 And Max Baer also had a reputation as one of the hardest hitters ever in boxing. In fact, he had already literally killed one man in the ring, and he refused to fight Braddock. But Baer couldn't dodge this challenge. On June the 13th, 1935, at Madison Square Garden, James Braddock, the seemingly washed-up Cinderella Man, faced the whopping 10-to-1 favorite Max Baer.