BoxRec

RETIRED AND SINCE PASSED ON............





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Lonis??? That you??

No, it’s our old buddy Robsteth.

Yes, James was my friend.. I was heartbroken when he passed.. He really was a very good heavyweight.. I was at the Tucker fight, and a few of his later bouts.. The night he beat Eddie Gregg was really a nice feeling because a lot of people wrote him off, he was better than his physique appeared.. it hurt me tho to see him in the late 90s ramble on about a comeback , that was really never going to materialise.. James was a generous man, who would give you his last dollar.. he was homeless, but was too proud to tell anyone.. I do miss him.. xx

I wonder how good was Broad's jab and his skills, including throw good body punches.

Bigcat123 wrote: ↑03 Apr 2019, 06:36 Yes, James was my friend.. I was heartbroken when he passed.. He really was a very good heavyweight.. I was at the Tucker fight, and a few of his later bouts.. The night he beat Eddie Gregg was really a nice feeling because a lot of people wrote him off, he was better than his physique appeared.. it hurt me tho to see him in the late 90s ramble on about a comeback , that was really never going to materialise.. James was a generous man, who would give you his last dollar.. he was homeless, but was too proud to tell anyone.. I do miss him.. xx

Surprised him and Bonecrusher never had that rematch.

An grossly underappreciated fighter. Had some decent skills and could give guys fits, which he did. Sad ending. All too familiar.

oogiebe wrote: ↑10 Apr 2019, 18:28 An grossly underappreciated fighter. Had some decent skills and could give guys fits, which he did. Sad ending. All too familiar.

I liked him and remember his fight with Donnie Long like it was yesterday

tiny_acres wrote: ↑10 Apr 2019, 19:55 I liked him and remember his fight with Donnie Long like it was yesterday

Bigcat123 wrote: ↑03 Apr 2019, 21:44 https://photos.app.goo.gl/uT1iE6m5QuwknTJcA

Great picture! I take it James was sitting down, otherwise you must be 10 feet tall. What year was it taken?

I loved Broad, but he just would not get in shape. He gave his all versus Tucker, Damiani in Italy and Page in desert heat, but just came up ever so slightly short, and each time in a fight where he wasn't in shape! The early Broad who chopped down Bonecrusher was so stylish. I have a Boxing Illustrated from 88 or 89 that claims he KOd Tyson in sparring! Thanks to Steve Lott, there are some great videos on YouTube of him sparring Tyson prior to Tyson/Tucker. Others on here sighted him in the 80s, after big fights, getting drunk on the street and shadow boxing in the gutter! No lie!

Broad must have gone downhill fast at the end. I was on the Yahoo boxing boards circa 1999 when a Jean Monks in Vegas wrote that she had discovered this homeless man in a Vegas bus shelter who said he was a boxer called James Broad, and she was asking whether anyone had heard of him. She described him as being big but with the mind and movement of a 100 year old man. She wanted to help him get back home. Monks vanished, and the next time Broad appears is in Tarnished Armour by Dominic Calder Smith, published 2000, where the author encounters him in Greensboro, North Carolina (Broad's hometown!), but doesn't relate any dialogue or detail what I would assume would be obvious mental or physical impairment. 2001 he died quietly, and it was actually a few of us on this board who did some research and confirmed it was definitely 'the' James Broad who was dead and got the word around. I had to pester the various boxing news sites to report his death, which didn't happen until about 2002!

Truthfully, could James have become a champion in his prime?