In this corner, Corn Griffin!"
Griffin jumped to the center of the ring and lifted his thick
arms above his head. The tall young boxer wore a confident smile
on his face. He was young and powerful, a natural heavyweight
with long arms and a big punch.
"And in this corner . . . from New Jersey . . .Jim Braddock!"
The crowd were silent.
When the bell rang, Griffin came out punching hard and
fast. Braddock danced and dodged, doing everything possible to
keep away from Corn's powerful punches. After thirty seconds,
Braddock decided that this fight was a bad idea. His opponent had
trained hard and was ready to fight. He timed his jabs and punches
to Braddock's body perfectly. Jim's only goal now was to finish the
fight without getting hurt. He had to be able to work at the docks
the next day.
Suddenly, a big left-hand punch from Griffin hit Braddock on
the side of the head. He went down. As he lay there, the clocks
seemed to stop.