James Braddock vs. Joe Louis

James J. Braddock vs. Joe Louis was a professional boxing match contested on June 22, 1937, for the undisputed heavyweight championship. The fight took place at Comiskey Park in Chicago, Illinois.

Background
Braddock had won the title by defeating Max Baer. Baer was supposed to have a rematch, but the fight never occurred. Baer instead fought Joe Louis. Louis defeated Baer, paving the way for Louis to fight Braddock for the title (although between the Baer fight and this title fight, Louis lost to Max Schmeling). This was Braddock's first and only defense and occurred over two years after winning the title.

The fight
During a close range exchange of punches during the first round, Louis was knocked down by an uppercut, but quickly recovered and went on to ultimately dominate the rest of the fight.

By the seventh round, Braddock was hurt and his face was bloodied and swollen. Joe Gould, Braddock's manager wanted to end the fight but the champion convinced him to continue. Shortly after, a powerful left-right combination from Louis send the champion to the ground, and Louis won the fight by way of knockout in the eighth round, and was the new world heavyweight champion.

Aftermath
This fight began an unprecedented reign by Louis that included a 12-year continuous run as champion where he defeated 25 challengers, both records that still stand.

While the bout was the end of Braddock as a major boxing force, fighting only once after this fight, part of his contract with Louis was to gain a portion of Louis' earnings over the next decade.

Undercard
Confirmed bouts: