurel Garden, Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 1931-01-23 | L | Ernie Schaaf | SD | 10 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| 1931-03-05 | W | Jack Roper | KO | 1 | Madison Square Garden Stadium, Miami, Florida , U.S. |
| 1931-03-30 | W | Jack Kelly | PTS | 10 | New Haven Arena , New Haven, Connecticut , U.S. |
| 1931-09-03 | D | Andy Mitchell | PTS | 10 | Navin Field , Detroit, Michigan , U.S. |
| 1931-10-09 | L | Joe Sekyra | PTS | 10 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| 1931-12-04 | L | Al Gainer | PTS | 10 | New Haven Arena, New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. |
| 1932-03-18 | L | Baxter Calmes | UD | 10 | Chicago Stadium , Chicago, Illinois, U.S., U.S. |
| 1932-05-13 | L | Charley Retzlaff | SD | 10 | Boston Garden , Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| 1932-06-21 | W | Vicente Parrile | PTS | 5 | Madison Square Garden Bowl , Queens , New York, U.S. |
| 1932-07-25 | L | Tony Shucco | PTS | 8 | Madison Square Garden Bowl, Queens, New York, U.S. |
| 1932-09-21 | L | John Henry Lewis | PTS | 10 | Civic Auditorium , San Francisco , U.S. |
| 1932-09-30 | W | Dynamite Jackson | PTS | 10 | Coliseum, San Diego , California, U.S. |
| 1932-10-21 | L | Tom Patrick | PTS | 10 | Legion Stadium, Hollywood , California, U.S. |
| 1932-11-09 | L | Lou Scozza | TKO | 6 | Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| 1933-01-13 | W | Martin Levandowski | PTS | 10 | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S., U.S. |
| 1933-01-20 | L | Hans Birkie | PTS | 10 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| 1933-03-01 | L | Al Ettore | DQ | 4 | Olympia A.C., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| 1933-03-21 | W | Al Stillman | TKO | 10 | St. Louis Arena , St. Louis, Missouri , U.S. |
| 1933-04-05 | L | Martin Levandowski | MD | 10 | St. Louis Arena, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| 1933-05-19 | L | Al Stillman | UD | 10 | St. Louis Arena, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| 1933-06-21 | W | Les Kennedy | PTS | 10 | Oakland Arena, Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 1933-07-21 | W | Chester Matan | PTS | 10 | Playgrounds Stadium, West New York, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 1934-06-14 | W | Corn Griffin | TKO | 3 | Madison Square Garden Bowl, Queens, New York, U.S. |
| 1934-11-16 | W | John Henry Lewis | PTS | 10 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| 1935-03-22 | W | Art Lasky | UD | 15 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| 1935-06-13 | W | Max Baer | UD | 15 | Madison Square Garden Bowl, Queens, New York, U.S. |
| 1937-06-22 | L | Joe Louis | KO | 8 | Comiskey Park , Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 1938-01-21 | W | Tommy Farr | SD | 10 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. |
Showing 85 of 85 recorded fights · last updated 2026-10-15. Imported record tables are not independently verified and may be incomplete. Early-era logs include newspaper decisions (NWS), which are not counted in the official totals above.
Record notes
Fight record last retrieved: 2026-10-11. Title histories remain subject to archival review.
Historical-era totals differ between record-keeping conventions (newspaper decisions, exhibitions).
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