James J. Braddock - Guestbook

Welcome to the official guestbook of the James J Braddock website. Due to spam, we have been forced stop guestbook entries.

My brother-in-law strongly suggested I see the movie and I was deeply touched and inspired by the story of a man giving all for his family. My father grew up during the depression and I have some feeling for the difficulty endured by many to provide for their families. Great story and movie.

I actually found out that I'm related to James Braddock. The Cinderella Man is my grandpas's second cousin. I found that interesting and now I'm glad I know since it helped me in a school paper.

My uncle used to box in the '40s in the dockyards of toronto-and tells fascinating stories of the boxing world...would you be able to add any stories like how much your grandfather trained or where...

I had never been interested in the movie "cinderella man" but had nothing better to do so i sat and watched it... never before had i felt so attached to a man...a beacon.. the end of the movie i was in tears and chearing, and so i did some searching looking for the real story...i have a hero now and i have tried to get ahold of the family, to thank them i had e-mailed mr. Crowe telling him the same.
this story sould be told to inspire, to give hope and to teach to never give up. thank you

i have been a lifelong boxing fan and especially the fighters of the early 20th century.I fascinated with the real life "Rocky" story of James j and his epic fights.What a fighter,what a man!
You should be very proud of your site.i Have reccomended it to all my fellow fight fans here in the UK.
Regards
Ben Beards
wolverhampton
UK

What an inspirational man and proves you can't keep a good man down. Aftr watching the movie Cinderella Man I just had to go online and find out more information about Jimmy. Jimmy just shows what we can achieve with a bit of heart and soul

My daughter, Lacy, kept at me to watch this fantastic movie named Cinderella Man and she persisted for a period of time claiming that the heart of this man reminded her of her Daddy. One day I was thumbing through the channels and kept stopping on this HBO movie that would grab my attention, but not wanting to catch a movie in the middle, I would gone on to the next channel. After more channel surfing I would always come back to this movie so I watched it from the middle to the end and then 15 times all the way through after that. I understand now what my daughter meant and even though Jim and his family went through so much, Jim remained a stand up guy. He took care of his family no matter what the obstacles. My family, a few years back, went through many hardships, but I was determined not to separate MY family and we prevailed. No matter how much or little I have I will always do whatever I need to do to support my family, as Jim. He was a great man and is a great inspiration.

Thank you.

Bruce Caple

It's hard to imagine that the United States was in the shape it was in back in those days. Of course, today, everything is taken for granted. James Braddock never took anything for granted and proved it every time that he stepped into the ring, win or lose. Even if he lost the fight, he still won for his family. He was a champion of champions. In this day and age of boxing, fighters have just about anything that they want at their disposal. Back in the true day of boxing, they just did what they had to do in order to provide. And a true example of that is James J. Braddock. If only there were more fighters like that today, the boxing world would not be in the shape that it's in. God bless James Braddock. I would almost bet that he's God's right hand man when it's time to go to battle. A true warrior and a true husband and father. I know that no one ever has the opportunity to pick their father or grandfather, but God gave you a great one, and you must be proud.

After watching Cinderella man we went on the Internet to learn more about this great man. Thank you for putting this up so my boys can see a true example of the American Dream. They thought it was just another fake boxing movie. You have taken away their doubts and giving them something to dream about again

Braddock family, What can you say to, of what JAMES J. BRADDOCK stood for? I can only wish i knew my father and to have one like Mr. Braddock. FAMILY FIRST ! My god, the man was all heart & soul in and out of the ring... The movie really punches you in the face about what a man wouldn't do for his family. damn shame he wasn't president... thank you BRADDOCK family for sharing this piece history!

A man of such determination against great odds is an inspiration to us all.

Times in life when life throws at you tough times this man stood there and took it and never backed down on his morals and beleifs.

A REAL CHAMPION.

I just finished watching the movie Cinderella Man, and that inspired me to search the net for more information on Mr James J Braddock. What a man....takes my breath away. I wanted to say to the family of Mr Braddock, how proud you must be to have had a man such as he to leave you such a wonderful legacy. Stay true to his memory.

I thought I would be the only one to post a message from the philippines but I found there is already one fr another province. seems am not the only one who was so touched as to researched more of james life. thanks to a grandson, james braddock life is kept alive by his website. but I wished there is also a story of grandmother mae's life. I kept looking for anything about mae but found none. I believe she was instrumental to james winnings and salute her too for keeping the family intact. wish for more wives and mothers who would stay with their husbands and children thru thick and thin, the world would be a better place

james j braddock a true inspiration who is all heart. i have always enjoyed the film and is the best boxing story ever the man is a true legend.

I've just watched (again) the movie Cinderella Man with Russel Crowe as James J. Braddock. But when I accessed the real fight scenes on the DVD extras I really understood what James J. Braddock was made of. Watching the real fight and knowing what Braddock just came through to get there just showed me that heroes exist for real! God bless James J. Braddock for showing to all of us what a man with an iron will can do.

Just watched Cinderella Man, never heard of the chap until today. Having watched his story i felt the need to find out more about this amazing person.
A strong man in the ring and an even stronger man when faced with hardship. Reminds me not to take what i have in life for granted.

I HAD A SCEDULED DAY OFF YESTERDAY.AT 9:30 AM I STARTED WATCHING CINDERALLA MAN FOR THE SECOND TIME.THE MOVIE IS AWESOME.BY THE END OF THE MOVIE
I DECIDED I BETTER GET MYSELF TO MY OFFICE TO MAKE SOME MONEY.SO I DID JUST THAT.THE MOVIE IS SO INSPIRING THAT THIS MORNING I RESEARCHED MR.BRADDOCK ONLINE AND FOUND YOUR SITE.THANK YOU FOR MAINTAINING YOUR SITE.

every time I watch the movie. I realize
how hard it was for the wokking class hero. and mr braddick was a real hero in my eye,s

Thank you so much for sharing the story of your grandfather. I have watched the movie with my son and believe that more young people should see this story. If more people conducted themselves with the character, drive and integrity that Jim and Mae had, what a place our world would be. How proud you must be of them both. I am a woman with family values and integrity and strive to bring up my boys to have character, kindness and drive. It is very difficult in a world that has lost its way. You did a wonderful job with the website. The family photos and fight footage are interesting and help everyone realize this was a genuine human spirit and that we can all learn something and aspire to be better people.

My grandfather, left unemployed as a truck driver in the Great Depression, was an amateur fighter along the lines of the movie "Hard Times" with Charles Bronson; a profession he pursued in the alleys of Cleveland, OH. My father remembered him being carried home bloody, and beaten, his mother worried and crying. but there was bread and milk on the table. Braddock was a hero to many, and my grandfather talked of him often, even of his close fight with Joe Louis, and his later comeback win before retirment. There is a bit of James Braddock in every son and daughter of immigrants who fought their way through that bit of history. God Bless him in Heaven.

A true man. Against all odds put himself last and family first. They dont make them like that anymore. Theres no honor in this world anymore. Ive seen the movie more than 10 times. Everytime i see it I wonder if mankind will ever see the light in stories like this and learn from it? He was one tough cookie on so many levels. I salute Mr braddock. Thanks for the info, Dave

Im originally from Medford n.j. and believe jim braddock was a distant relative. i saw the movie and thought it was a good depiction of his life and career.He is my hero.

The first time I saw this film I was moved to the point that I knew I had to see it over and over again throughout time. I actually watched the film last night and was prompted to find out what I could about this amazing man and his story of trials and tribulations. I can't imagine what it must mean to your family to know that your grandfather was the "face" of America when America didn't really have a "face" to rely on. The dispair that we endured during The Great Depression was insurmountable, but the fact that one person rose above it all for his family should be an insperation to us all. I would be very proud of your family for what they have put together for your grandfather. I am very proud myself to have seen the movie and felt as though I was a part of something great that has happened. What a tremendous movie and what an inspirational man. Thank you for sharing his story.