James Corbett vs. James Braddock

One example .
Corbett didn't have a top chin, he had top legs that kept it from being tested,when he was tagged he went down.
"Corbett was one of the first successful scientific fighters of the gloved era.Give him credit for that.But he fought for 17 years and only had 18 fights.
He beat an old drunk John L Sullivan for the title and defended it once against an aging British middleweight, [Charlie Mitchell,]and lost it to another aging middleweight Bob Fitzsimmons". This month's issue of The Ring

"Fitz ran from his corner and Corbett met him with a straight left jab to the mouth.Bob scored with a stinging left swing to the cheek,then swung two rights to the head,but Jim blocked the last punch and boxed Fitz off with left jabs.
A vicious right caught Corbett on the mouth and he was too slow to avoid a following left that thudded against his temple.
A big right swing landed on the champion's ear then Bob stepped forward with his right foot and sent a powerful left smash to the body.The blow,with all the power that Bob could put behind it,landed just under the ribs at the nerve centre where they curve away from the breast bone.It was a paralysing blow and Jim's face went ashen as he collapsed to the boards ,his hands on his knees".

 

Sharkey was ko'd twice with one punch, his durability is severely overated.Sharkey was a temper dirty fighter who fouled Choynski as he did many others.Choynski was stopped 10 times.
Sharkey was exposed and embarrassed when he sparred with the green Johnson because he couldn't get through his defence.

 

James Corbett is one of my favorites OAT.
And I was a Jim Willie fan, but when I saw Corbett, I then knew where did JW stole all his knowledge from without giving any credit.

 

Corbett.
Never had a very high opinion of JJB to begin with.

 

Braddock was a relatively modern-era fighter with modern era knowledge and a lot of experience. Corbett was a pioneer in the development of the sport and compared to Braddock he was a dandy-boy primitive without much experience. I can't see the JJC of 1897 (which is the version I have seen on film) defeating JJB. I agree Braddock can't be rated anywhere near an all-time great, but Corbett is one heavyweight champion I think he can defeat. Even so, I love watching the Corbett-Fitz fight. It is an historic document for so many reasons. Remember this is under 1930 rules. IMO, the only way Corbett would win is if he ran like Jack O'Brien did against Tommy Burns and had a very sympathetic set of officials, which given the reverence with which Corbett was viewed in 1930 is a possible outcome. But I think Braddock would figure that out pretty quickly and go after him. If he stood in awe of Corbett's reputation, though, I suppose it's possible it could go the other way.

 

I think Corbett wins this one comfortably by decision

 

I think Corbett continued to learn and improve well after his fighting days ... Gene Tunney sparred / played with him and said he had more talent than Benny Leonard ... the Corbett that fought looks almost comical with the stiff arm punching but his physical gifts were real and maybe he learned better how to apply them, even by training by himself ... the style that fought Fitz on film can at times be hard to watch ... Braddock on the other hand was a tough, courageous marginal talent with a decent right hand and a great chin. Little more.

 

X2

 

Can't be too comfortable. Braddock had a well developed jab after his comeback and was smart enough to get a close decision over Farr (whether you think that should've been a draw or a win for Farr doesn't change the fact that he ran close one of the best technicians of his era).
Add his admirable performance against Louis and his win over Baer, Jimmy has enough savvy to outpoint Corbett in a fifteen rounder.
If it's the young Braddock from the Loughran fight he probably loses, that version didn't have the jab that opened up his options.

 

Most reports thought Farr beat him (same with JHL in the lead up to Baer) and that it was a gift due to Braddock’s status; sure you can argue it was competitive but is losing competitively to Farr really equatable to being competitive with someone like Corbett? From the footage I’ve seen of the Farr fight it seems to have been decisively under Farr’s control.
The main reason he looked so bad and ‘underdeveloped’ against Loughran was because the man he was fighting was a class above, and Loughran himself believed that Corbett’s IQ was on his level from his conversations with him

I don’t think there was any actual significant skill development between the Braddock that fought Loughran and the Braddock that fought Baer and Louis later on. I have heard that he experienced a growth spurt of sorts caused by the Great Depression’s tough manual working circumstances which allowed for him to further develop is muscles and body. However, I see no evidence that his general skills significantly improved, I just think the circumstances in which he fought Louis and Baer allowed for him to look better than he really was compared to fighting a prime Loughran. Louis performed about the worst I’d ever seen him and I think that had much more to do with a cold streak of performances following the Schmeling fight than it had to do with Braddock’s own skillset. Louis was ridiculously wild in that fight even when Braddock wasn’t mounting any offense of his own, and I feel like the Baer win had more to do with Maxie being a clowner than it does enhance Braddock’s level.

He’s got a competent jab but he’s slow, has lumbering feet, often ducks his head right when he throws his hooks and often jerks his right elbow back right before throwing a right cross this telegraphing it. Obviously Corbett has flaws of his own but the difference here is speed and IQ; If Braddock wasn’t so slow when he did it maybe he could get away with such flaws but I don’t see it flying against an awkward speedster like Corbett. This is a man who was not only admired but marveled by Tunney and Loughran when it came to his speed and IQ, There’s a good chance Corbett makes Braddock look like he never stepped into a ring

 

In a weird way, Corbett looking so awful on film reflects on him well.

Think about it; Corbett was still being praised at a time where Joe Gans and Jimmy Britt were competing, I even saw an article from 1903 refer to Jim as the most scientific boxer on the planet. Wouldn’t a society that was used to seeing Gans find Corbett laughable? I find Corbett’s style laughable compared to the footage of Professor Mike Donovan and Billy Edwards who preceded him by three decades. Corbett should’ve been obsolete by this point, if we judge from the skills on film alone.

In my opinion, Corbett definitely seems like he was so talented and fast that he could do some of the dumbest **** you’ve seen in a ring, even ridiculous by his own era’s standards, and still get away with it. Kinda like Ali or Roy Jones. I think it reflects well on him because it seems like a demonstration or flex on how comfortable he was in that ring

 

Braddock never took a backwards step on Louis, forcing the Bomber to outmaneuver him.

Corbett wouldn't be trying to attack Braddock, but outmaneuver him all the way like Loughran did. And Corbett had stamina that Braddock never contemplated needing. So there's simply no way Corbett's gassing over the Championship Distance.

Extremely frustrating situation for the Cinderella Man. After winning the title from Corbett, MW Fitz told a sportswriter in his dressing room that JJC's speed was far too much to cope with until some body shots began slowing Corbett down a bit. Braddock was no middleweight, but a slowish heavyweight by 1935. He was tough as nails, but it's not his toughness Corbett would be looking to test.

Loughran and Rosenbloom both decisioned Braddock pretty handily in 1929. I don't see Corbett giving Braddock much of a chance to pull the trigger. Considering Loughran and Rosenbloom, who was the best mover Braddock defeated anyway?

Does Jimmy even decision Loughran in a late 1935 title rematch? Early that year, Tommy decisoned Godoy over 12 rounds in Buenos Aires, and he closed out the year looking awfully good at Wembley with Strickland. For a second match with Braddock, he'd have certainly gotten himself together.

 

Braddock first round knockout.

 

Corbett was a vert talented athlete. Good size and strength . In his prime outstanding condition and supposedly incredible speed. Some times he looked good like the blazing combo that dropped Fitz. I don’t know, he was a very talented fighter w a gateway style.

 

Being competitive with Farr is equitable to being competitive with a boxer from 40 years before, the guy who was the second heavyweight champion ever, yes. Before Lennox Lewis, Tommy Farr was the best HW boxer to come out of the UK, Fitzsimmons aside. I think a 6"1.5 200 lbs master boxer might be better than Corbett.

The reason he looked underdeveloped was because as a 23 year old, he was.

Wouldn't be able to address the criticisms by text so here you go

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I'm sure Corbett was a pioneer in the late 1800s but it's hard to quantify how effective he would 40 years after his time. Braddock is a reliable 190 lbs fighter who has pretty much all his bases covered, and that's enough to make him a favorite over Corbett.