QUEENSBURY RULES
Chapter 3
There's nothing more difficult for a heavyweight fighter then to
hang up his gloves for the last time. Jimmy Braddock knew he was at the end of
the road but how could the promoters let such a great man go out without one
more chance?
Madison Square Garden would be the place for the event and the fighter who would
give Jimmy his last professional career bout was a Welshman by the name of Tommy
Farr. Tommy was a good fighter and he went into this match the favorite at 8 to
5. He figured this would give him the boost he needed for a shot at the world
championship and if he won, he'd be right.
January, 21, 1938 was the date of the bout. When it was scheduled it created
quite a row between Mae and James.
They were in the backyard talking. Something they did often after the kids went
to bed. Mae sat on the big swing and she had herself crunched up in the corner.
Her tiny hand was wrapped so tight around the chain that her knuckles were
white.
"I thought this was over. I thought you were done after what happened with Joe
Louis."
"Mae, honey, I can beat Farr."
"You said that about Louis too. James, you got hurt. I can't look at you again
with your face all busted up like that."
If there was ever pain on his face it showed now. His eyes carried ever blow
that ever met his flesh and his heart throbbed with anxiety. "Please, Mae. I
have to give it one more chance. I need to fight at the Garden one more time."
She hated it; she hated the entire fight game and everything that went with it.
Well, almost everything. It was her love for James that made her nod her head.
"Okay, one more fight, just one more."
The stress left his face and he lowered his hand to hers. She let go of the
chain and took his hand. In seconds flat she was in his arms and he held her
tight. "Thank you, Mae. You don't know what this means to me."
"Jimmy, God knows I want you home with me, the kids want you home. I won't sleep
until this is behind us."
He felt like he was between a rock and a hard place. Joe Gould was the rock and
Mae was the hard place. It didn't feel right to Joe for Jimmy to end his career
with a defeat in Chicago and it sure as hell didn't sit well with Jimmy Braddock
but Mae didn't see it. To her he was one step closer to getting his head caved
in just like some of Max Baer's opponents did. Dead before they hit the canvas.
She was more afraid of losing him than she was of being on relief.
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The day he left for the fight he found something with his gear. It fell to the
floor when he picked up his gloves and he knew who put it there. It was a
rabbit's foot charm that dangled on a chain and Mae had put it in his right hand
glove for luck.
A couple hours later he stood alone in the dressing room. Jimmy's hands were
taped and he shadow boxed to warm up. One incandescent bulb lit the room and he
didn't see an aging boxer as his opponent, he saw a young fighter with more
heart and soul than David before he went up against Goliath. For every right
there was a block. For every jab and uppercut there was an exchange. What a real
ripper. Pop, pop, bang! It was his anthem and he never forgot it. Silence was
met with the grunts of a fighter who put every ounce of himself in his work but
then there was an interruption. The sound of footsteps broke the revelry of the
quiet bout, footsteps that were not associated with the sweet science of boxing.
"You feeling good, Braddock?"
James turned around to see and old man standing there. "Who's asking?"
"I'm a fan. My name is John Condon but my friends call me Jafsie. I was hoping
you'd call me Jafsie, Mister Braddock."
"I figure if you want me to call you Jafsie, you better call me Jimmy. Ain't you
the guy who got the letters in that trial." He was talking about the Lindburgh
kidnapping trial. Jafsie was a major witness for the prosecution and a kind of a
celebrity around New York in those days.
"I am. It was my little bit of fame that got me in here before the herd of
reporters. I just wanted to bring something for you." Jafsie reached into his
coat pocket and produced a hand painted horse shoe. "It's for luck, James. It
was given to me by a fighter by the name of Bob Fitzsimmons way back in the
day." He held the piece up for James to take.
"I could use all the luck I can get. Much obliged, Jafsie."
"My pleasure. How you calling this fight?"
"I'm gonna send dat bum back to Wales with a shiner or two."
Jafsie laughed pretty hard at Jimmy's statement. His raspy old voice filled the
dressing room like nails on a chalkboard but it didn't rattle Jimmy Braddock.
Nothing would rattle him ever again short of losing his family.
"That's what I wanted to hear my boy. Give em all you go. I'll be watching and
hey, good luck." With that Jafsie left him alone again.
Soon enough the reporters would be there to get some pre-fight photo's but this
time alone gave him a chance to reflect on everything that had happened to him
in the past decade or so. Nothing came easy for Jimmy Braddock. Nothing was ever
handed to him on a silver platter. His blood sweat and tears were in every
single dime that he ever held. As for this fight, he wasn't doing it for the
money he was doing it because it was time to sing his swan song.
Once the reporters left, James got his usual pep talk from Joe Gould.
"Dis guy's a bum you know?"
"Yeah."
"You gonna beat him?"
"Maybe if you put dis horseshoe in my glove."
Joe gave him one of those sideways looks. "Where'd you get that piece of shit?"
"From Jafsie. He gave it to me for luck. I got dis too." Jimmy raised his hand
and the rabbits foot dangled from his curled taped up fingers.
"You don't need that crap, Jimmy. You got heart and that's all you need."
"Yeah. I know, but Mae give me dis."
"For Christ's sake I can understand you better when you got your teeth in. Let's
get this over with so we can at least hold a decent conversation."
"Okay Joe."
"You ready?"
"I'm ready."
18,000 fight fans filled the Garden to witness the bout on that chilly night.
The crowd was on its feet when Jimmy Braddock slipped under the ropes. His blue
robe swaged tight around his waist, Jimmy didn't wear the mask of anxiety he did
when he stepped into the ring with Max Baer. He was relaxed and almost stoic.
The British heavyweight champion entered the ring looking much the same. Being
the favorite had its advantages as did being younger and fitter. He looked
confident and as the opening bell rang the betting public felt that confidence.
Braddock didn't show them anything. The two men clinched and danced around
taking useless shots at each other.
Round one ended with both men bouncing back to their corners as fresh as the
moment they started the fight.
"This is a cakewalk huh, Jimmy?" He slipped his mouthpiece out and rinsed it
off.
"Yeah."
"You're doing great. Doing what you always do, boyo. Easy in the early rounds.
Save it up."
"Yeah."
Joe slipped the mouthpiece back in just before the bell rang. Both men met in
the center of the ring and the dance continued. Everything was even up, round
after round, even exchanges with enough excitement to keep the crowd happy.
There was no clear dominator in this match until the bell rang for the start of
the ninth round. Braddock toed his way into the ring like someone had lit a fire
under him. No one really knows what his manager said to him just before it but
something lit him up. His first barrage of shots were kind of sluggish but he
was active on his feet. By the time Farr knew what hit him the end of the tenth
round came. His nose was broke along with a couple of ribs and he looked like a
man defeated. By the time the scores came in he fit the description. James J.
Braddock won his final professional match in a split decision.
..And the crowd went wild.
Over in New Jersey, Mae Braddock looked at her watch. She turned her Magnavox
radio on and sat down in her rocker to listen to the post fight report. She
caught the tail end of the announcers call.
"There we have it ladies and gents, James J. Braddock had defeated Tommy Farr in
this ten round split decision bout."
"Oh, thank Christ." Mae covered her face with her hands and began to cry. She
listened on as a reporter caught her husband for a post fight comment.
"Jimmy, Jimmy Braddock. Congratulations buddy. You fought a good fight. How you
doing? What's next for you? Are you going to take a shot at the heavyweight
title again?"
"Thanks. I'm doin' great, ya know."
Mae uncovered her face and gazed at the radio. She could hear Joe Gould's voice
in the background as he too lauded Jimmy's win. Jimmy's voice was the prominent
one though.
"I ain't gonna go for the title. I promised Mae and the kids that this was my
last fight and I'll be retiring. Outta fairness to my wife and kids, ya know.
They been puttin' up with me for a long time. I gotta stick to my woid."
"C'mon Jimmy! We're going out. We're gonna get drunk and stay that way for a
week."
Hearing Joe Gould say that made Mae wonder if she should wait up or just go to
bed. She did and James came home within an hour or two. He had a dozen roses and
barely a mark on his face. Her prayers were all answered.
"It's over, Jimmy?"
"It's all over, Mae."
"No more fightin'?"
"Not unless you intend on puttin' a pair of gloves on, honey."
"No more fighting. It's settled. You went out a winner, baby."
"Mae, I've been a winner since the day I met you."