Chapter 13 The Hopes of the Crowd

Madison Square Garden Bowl, Long Island City,

New York June 13, 1935

As Jim Braddock stepped out into the bright lights, the crowd

became silent. The ring seemed so far away. Between him and it

were thousands of people—Jim's people. He knew the looks on

their faces—people who saw no chance of a future. Some had

spent their last dollar to be here, but tonight they all held their

heads high. Their eyes followed him with the wild hope that the

story of the Cinderella Man would have a happy ending.

It was the strangest walk to the ring Jim had ever made. As he

passed, people got to their feet. They smiled and nodded and

waved at their hero, but they were still silent. Finally, someone

called his name and the shout broke the silence for everybody. The

whole crowd—thirty-five thousand people—began to shout, and

the noise went up to the star-filled sky.

•

Mae's sister Alice was looking for Jay, Howard, and Rosy, to call

them to supper. There was no sign of the children. Were they

hiding? She was going to look outside, when she heard a sound

from the closet under the stairs.

All three children were sitting around a radio. They looked up

at their aunt, and Alice knew that she couldn't stop them. Without

saying a word, she sat down next to the children and listened to

the announcer on the radio.

I don't know if you can hear me," the announcer was

shouting. "I can't hear myself! The crowd is on its feet and the

noise is deafening."

Back in the Madison Square Garden Bowl, the crowd was silent

again when they realized that Max Baer was walking to the ring.

The champion felt the crowd's fear. He enjoyed it. When he had

climbed into the ring, Baer ran around and accepted the crowd's

boos with a confident smile on his face.

The referee called the boxers and their corner men to him.

"I want a clean fight," he said. "When I say break, step back

immediately. And remember"—he looked at Jim—"protect

yourself at all times."

As the fighters touched gloves, Baer's corner man held a gold

watch in front of Braddock's face. "One minute to midnight,

Cinderella!" he laughed.

The fighters returned to their corners. Baer's manager, Ancil

Hoffman, whispered final words of advice to the champion, but

Baer wasn't interested. Jim closed his eyes. Finally, the sound of the

bell broke the silence and the fight began.

•

Round 1Braddock came out fast and hard, hoping to surprise

the champion. Showing no fear, he hit Baer with a right hand, and

then followed it with a left to the body. The champion tried to

punch back, but Braddock danced away.

On Braddock's next attack, Baer was ready. His left fist hit

Braddock's ribs hard. Braddock's answer was a combination of

punches—a long right to the face, another right, a left, and a final

right to the chin. The champion knew now that Braddock had a

good punch, but he refused to show any pain.

"Calm down, old man," Baer laughed as the fighters held on to

each other. "I'll let the fight go a few rounds."

As the bell rang, Baer knew that he had lost the round on

points, but he didn't care. He was confident that he could end this

fight at any time with one punch.

In the corner, Gould met Braddock with a big smile. "Did you

see the look on Baer's face when you hit him?"

Jim took out his mouthguard. "Yes, he was laughing."

"So use your left hand to knock that smile off his face!"

In the opposite corner Ancil Hoffman was shouting, but Baer

waved him away. "I'll kill him when I'm ready."

"Your left, Jimmy," Joe said again. "Remember your left."

Round 2Braddock came out with his fists moving at the start of

the second round, too.

"Nobody expected this fight to go one round," the radio

announcer was saying. "But it's only reached round two because

Baer is playing with Braddock. He's thrown almost no punches

and he's laughing at the challenger."

But soon Baer started throwing more punches, aiming at

Braddock's weak ribs. The strength of Baer's punches knocked the

breath out of him.

"The champion has really hurt the challenger," said the

announcer. The crowd began to boo.

"That's the right place, isn't it, old man?" said Baer.

The referee separated the fighters at the sound of the bell. One

of Braddock's corner men worked on the fighter's cuts, while the

other gave the boxer water. Jim coughed it back up. He needed

air, not water.

Joe examined Jim's ribs. "They're not broken," he said. "Not yet."

Across the ring, Baer was playing and acting for the cameras.

As he watched this, Jim realized that he himself didn't care about

pleasing the crowd now. He wasn't even fighting Baer. He was

fighting to beat the thing that had beaten him. He was fighting for

his family's future.

Round 3For the third time, Braddock came out fast. He threw

his punches at Baer's head, but the champion's punches were

aimed at his opponent's body. Baer continued to hit Braddock's

ribs hard with both hands. He hit Braddock with a low punch,

and the referee warned the champion to keep his fists up.

Before the fight started again, Gould saw that Braddock's gloves

were down by his side, but there was no time to shout a warning.

Baer had seen it, too. He hit the side of Braddock's head with a big

left-hand punch. Jim's legs bent. He was clearly in terrible pain—

was he going to fall? Gould froze in fear. He thought about giving

in, ending the fight.

"Give him a chance, Joe," said the corner man.

A few seconds later, Jim stood straighter and reached for the

ropes.

Baer couldn't believe it. He attacked again, but this time

Braddock hit back with a long right, then a left jab that made

Baer's head look like a punching bag.

"That's it!" shouted Gould, jumping up and down.

Round 4From the start of the next round, both men stood toe to

toe, throwing jabs. Braddock's feet were quicker and his punches

more effective, so Baer started aiming for the body again. After a

few good punches to the ribs, he was sure that every breath caused

Braddock terrible pain.

The two men held each other again and the referee called for

them to break. But Baer continued to hold Braddock.

"Dirty fighting!" shouted Gould angrily from the corner.

"I warned you," the referee told Baer. "When I say 'Break!' you

break!"

The crowd booed as Baer finally stepped back. He shook the

sweat from his thick black hair and held up his hands to apologize.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Braddock wasn't

protecting himself.

Without warning, Baer turned and delivered an enormous

punch to Braddock's ribs. To everybody's surprise—especially Baer's

—Braddock replied with a combination of left-right punches

before stepping back.

Round 5Baer's manager, Ancil Hoffman, couldn't understand

it. The challenger's ribs were in bad condition, but Braddock was

still controlling the fight, jabbing Baer again and again and tiring

him. The timing of the champion's punches wasn't right, and

Hoffman knew that he was waiting for the chance to deliver his

big knockout punch instead of tiring his opponent. But Baer

wasn't able to hit Braddock, who dodged and danced away

skillfully.

The champion was getting angry now. He hit Braddock with

an illegal backhand punch as the referee separated the two

fighters. The referee warned Baer, but the two men continued

fighting before holding on to each other again.

"Step back!" shouted the referee, but the two men didn't let go.

Braddock hit the champion's chin with his head. The champion

shouted in anger. He lifted Braddock and threw him into the

ropes, paying no attention to the boos of the crowd.

When the round was over, Hoffman shouted angrily at Baer,

"What are you doing?"

"Relax," the champion told him.

"I'll relax," replied Ancil, "when we walk out of here with the

title."

Round 6Baer hit Braddock with three good punches in the first

seconds of the round. Blood poured from the challenger's nose

and mouth.

But then, suddenly, it seemed to Baer that a train had hit him. It

was Braddock's right hand, and it hit the champion on the chin

with enormous power. Baer stepped back, fighting for air. But

Braddock gave him no space, throwing punch after punch with

his left hand. One of them hit the champion just above the eye.

Baer fought back, but his aim wasn't as good as the challenger's.

His right eye began to close.

For the first time in this fight, Baer felt relief when the bell

rang. He promised himself that he would end the fight in the next

round, even if he had to kill the Cinderella Man to do it.

Round 7As soon as the round began, it was clear that Baer had a

new attitude. Joe Gould could see it. The crowd could also feel the

change. Baer wanted to finish this fight now.

But Braddock wasn't afraid. He met the champion in the

middle of the ring and the two fighters continued the fight. Baer

hit Braddock with several punches to the body. The last of these

hit below the belt.

"Keep your punches up, Max," said Braddock.

Baer smiled and delivered a combination of punches to his

opponent's body and head. "Is that up enough?"

Braddock forced himself to smile through the pain. "That's fine,

Max."

As the bell rang, Baer continued throwing punches. Braddock

hit back as hard as he could, but Max Baer just laughed.

"I can't believe this!" said the radio announcer. "Everybody

expected the champion to win easily. But now, after the seventh

round, neither fighter is ahead. Either of them could win."

Chapter 14 The Luckiest Man

"Alice?" The house seemed empty. Mae looked at the uneaten

meal on her sister's kitchen table. Then she heard noises from the

closet in the hall. They were all there—Mae's three children and

her sister—listening to the fight on the radio.

"The crowd was expecting big things from champion Max

Baer in the eighth round," the radio announcer was saying. "But

Jim Braddock refused to be beaten."

Rosy looked up and saw her mother. "It's the police," she said

to the others.

"By the ninth round, it was a fact that Braddock had fought

better than anybody expected," continued the announcer. "But

some people were saying that Baer allowed this to happen. In the

tenth round, the champion was in complete control of the fight."

Mae reached to turn off the radio. Jay's eyes met hers. "Please,

Mom."

She looked into their hopeful faces and knew that she couldn't

say no. But she refused to listen herself. Without a word, she

turned and walked away, as the eleventh round began.

Round 11Baer was mad as he rushed out. He chased Braddock

around the ring, throwing punches at the challenger . . . and then

it came—Baer's big punch, the one that had killed two men.

When it hit him, Braddock's mind was in a fog. He felt heavy

and light at the same time, and his legs could only just support

him. He felt the ropes on his back.

Suddenly, a memory of his family came into Jim's head—his

wife and children. The reason why he was here. He let the ropes

support him for a few seconds, and then he pushed forward, back

on his feet.

Baer just stared at Braddock, unable to believe that the

challenger had taken the punch and not been knocked out. Jim

looked back into Baer's broken face and smiled.

For the rest of the round, Baer tried to finish his opponent, but

his wild punches missed. Braddock hit back with a jab, a cross,

another jab. With each punch, he felt his strength returning. There

was blood on Baer's face now.

At the end of the round, Braddock's corner men worked

urgently on the cut under the fighter's eye. Joe Gould seemed

close to tears. "Jimmy," said his manager. "Win, or lose . . ."

"Thanks, Joe, for all of it." Jim lifted a bloody glove. "Now stop

talking."

Round 12Baer started the twelfth round still trying to finish

the fight with one big punch. But the challenger was faster and

dodged the punches.

"He's slow!" shouted Gould from the corner.

The crowd was shouting in both happiness and fear.

"You're right, it is a funeral," shouted the young reporter next

to Sporty Lewis. "Max Baer's funeral."

But Lewis didn't hear. He was on his feet, shouting like

everybody else. The crowd's shout was like a wave of noise.

"Braddock! Braddock! Braddock!"

It was too much for Max Baer. He ran at Braddock, moving his

fists fast and hard. The punches hit the challenger, the last one

below the belt. Braddock bent over in pain as the round ended.

Joe Gould jumped over the ropes, shouting angrily at Baer. The

referee and the fight's doctor had to lift the little manager back out

of the ring.

Baer just stood in the center of the ring.

"That low punch lost you the round," the referee told him.

Baer waved him away and moved back to his corner. Ancil

Hoffman was waiting for him. "You're losing! Are you listening to

me? Do you want to lose the title to this nobody?"

•

At her sister's house in New Jersey, Mae had stopped pretending

to herself that she was reading the newspaper—that she wasn't

listening to the radio.

She went back to the hall, where the others still sat listening.

Mae hid around the corner so her children couldn't see her. She

stood in the dark and listened to the thirteenth and fourteenth

rounds with growing fear.

At last, when there was just one more round in the fight, she

stepped out of the shadows. Rosy moved to the side. "Sit here,

Mommy." Mae joined her children. Pale with worry, she listened

to the announcer.

"It's the fifteenth and final round. The crowd is shouting at

Braddock to stay away because Baer is looking for the knockout

. . . but Braddock is not staying away, and Baer is delivering the

biggest punches of his life."

Mae saw the fear now in her children's eyes. Would their father

come home tonight?

"But Braddock is not only standing . . . he's coming forward!"

Round 15In the ring, Max Baer and Jim Braddock were

beaten, bloody and tired. They fought for air as they circled each

other, looking for a chance to get past their opponent's defenses.

Baer's fists flew and all of his punches were strong enough to

knock a man out, but they were wild and anxious. Braddock

remained on his feet. He kept coming forward, bringing the fight

to Baer.

The final seconds of the fight seemed to stretch forever. For the

boxers, the crowd seemed to disappear; the referee, the judges, and

the managers were gone, too. For each man there was only the

other fighter.

Braddock danced to the side and threw a jab. Baer saw his

chance. He threw his famous right punch and hit Braddock right

in the head. It knocked the challenger to the side, and now Baer

could hit him with the second punch. Silence fell over the crowd.

Was this the end?

No. Braddock turned and just managed to dodge the next

punch. He hit back, and the two men were still throwing punches

when the final bell rang. The fight had ended!

Everybody waited to hear the fight officials announce a winner.

It was clear which fighter the crowd wanted.

"Braddock! Braddock! Braddock!"

Minutes later, Braddock was still resting on the ropes while the

fight doctor examined him and Joe Gould took his boxing gloves

off.

I don't like it," said Joe. "The judges are taking too long."

A shadow fell across their corner. It was Max Baer, who looked

Jim Braddock in the eye. "You beat me. It doesn't matter what

they say."

Jim tried to find the right words, but Baer was gone before he

had a chance to say them.

At last, the judges handed a small, white card to the fight

announcer. He climbed over the ropes and moved to the

microphone in the middle of the ring.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the winner . . . and new heavyweight

champion of the world . . ."

The rest of his words were lost in an explosion of noise.

The same noise filled the streets of Newark. People poured

from their houses into the streets to celebrate. They poured out of

Father Rorick's church to join everybody else in an unplanned

street party. People laughed and cried with happiness. Faces that

looked old with worry became suddenly young again.

At her sister's house, Mae's cry cut the night. As the family

celebrated, little Rosy smiled proudly at her mother. "It's the

steak," she said.

Back at the Madison Square Garden Bowl, the crowd pushed

forward for a better look at the Cinderella Man. Everybody

wanted to shake his hand, to touch him, to take home a little of his

magic for themselves.

James J. Braddock stood in the center of the ring with his arms

lifted over his head. Tears poured from his eyes. He listened to the

crowd's shouts, but his heart was in another place. It was in a little

New Jersey apartment, where his wife and three children would

soon be waiting for him to come home. In the end, they were the

reason why he was not only the heavyweight champion of the

world, but also the luckiest man in it.

•

And so James J. Braddock, at the age of 29, became the

heavyweight champion of the world on June 13, 1935. None of

the judges disagreed with the decision. For the public and the

press, his win was one of the biggest surprises in the history of the

sport. Most agreed that Baer had been beaten by a better boxer on

the night.

For two years, Braddock didn't box again. Finally, a fight was

arranged with Joe Louis, the "Brown Bomber" from Detroit. On

June 22, 1937, the two fighters met in Chicago.

By this time, Braddock was not as strong or healthy as he had

been. His left arm was very weak, but he still managed to knock

Louis down in the first round. By the fourth round, Joe Louis was

controlling the fight. According to Braddock, "After a couple of

rounds, I knew I was in there with a great fighter." The end came

when Louis knocked Braddock out in the eighth round. "When

he hit me with that right, I just lay there." Joe Louis later became

one of the greatest heavyweight title holders in the history of

boxing.

James J. Braddock fought one more fight after that, in 1938,

against a young boxer from Wales, Tommy Farr. Farr had lasted all

fifteen rounds against Louis, and most people expected him to

beat Braddock. Again, Braddock surprised everybody by winning

the fight. Then he decided to leave the sport as a winner. "I have

won my last fight," he announced to the press.

After he stopped boxing, Jim Braddock remained friends with

Joe Gould. And Braddock had a lot to thank his manager for.

When Gould had allowed Joe Louis to challenge Braddock for

the title in 1937, he had demanded money from all Joe Louis's

heavyweight title fights for the next ten years if Louis won. Jim

and Mae Braddock were never poor again. The couple lived in

the same New Jersey house that they bought after Jim won the

heavyweight title. Jim spent the rest of his life surrounded by

friends and neighbors who admired and loved him.

Looking back, Jim Braddock said that, when Baer hit him with

his best punch and Jim didn't fall, he was "the happiest guy in the

world." The story of the Cinderella Man did have a happy ending.

ACTIVITIES

Chapter 1

Before you read

1 Do you like to watch boxing? Why (not)? Discuss the sport with

another student. Who is or was your country's greatest boxer?

2 Look at the Word List at the back of the book. Check the meaning

of unfamiliar words; then discuss these questions with another

student. Use the Internet or library books to help you if you don't

know much about boxing.

aWho is or was the greatest heavyweight champion in the history

of boxing? Why?

b In your opinion, how many rounds should there be in an amateur

boxing fight? How many should there be in a professional fight?

Why?

c If a boxer is being hit often and is not throwing any punches

back, should the referee always stop the fight? Why (not)?

d What would you like to be the world champion of? Why?

eWhen is the last time you heard people booing? Why were they

booing?

f In your opinion, which of these jobs is the hardest? Why?

butcher priest worker at the docks boxer

3 Read the Introduction to the book and answer these questions.

aWhat caused hard times in the U.S. in the 1930s?

b How was Jim Braddock like millions of other unlucky Americans?

c Why did actor Russell Crowe want to play Braddock?

d How did Crowe train for the film?

While you read

4Are these sentences correct? Write yes or no.

aJim Braddock is expected to beat Tuffy Griffiths.

b Braddock wins the fight by a knockout.

c Joe Gould decides which boxers fight at Madison

Square Garden.

d Braddock was born in New Jersey.

eBraddock still lives in New Jersey.

f Jim likes to go to clubs after a fight.

g Joe Gould likes to see Mae Braddock.

hMae refused to marry Jim until he had enough money.

i Jim and Mae have three children.

j Mae goes to all of Jim's fights.

After you read

5 Discuss how these people feel about each other. Give reasons for

your answers.

aJim and Joe c Jim and Mae

b Joe and Jimmy Johnston d Joe and Mae

6 Describe Mae's attitude to Jim's job. How would you feel in her

situation?

Chapters 2-3

Before you read

7 Life changed for many Americans on October 29, 1929. What do

you think happened on that day? What happened afterward?

8 You are going to read about the Braddock family's money problems.

How do you think these will affect Jim? How will they affect Mae?

9 Jim's next fight is described as "an embarrassment." Why, do you

think?

While you read

10 Write the name of the character.

aWho is afraid about Jim's next fight?

b Who pulls out a gun at the docks?

c Who steals food?

d Who promises that the Braddocks will

never send their children away?

eWho says he will buy Jim an ice cream?

f Whose hand is broken?

g Who takes away Jim's license?

hWho tells Jim, "It's finished"?

After you read

11 How has life changed for Jim and his family since 1928? Make a list

and compare it with the lists of other students.

12 Why are these important to the story?

Jim and Mae's wedding picture a jar a piece of meat

13 Work in pairs and have these conversations.

Student A: You are Jim Braddock. Pick one of these times in the

story and tell your friend what your thoughts are.

awaiting for work at the docks

b before the Feldman fight

c after you lost your license

Student B: You are Jim's friend. Ask questions.

Chapters 4-5

Before you read

14 Look at the titles of these chapters and discuss the questions.

aWhat will Jim's new life be like? How do you think he will earn

money for his family with a broken right hand?

b What promise will be broken? Who will break it?

15 In Chapter 5, Jimmy goes back to Madison Square Garden, but

not as a boxer. Why do you think he goes there? Think of some

possible reasons.

While you read

16Number these events in the correct order, from 1 to 10.

aJim sells his boxing shoes at the gym.

b Joe Gould gives Jim money.

c Mae takes the children to her relatives.

d Jim is chosen to work at the docks.

eThe electricity is turned back on.

f The Braddocks' electricity is cut off.

g Jim goes to the relief office.

hJim covers his cast with black shoe polish.

i Jim and Mike help a young couple.

j Jim meets Mike Wilson.

After you read

17 Why:

adoes Mike Wilson help Jim at the docks?

b doesn't Joe Gould speak to Jim when he sees him at the gym?

c does Mae take the children to her relatives?

d does Jim become angry that the children are gone?

18 You are Jim Braddock. Pick one of these times in the story and tell

the class your thoughts.

aworking at the docks

b seeing Joe Jeannette at the gym

c in the line at the relief office

d when the electricity is turned back on

Chapters 6-7

Before you read

19Discuss these questions with another student.

aIn Chapter 6, Joe Gould offers Jim something. What will this be?

b In Chapter 7, Joe Gould says, "Where have you been, Jimmy

Braddock?" Why do you think he says this?

While you read

20 Read the questions and circle YES or NO.

aIs it Howard's birthday? YES NO

b Had Jim hit the priest? YES NO

c Does Jim hit Mike Wilson? YES NO

d Is Mae happy about the children boxing? YES NO

eIs Mae happy about the Griffin fight? YES NO

f Does Jim train hard for the Griffin fight? YES NO

g Does Jim fight Corn Griffin on an empty stomach? YES NO

hDoes Sporty Lewis think that Jim will win? YES NO

i Does Jim beat Griffin by a knockout? YES NO

j Does Max Baer beat Primo Carnera? YES NO

After you read

21 Answer these questions.

aWhy is there a party at the church?

b Why does Joe come to see Jim at his apartment?

c Why do the Braddock children go back to the butcher shop?

d Why does Joe Gould look for a spoon?

eWhy does Sporty Lewis get a surprise?

f Why can't Joe Gould watch Max Baer's fight?

22 The writer includes a description of the fight between Max Baer and

Primo Carnera. Why? What effect does this scene have? Discuss

your opinion with another student.

Chapters 8-9

Before you read

23 Which of these do you think will happen in the next two chapters?

aJim leaves his job at the docks.

b Mae tries to make Jim stop fighting.

c Jim loses his next fight.

d Jim becomes the challenger for the heavyweight title of the

world.

While you read

24Match the speakers with the words.

a"Put it on your eyes."

b "Why didn't you tell me you were going

to win again?"

c "You said it was one fight."

d "I'll get him a fight if it's the last thing

I do."

e"You've been training, Jimmy."

f "I can't win if you don't support me."

g "He isn't the same guy."

h"The guy's a loser."

Jim Braddock

Joe Gould

Joe Jeannette

John Henry Lewis

Mae Braddock

Max Baer

Mike Wilson

Rosy Braddock

After you read

25 Answer these questions.

aWhy are the men at the docks surprised to see Jim?

b Why is Mae surprised at Joe's apartment?

c Why is Joe Jeannette surprised when Jim starts training?

d Why is the radio announcer surprised during the Lasky fight?

26 Imagine Mae's thoughts as she returns home after seeing Joe

Gould in New York. Make notes; then have this conversation.

Student A: You are Mae. Tell Jim about your visit to Joe's

apartment.

Student B: You are Jim. Ask questions. Say what you think about

Joe and about Mae's visit.

Chapters 10-11

Before you read

27 In the 1930s, some people with no money lived in New York's

Central Park. What do you think life was like for them?

28 In Chapter 11, Jim Braddock meets the champion, Max Baer,

outside the ring. What do you think happens?

While you read

29 Circle the correct word.

aJim gives money back to Joe Gould/the Newark relief office.

b He buys some flowers/chocolates for Mae.

c Sara tells Mae that Jim/Mike is missing.

d Jim looks for Mike in Central Park/at the Newark docks.

eA lot of/Few people go to Mike's funeral.

f Sporty Lewis asks Mae/Jim questions.

g Joe Gould/Jim Braddock asks Jimmy Johnston to stop the film of

Baer's fights.

hMax Baer/Jim Braddock tells his opponent, "I don't want to hurt

you."

i Mae throws a drink/a punch at Max Baer.

After you read

30 Pick one of these people. Imagine what they are thinking at Mike's

funeral. Discuss it with a partner.

Jim Mae Sara

31Do you know the complete story of Cinderella? Tell the story.

Explain the meaning of the name "Cinderella Man."

32Work in pairs. Act out the conversation between Jim and Mae after

they have met Max Baer at the club.

Student A: You are Mae. You are afraid that Jim will get badly hurt

or killed. Ask him not to fight Baer.

Student B: You are Jim. Tell Mae why you have to fight and try to

make her feel better.

Chapters 12-13

Before you read

33It is time for the big fight. How do you think these people feel about

it?

Jim Mae the Braddock children Jim's neighbors Max Baer

While you read

34 Are these sentences true (T) or false (F)?

aJoe Jeannette thinks that the champion's ribs are weak

b The champion is heavier than the challenger.

c Jim's children are at their aunt's house during the fight.

d Mae stays to watch the whole fight.

eMax Baer is worried in the first round.

f Baer breaks Jim's ribs in the second round.

g The champion stays calm in the fight.

After you read

35Discuss these questions.

aWhat helps Mae to change her mind about the fight?

b How is Jim Braddock's attitude to boxing different in 1935 than it

was in 1928? Explain your answer.

Chapter 14

Before you read

36 How do you think these people will feel if Braddock wins? How will

they feel if he loses?

Mae Ancil Hoffman Sporty Lewis

37 Who do you think will win the fight? Why do you think that?

While you read

38Number these events in the correct order, from 1 to 6.

aMae listens to the fight with her children.

b Joe Gould jumps into the ring.

c The judges' decision is announced.

d Mae walks away from the radio.

eMax Baer comes over to Jim's corner.

f Jim takes Baer's big punch and smiles at the champion

After you read

39 What was Max Baer trying to do in the fight? How were Jim's

attitude and fighting style different from the champion's?

40 In your opinion, why did poor people across the country support Jim

Braddock?

Writing

41You are Sporty Lewis. Write about the Braddock-Baer fight for your

newspaper.

42 You are making the movie of Cinderella Man. Write a scene when

Jim first sees Mae and the children after winning the title.

43 Imagine that you are Mae many years after the big fight. Tell Jim's

story to one of your grandchildren in a letter.

44 You write about books for a magazine. Write about Cinderella Man,

telling your readers why they should—or shouldn't—read the book.

45 You are a sports reporter for the radio and you are going to

interview the heavyweight champion of the world, Jim Braddock,

before his fight with Joe Louis. Write a list of the ten questions you

would most like to ask.

46 Write a character description of one of these people:

Jim Braddock Mae Braddock Joe Gould Mike Wilson

Max Baer

Support your description with examples of the person's words or

actions.

47 All of the people in the book are real except Mike Wilson and his

family. You are the writer of the movie. Write an e-mail to the

filmmakers explaining why you put this character in the story.

48 Think about a time in your life when you had to fight for your beliefs.

Describe it in a diary page.

49 What does this book tell you about life in the United States in the

early 1930s? Write a description of what life was like for many poor

Americans at that time. Include examples from Cinderella Man.

50 Professional boxers have to be very fit. Write a weekly exercise

program for a boxer or for yourself.

WORD LIST

amateur(n) someone who does something because they enjoy it, not

because it is their job

announce(v) to tell people about something officially

boo(n/v) a shout showing dislike of a person or their performance

butcher(n) someone who owns or works in a shop that sells meat

cast(n) a hard cover used to protect a broken bone

challenge(v) to try to beat the best person in a sports event

champion(n) someone who is the best in a sports event

combination(n) in boxing, two or more punches that are put together

cross(n) in boxing, a punch that goes from right to left or left to right

dock(n) the place in a port where things are taken on and off ships

dodge(v) to move quickly so that something doesn't hit you

fist(n) a closed hand

foreman(n) a worker in charge of other workers

funeral(n) a religious service for someone who has just died

Date: 2016-01-14; view: 1026