Gerald Ambrose "Tuffy" Griffiths (January 1, 1907 – November 15, 1968) was an American boxer. He fought as a

heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the W ...

and occasionally as a

light heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruis ...

under the name Tuffy Griffiths.

Early life

Gerald Ambrose Griffiths was born in

Macy, Nebraska Macy is a census-designated place (CDP) in Thurston County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,045 at the 2020 census. It is within the Omaha Reservation, and includes Omaha Nation Public Schools. Macy is the birthplace of the Native ...

, the son of James Alfred Griffiths (1875 – 1933) and Rose Jane Girardot (1874 – 1956). He had three brothers and two sisters. His brother Buzz Saw Griffiths was also a boxer.

Boxing career

Early boxing career

Griffiths fought his first professional bout on December 11, 1925, in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County, Nebraska, Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. List of ...

. His debut was a successful one, defeating Donnie Dundee in 6 rounds.

Jack O'Keefe Jack O'Keefe (29 September 1915 – 8 March 2000) was an Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams ...

was the manager of Griffiths. Griffiths actually preferred to be called by the name "Jerry" and not "Tuffy." He stood at 5' 11".

Griffiths vs. Braddock

All of Griffiths early fights were fought in the

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. ...

. In order to gain more notoriety, he relocated to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

. Many media outlets were reporting that Griffiths was not beaten in over 50 consecutive matches when he arrived on the East Coast. Fighting his first fight in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsyl ...

on November 30, 1928, he fought James J. Braddock. Griffiths was supposed to be fighting former champion Pete Latzo that night. However, in a tune-up match for the Griffiths bout, Braddock broke Latzo's jaw in four places. Braddock was the only other choice to fight Griffiths that night. Griffiths was a 7-1 favorite to win the match against Braddock. As expected Griffiths dominated the first round of the fight, but Braddock fought back viciously in the second. Braddock ended up getting a second-round knockout and shocked the whole boxing world. This single match launched Braddock's boxing career. A reenactment of this fight is featured in the movie ''

Cinderella Man ''Cinderella Man'' is a 2005 American biographical sports drama film directed by Ron Howard, titled after the nickname of world heavyweight boxing champion James J. Braddock and inspired by his life story. The film was produced by Howard, ...

''.

Later boxing career

After the loss to Braddock, Griffiths ended up going on a five match win streak. His winning streak would end though to Leo Lomski on February 15, 1929. In a rematch with Lomski the following month, Griffiths bounced back and won. However, he broke his hand in the fight, and was sidelined for two months. Upon his return Griffiths won 16 consecutive matches. He beat Johnny Risko on July 2, 1930, in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

and knocked out Tom Heeney in New York on July 30, 1930. Griffiths ended up fighting a future heavyweight champion on September 26, 1932. His opponent was one of the most feared boxers of his time, Max Baer. Baer won by a TKO in the 7th round of the bout. Tuffy Griffiths would fight his last professional bout against Tony Shucco on September 6, 1933. The fight saw Tuffy get knocked out in the fourth round. After nearly 8 years of professional boxing and 74 wins, he would retire officially in 1934.

Trivia

* After his boxing career ended he was stationed at the

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

Marine Corps Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...

base as a boxing instructor. * Ran Tuffy Griffiths's Tavern for many years in Chicago after his retirement. * He is a member of the Greater Sioux City Athletic Association Hall of Fame. * Was a patient at the

Veterans Administration Hospital Veterans' health care in the United States is separated geographically into 19 regions (numbered 1, 2, 4-10, 12 and 15–23) In January 2002, the Veterans Health Administration announced the merger of VISNs 13 and 14 to create a new, combined netw ...

Sheridan, WY Sheridan is a town in the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Sheridan County. The town is located halfway between Yellowstone Park and Mount Rushmore by U.S. Route 14 and 16. It is the principal town of the Sheridan, Wyoming, Micropo ...

for many years before his death.

References

Braddock Knocks Out GriffithsCinderella Man Excerpt
{{DEFAULTSORT:Griffiths, Tuffy 1907 births 1968 deaths Boxers from Nebraska Heavyweight boxers American people of Welsh descent People from Thurston County, Nebraska American male boxers People from Pender, Nebraska United States Marines