The actual skill level of Jim Braddock

Done. Would love to see a poll about whether your tribute video convinced anybody in this forum that Braddock was actually a skilled, impressive boxer (I don't even think he looks particularly impressive in the cherry-picked footage you assembled...).

 

Yay, momentum!

Feel free to create one. I could care less about the outcome. The jury that I care about (the one not marred in a web of agendas) have already spoken.

Duh

 

Braddock was a bad boxer because A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, etc.

Survives 6 rounds with Louis. Knocks him down.

Seems legit.

 

Louis generally legitimizes the champions and contenders of the 30s!

He gives them a better write up than the champions of the early 50s, and the contenders who he denied, with the sole exception of Billy Conn.

In as much as he is an authority, they have to be taken seriously!

 

Lol

 

When Spesh (shout out Spesh) sees this by Klompton he’s gonna jizz all over his Gateway FB Page.

 

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Braddock is woeful. I really feel Baer took a dive. Lot of fighters break their hand and don’t fight like that, and he was the champ with the title on the line.
He looks completely different from the man that fought Schmeling - and he fought dirty in that fight- Schmeling got no favors from the ref and held his own- Baer of the Braddock fight doesn’t even try.
Braddock looks better when he holds his ground or retreats he couldn’t lead to save his life. All he had was a good chin and exceptional toughness.
Honestly he looks his best in the loss to Louis. Even then he gets nailed and does a lot wrong but I have feeling he really trained and was probably given some good pointers being the champ and having some extra cash to invest in himself.

 

My article on Braddock vs Louis https://imgur.com/gallery/DW2Q5.

Was Braddock an ATG, no. But he was a pretty good fighter. But what he had, he had a lot of. He took a hell of a punch and didn't panic. He was calm deceptively quick and intentionally awkward. Those arm punches have their uses. To defend them you need to have your ear muffs on which opened up his uppercut that Braddock was looking for all night after the first knockdown. Louis tried to duck under the wide hooks and ended up ducking into that uppercut a few times.

Braddock was a pretty good grappler to knew when to rest his weight on Louis and deny him counters.

He wasn't an ATG, but that doesn't mean he was with out his own set of skills. He was a decent all-rounder with a great chin who gave you some weird looks. I'd pick him to out box Neon Leon so he's not even the worst heavyweight champ.

 

He's pretty crude like a lot of guys for that era, but he doesn't look totally without skills.

I'd say there are arguments to be made on both sides, really.

 

@reznick Interesting you brought up Golovkin. I had a similar impression watching Braddock throw the left, almost like an overhand, very high at the shoulder. There isn't much else that's comparable about him, IMO, but his punch technique generated power, no doubt.

 

TBH Braddock never showed me anything to make me remotely interested in him. I admire his out of ring character. Multiple good qualities there but nothing that I like as a fighter. If he defended against Schmeling he would have gotten stopped.

 

He's really not my favorite type of fighter either. He was a gritty cutey.