James Broad: The Sad Tale of an Olympic Team Member and a Once Promising Heavyweight Contender Remembered

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The story of James “Broadaxe” Broad, 23-10, 15 KO’s, is one of the many sad stories that one will find when looking over the annals of boxing history. His modest looking record belies a once promising boxing career filled with great potential. The former heavyweight contender and one time Mike Tyson sparring partner once had a dream to achieve boxing greatness. Not every dream comes true however.

Broad began his boxing career when he was 18 years old as an amateur, when he picked up the sport in 1976 while in the Army. As an amateur Broad was a highly skilled boxer who appeared to have natural talent and the size to go with it at 6 foot 4 inches and about 210 lbs. He would advance quickly through the amateur ranks winning the Olympic trials in 1980, defeating fellow top amateurs at the time, such as Marvis Frazier and Chris McDonald along the way. After qualifying for the 1980 Olympic boxing team, he received the bad news that the United States would not be competing in that Olympiad for political reasons. Other notable 1980 US boxing Olympic qualifiers included Donald Curry, Richard Sandoval, Jackie Beard, Bernard Taylor, Johnny Bumphus, James Schuler, and Leroy Murphy.

After the disappointment of not competing in the Olympics, Broad turned pro as a 23 years old in August of 1981. In only his third fight Broad would fight the then unknown, James “Bonecrusher” Smith, who would later become a heavyweight world champion. It was Smith’s professional debut and he was outclassed and exhausted by the more experienced Broad, and he was stopped with a body shot in round four. This fight is on You Tube and is a prime example of the potential Broad possessed in this early stage of his career. Broad would win his first twelve fights, going 12-0, 7 KO’s, beating the likes of Randy Mack, and undefeated prospect Donnie Long. There was already, in this early stage of his career, a perhaps dangerous pattern already immerging. Broad was rarely consistent with his weight and had trouble keeping it down to a fighting shape level. In his first twelve fights his weight had fluctuated nearly 40 pounds, from a svelte 210 pounds to almost 250 pounds. In his thirteenth fight, even though he was at a respectable 228, the up and down wear and tear on the scale perhaps cost him, in a battle of undefeated contenders, against Marvis Frazier. Broad had defeated Frazier in the amateurs, but the night they met as pros, Frazier outworked Broad on his way to a unanimous decision victory. Broad would never come into a fight in the 220s again, as his weight problems would plague him the rest of his career. That is not to say he didn’t have a few bright moments along the way.

The pinnacle of Broad’s career was the night he won the NABF title against the undefeated contender Eddie Gregg, stopping Gregg in the 8th round of their contest. Despite coming in at 246, Broad still had the talent to pull of the nice win to earn both the NABF title, and a world ranking. This was a time in the sport that the United States heavyweights ruled the boxing world, so having a NABF or USBA title, meant you were a top 10 contender usually. As high of a point the Gregg win was, it was followed by a sudden drop off. Less than a year later Broad would show up weighing 261 pounds to defend his NABF title against contender “Terrible” Tim Witherspoon. Broad was not prepared, and it showed when Witherspoon knocked him out inside two rounds. Sadly, Broad’s days of contention were over, and he quickly spun into trial horse and journeyman status.

He would end up becoming a mainstay sparring partner for a prime Mike Tyson. Also, over the next few years he would lose to contenders and future world champions such as Tony “TNT” Tucker (For the USBA title), Francesco Damiani, Greg Page, Johnny Du Plooy, and Donovan “Razor” Ruddock. His weight would reach heights of over 300 pounds. He would only score a couple more notable victories over prospect Patrick Lumumba and MMA veteran Maurice Smith, who was giving a go at boxing. He retired in 1993 losing 8 out of his last 11. His retirement was forced, as he had failed neurological exams and also had contracted Hepatitis.

It is said the punishment he took in the ring and the countless rounds of sparring in the gym with a prime Mike Tyson took their toll on James Broad. He was showing signs of neurological damage in 1992, which got him a ban from the states of Nevada and California. He still managed to get another 4 fights before ultimately retiring for good. By the late 1990s and early 2000, he was said to be a homeless vagrant in Las Vegas, and suffering badly from Pugilistic Dementia. In November of 2001 he died while in his hometown of Greensboro, North Carolina at the age of 43, likely due to complications of Pugilistic Dementia.

For every dream of boxing glory that actually comes true, there are many, many more stories of despair and disappointment, of fighters who tried to achieve boxing glory, but never reached their full potential, or just weren’t good enough. They ultimately get chewed up and spit out by a sport who rarely gives a second thought to the guys who don’t make it to the upper echelon of money, fame, and glory. Some fighters who even reach these goals end up in a sad story as well. I feel however that some of these sad stories deserve a remembrance for the gallant warriors who gave their hearts and souls to the sport. Let’s take a minute to show some respect for James Broad, of the 1980 US Olympic boxing team.

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