BY THE NUMBERS: EZZARD
1 Victory over Joe Louis » In the wake of Louis’ retirement from boxing, Charles emerged as the recognized heavyweight champion in 1949. Not surprisingly, Louis returned to fight for his old title in a widely hyped Yankee Stadium bout in September of 1950. Louis needed money, and the sagging boxing business needed Louis. But at 36, with several years of partying and hard living behind him, Louis couldn’t handle his young and clever opponent. Charles won by a 15-round decision. History remembers this contest as a lopsided victory for Charles, but some of the rounds were competitive. The problem was that for every punch Louis landed, Charles landed two in return. The other problem was that the public was rooting for Louis and never quite forgave Charles for beating their idol. Though the win cemented his claim to the heavyweight championship, Charles spent the remainder of his career as something less than a fan favorite.
2 Bouts with Rocky Marciano » Charles lost twice to Marciano in 1954, but his brave effort in the first bout returned him to the good graces of fans. It was a hard-fought 15-round decision win for Marciano in Yankee Stadium, the only time “The Rock” went the full 15-round distance. Marciano won their second bout by knockout, but not before Charles opened a horrible cut on Rocky’s nose.
CHARLES by Don Stradley Ezzard Charles (1921-1975) was nearly unmatched in terms of sheer boxing skill. Unfortunately, he found himself overshadowed by more colorful fighters, including some he defeated. Here is his story by the numbers. How can a man beat the legendary Moore three times and go virtually uncredited? The answer is probably due to their fights taking place in the years before Moore was a media sensation. Charles, too, was not as well-known as he’d later be. Moreover, the three Charles-Moore fights took place in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Cleveland. Had they taken place in New York, the country’s loudest media horn at the time, they would’ve generated much more interest. 3 Victories Over Archie Moore » Charles took the first bout, held at Forbes Field in May of 1946, by decision. As the Associated Press reported, Charles “belted Moore … around for 10 rounds like he owned him.” Their second bout in May of 1947 was another 10-round decision win for Charles. As if to put the rivalry behind him, Charles stormed out for their third bout in January of 1948 and scored an impressive eighth-round knockout. Charles’ deciding punch, a roundhouse right to Moore’s head, landed with such impact that the sound was heard above the din of 8,334 fans. “I was certain,” said one reporter, “that something broke either in Archie’s head or Ezzard’s right hand, maybe in both places.”
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Bouts with Jersey Joe Walcott The Charles-Walcott series has often been discredited as a snoozefest, but it
5 Wins over Joey Maxim » Promoters never got the Maxim kept his sense of humor. “That’s the fifth time Charles has taken the decision from me,” Maxim said. “Next time, I guess I’ll have to take a club to him.” In June of 1952, Walcott and Charles met for the fourth and final time. After 15 closely fought rounds at Philadelphia’s Municipal Stadium, Walcott was the winner by a shade. The bout had been a dull but grueling contest, and many were uncertain of the winner. Of 38 boxing writers polled at ringside, 21 thought Charles had won, while 17 thought Walcott had done enough to keep his title. The series was tied at two wins apiece, but neither the press nor the public clamored for a tiebreaker. 2 Personalities » It was common throughout message that Charles had Maxim figured out. After their fifth meeting, featured a couple of milestones. Their first bout was for the vacant NBA heavyweight title, which Charles won by 15-round decision in Chicago’s Comiskey Park in June of 1949. Charles became the new champion after Joe Louis’ nearly 12-year reign, which was big news at the time. Charles won their second bout in Detroit, but in 1951 the series took an unexpected turn. With a sneaky left hook, Walcott scored a stunning knockout of Charles at 0:55 of Round 7. Charles was suddenly an ex-champion. The win made Walcott, at 37, the oldest man to win the heavyweight title, which was also a big deal and a distinction he’d hold for many years. Charles’ career to say he had a dual personality. He could be a vicious puncher who wasn’t afraid to foul a
2 Wins over Charley Burley »
The old-timers said Burley was the greatest fighter to never win a title. Yet Charles, as a mere 20-year-old, surprised the experts in May of 1942 when he scored a 10-round decision over Burley in Pittsburgh. The pair met again a month later. Charles won
man, but he could also be overly cautious. As a publicity stunt prior to Charles’ second bout with Marciano, a psychologist was hired to attend both camps and report his findings. Dr. J.J. Moreno said that Charles “is the dreamer type … in his dreams he is a mighty, invincible fighter who sweeps all before him in a reckless, savage, destructive fashion. In the ring, however, he loses the spontaneity he has in his dreams.” Moreno deemed Charles as simply too sensitive to be a truly effective fighter. Many believed Charles’ conscience was bothered by the Baroudi fight, or that he was distracted by the jeers he heard in the aftermath of beating Louis. His trainer, Ray Arcel, once said Charles was “like a good racehorse who won’t run for you.”
121 Fights » His final record was before his losses to Marciano, his record was 85-10-1, compiled against the best of his day, and you cannot deny that Ezzard Charles was a special fighter. He may have had a dual personality, but it seems that both sides of him were damned good in the ring. 95-25-1 with 52 knockouts. But consider that
again. It was even easier the second time. Granted, Charles was a middleweight at that point and Burley was a welterweight, but Burley had still been a 6-1 betting favorite going into their first bout. Burley’s manager tried to explain the losses by saying his fighter had been sparring with too many heavyweights, particularly Curtis “Hatchetman” Sheppard. These rugged gym sessions had left Burley in a tenderized state for Charles. Regardless, the wins over Burley showed the public that Charles was a young virtuoso on the way up.
1 Tragedy in the Ring »
Sam Baroudi died from injuries sustained in a 1948 bout with Charles. Baroudi was 21. Ironically, a fighter named Newton Smith had died after being KO’d by Baroudi six months earlier.
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