James Edward “Jimmy” Goodrich

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Boxer

Jimmy Goodrich was born in Scranton, but made a name for himself in the ring after he moved to Buffalo. He began his boxing career in 1919, and rose to prominence in 1925 when Benny Leonard retired as the World Lightweight Champion. A five-month tournament was held to determine the next champion. Goodrich fought in the 32-man elimination boxing tournament in the New York City area. After winning a 12-round match in the semi-finals, Goodrich stopped the Chilean fighter Stanley Loayza in the second round of the championship match to claim the world title. Although he lost the title five months later, he continued to battle some of the top contenders over the final five years of his career. Goodrich wasn’t known as a powerful hitter, but he was a very skilled boxer. In 182 professional matches, Goodrich was never knocked out. After retiring, Goodrich operated a number of successful businesses in Western New York. He spent much of his retirement in Buffalo and Angola, before he passed away in 1982.

The biographies contained on this website were written at the time of the honoree’s induction into the Hall of Fame. No attempt has been made to update these narratives to reflect more recent events, activities, or statistics.