The story begins in 1928. The American economy is strong and Jim Braddock has just won his twenty-seventh fight since becoming a professional boxer. The fans love him and his manager, Joe Gould, brags about the win to Jimmy Johnston, an important boxing promoter who supported Jim’s opponent. But by 1933 Jim’s luck has gone. America is suffering under the Great Depression. Like millions of other Americans, Jim has no steady job. He and his family move to a poor neighborhood. Jim finds himself unable to pay the bills or buy enough food for his children. He can’t get a job. Jim breaks his right hand in a fight, but wants to box again soon afterwards because he needs money. Although it is against the rules, Joe lets him fight with an injured hand. Jim suffers an embarrassing defeat against a strong opponent. He loses his boxing license and his manager Joe leaves him. Jim finally gets work for a few dollars a day at the docks. He finds the work difficult because he is forced to use his left hand. Meanwhile, his wife Mae waits in line with the children to get free food.
Jim takes a second job and sees less of his family. During the cold winter, Mae hears that their gas and electricity will be cut off because they haven’t paid their bills. Jim and his friend from the docks, Mike, help a poor family who are about to be locked out of their home. Mike tells Jim the people need to organize and fight back. Mae takes the children to live at her relatives’ homes in New York City, which makes Jim angry. He swallows his pride and asks his old boxing friends for money to pay the bills so that the children can come home. Jim’s right hand finally heals. Joe visits him and offers him one more fight in the boxing ring. The fight is against a promising young boxer, and Mae is very worried. But the prize is two hundred and fifty dollars. Despite having sold his boxing shoes and with no recent training, Jims takes the fight. No one expects a has-been boxer like Jim to fight well. But