Jimmy takes this one late. Earnie wouldn't clown around like Max Baer did, but he didn't have Maxie's gas tank and punch resistance either. Coming off a two year layoff, Braddock didn't exactly crumble up and fold quickly against Louis like Douglas did with Holyfield. Jimmy was a tough, hard man who wasn't going to be stopped cold early, not even by a young Bomber in the biggest match of Joe's career. Braddock was no Norton who froze up when hit with power punches. (In a 1932 loss, Jimmy also stayed on his feet and went the ten round distance with the deadly punching Charley Retzlaff, who then outweighed Braddock by 15 pounds.) No version of Shavers defeats the Cinderella Man of 1934 and 1935, especially not over the championship distance. The only remaining question is whether or not Earnie reaches the final bell in a 15 rounder, and I just don't see him getting that far. When Shavers showed weakness and fatigue, Jimmy would capitalize and pounce.
I think although there was a well documented faze where braddock went on the road as an opponent and dropped a few decisions, he soon picked up when he got proper training camps. the spell where he beat john henry lewis and max baer he was a beter fighter than shavers. Nobody but a peak Joe Louis ever knocked jimmy out and joe louis knocked out guys who nobody else knocked out. I know shavers hit hard but he did not knock eveyone out. braddock posibly hit harder than ron stander and tex cobb who knocked out shavers. i think thats the diffrence.
