Cinderella Man Page #2

latest charge...

young Abe Feldman

from Schenectady, New York.

Six rounder.

Some might recall

that Braddock was once...

a light heavyweight

title challenger.

His golden-boy peak ended

when Tommy Loughran...

handled Jim over 15 rounds

back in '29.

Since then,

the oft-injured Braddock...

has shown only a glimmer

of his early promise.

And the losses have started

to pile up.

But Braddock continues

to battle.

And here comes

the popular Abe Feldman.

Feldman looks to be

the real thing...

and showed some real moxie in

his recent win over Hans Birkie.

Hey, who whipped Latzo?

I did.

Goddamn right.

Who KO'ed Slattery

in the ninth...

when everybody said he didn't

have a rainmaker's chance in hell?

That'd have to be me, too.

Right.

And we're supposed to pucker our

a**holes over this Abe Feldman?

The guy couldn't break wind.

No.

Hey, Jimmy.

Anyplace else you'd rather be?

No.

Good.

Now, what are you

gonna do about it?

Here we are halfway

through the fifth

And it's more of the same.

The boys clinch again.

Break it up.

He's crushing my guy.

Get him off!

Break!

The boo-birds

have started flying here.

They want action

from these fighters.

Feldman sticks a left

in Braddock's face.

Braddock's right hand

is his best and only weapon.

He'll show the left, but it

lacks snap and Feldman knows it.

Come on, give these yokels

a shot in the ass!

Feldman ducks a haymaker

but fails to follow up.

And another big right

by Braddock.

Now, there's the Braddock

we all recall.

But it's one at a time.

It may not be enough.

Come on!

The referee pulls

the boys apart.

And there's the bell

to end the fifth.

Easy now. Easy.

I saw that.

You bust it again?

I'm calling it, Jim.

You gonna use the left?

Okay, good.

You get in there but you

don't let him crowd you.

You work his belly, you

hammer his belly with the left.

Last round. Come on,

you got to show me something.

Give me a good one. You're

giving me an ulcer, Harry!

Shut up.

Work his belly with the left.

You got it?

Give him the flapdoodle with

the right because he don't know.

Right?

'Cause he's kind of stupid.

Okay? Last round.

Last round! Go get him!

The left!

Damn it, I wish he could find

his goddamn left.

That's it! Change it up!

Southpaw, that's it!

Feldman prancing around,

looking for an opening...

but still few clean punches

by the fighters.

Braddock still pawing away

with the left.

Another ineffectual left

from Feldman.

Braddock can hardly lift his

arms. He's slow on his feet.

At least Gould in his corner

is still throwing punches...

trying to urge his man on.

Go home!

Go home, Braddock!

No holding, Braddock!

Cavanaugh's working harder

than the fighters.

Dry up!

Another clinch.

It's as if 80 tough fights have

finally jumped on Braddock's back.

You're a bum!

That's it!

Cavanaugh pulls them apart,

and he's called the fight.

He's called the fight.

It's a "no contest. "

And the popcorn and the

peanuts are raining down.

And I'm afraid to say that's

all these fighters deserve...

for the show

they put on tonight.

I'm telling you, it's sad to

see a fighter that was once...

the caliber of James Braddock

reduced to this.

It's all right, Jimmy.

An embarrassment,

that's what it was.

An embarrassment!

Where the hell's the purse?

You wouldn't have

to be asking that...

if you gave a sh*t

about your fighter.

Okay. He's fighting hurt.

Maybe you got a bunch of fat

and happy fighters at home...

can afford to rest a month between

bouts. I don't know. Lucky you!

Christ, he hardly gets

a punch in anymore!

Fights being stopped by

referees? He's pathetic!

Fights like that

keep people away.

We're revoking his license,

Joe.

Whatever Braddock was gonna do

in boxing, I guess he's done it.

Wait a minute.

That's all.

Oh, boy.

Mr. Johnston!

Jim.

What's going on?

You didn't tell him?

Yeah, of course I told him.

He wanted to

hear it from you.

Come on, Mr. Johnston,

no contest?

I broke my hand.

Okay? It's legit.

You don't see me

crying about it.

I don't see what you got

to complain about.

I still went out there, I still put

on a show. I did what I could do.

You know, we did that

boondock circuit for you...

me and Joe. Remember?

I didn't quit on you.

And I didn't quit tonight.

I didn't always lose.

I won't always lose again.

I can still fight.

Go home.

I can still fight. Go home

to Mae and the kids, Jim.

Go home? Go home with what?

Go home with what? A broken

hand from Mount Vernon?

Mr. Johnston!

Baby?

What happened?

I didn't get the dough.

They didn't pay up.

They called it a "no contest,"

said the fight was an embarrassment.

They decommissioned me.

Jimmy,

what happened to your hand?

It's broke again

in three places.

They said I'm through, Mae.

They said

I can't be a boxer no more.

Mercy.

Okay.

Jimmy, if you can't work...

we're not gonna be able to pay

the electric, or the heat.

And we're out of credit

at the grocery.

So I think we need

to pack the kids.

They could stay at my sister's

for a little while...

and I'll take in more sewing.

That way we could make

two, three breadlines a day.

I'll get doubles, triples,

whatever I can find.

Jimmy, you can't work.

Mae, I can still work.

Jimmy, you can't work.

Your hand's broken.

They see me

lugging this around,

you're right,

they won't pick me.

Not down the docks,

not anywhere.

So we're gonna cover it up...

with the shoe polish.

Okay?

I'm sorry.

No.

No.

No.

I need five and only five!

Come on, Jake!

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five. That's it!

What the hell happened

to your face?

I got in a fight.

Yeah?

What'd you go do that for?

That's a good question.

Mike Wilson.

Jim Braddock.

I used to follow a pretty good

fighter with that name.

And there's some other guy

going around using that name now.

Can't fight for sh*t.

Gambling man will lose

a lot of money on him. Twice.

That hand ain't gonna work.

You can't slow me down.

I need this job.

I need the job, too.

What's wrong with

the goddamn hand?

You see us

falling behind, Jake?

He's all right.

Appreciate it.

I'll get a cold beer.

Just a water for me, Quincy.

All I got today

are big spenders.

Beer for him, too. I'm buying.

Don't hurt my feelings.

It's been a while, but... You

don't have to twist my arm.

Yeah, I used to be a broker.

Still lost it all in '29.

Yeah, me, too.

I had just about everything

I ever earned in stocks.

Even had a little

taxi company.

I mean, who loses their dough

on cabs in New York City, right?

Well, I thought that one

was gold for the grandkiddies.

You know, there's people living

in shacks in Central Park.

Call it the Hooverville.

This government's

dropped us flat.

We need to organize, you know?

Unionize. Fight back.

Fight? Fight what?

Bad luck? Greed? Drought?

No point punching things

you can't see.

No, we'll work

a way through this.

FDR, he's gonna handle it.

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