- Joe Gould (manager)
Joe Gould was the American manager and good friend of boxer
James J. Braddock , who in1935 upsetMax Baer to take the world heavyweight championship. Later, Gould, who was ofJew ish descent, played a role in having Braddock fightJoe Louis rather thanMax Schmeling , in order to prevent apropaganda victory by the Nazi regime.Gould, it could be argued, pulled off one of the most astute deals in sport
business history. As Braddock's manager he negotiated as part of the deal for Louis's title shot 10% of Louis's future purses.Mike Jacobs who represented Louis believed he would be able to talk his way out of the contract at a later date, but it is a little-known fact that Braddock and Gould became relatively rich men even after Braddock lost the title because of this astonishing deal. With his future Louis earnings, Braddock donated more than two million dollars to theUniversity of Notre Dame , establishing the Thomas W. Merrigan Chair of Philosophy in 1956.Gould enlisted in the
U.S. Army in1942 , and rose to the rank of First Lieutenant, accidentally shooting Sergeant John Bender during a photo op in which he and Braddock did rifle calesthenics. In the 2005 film "Cinderella Man ", Gould is portrayed by actorPaul Giamatti .Joe Gould passed away from Leukemia on April 21, 1950. [ [http://www.jamesjbraddock.com/faq/ James J. Braddock FAQ] ]
References
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