Braddock: The Rise Of The Cinderella Man

The only available biography of a boxing legend.

James J. Braddock's nickname-the Cinderella Man-was an understatement. His rise from hard-luck, bottom-rung local slugger to heavyweight champion of the world is still regarded as one of the greatest true-life triumphs in the history of sport. Here, published to coincide with the release of Ron Howard's film Cinderella Man, starring Russell Crowe, is the story of a man who saw that the odds were against him-so he stepped into the ring and beat them.

From his rise through the ranks as a promising young pro and his heartbreaking decision defeat at the hands of champion Tommy Loughran to the hard times after the stock market crash-when he could barely support his family-and his miraculous win over heavyweight champ Max Baer in 1935, Braddock's life is a moving underdog story. He once inspired a depression-era America that had lost all hope, and today, his story will captivate readers with its blend of the history of a sport and an era with the biography of a champion in the ring and in life.

Universal/Miramax will release the major motion picture Cinderella Man in spring 2005. Russell Crowe will star, Ron Howard will direct.

Jim Hague has been a professional sports writer for twenty-two years. For the past nine years, he has covered a wide variety of sports for the Newark Star-Ledger, serving as the regular beat writer for the New Jersey Nets and the New York Knicks. Hague is a winner of several New Jersey Press Association and North Jersey Press Club awards for sports writing.