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| Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Real name | Ezzard Mack Charles |
| Nickname(s) | Cincinnati Cobra |
| Rated at | Heavyweight Light Heavyweight |
| Nationality | American |
| Birth date | July 7, 1921 |
| Birth place | Lawrenceville, Georgia |
| Death date | May 28, 1975 (aged 53) |
| Death place | Chicago, Illinois |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 119 |
| Wins | 93 |
| Wins by KO | 52 |
| Losses | 25 |
| Draws | 1 |
| No contests | 0 |
Ezzard Mack Charles (July 7, 1921 – May 28, 1975) was an African-American professional boxer and former world heavyweight champion. Ezzard Charles began his career as a Middleweight, where he defeated Hall of Famers such as the much avoided Charley Burley (2x) as well as Teddy Yarosz. Finding championship shots hard to come by, Charles moved north to Light Heavyweight where he forged a legacy as one of the greatest Light Heavyweight fighters of all time. At Light Heavyweight, Charles picked up numerous notable victories over Hall of Famers such as Lloyd Marshall, Joey Maxim, Jimmy Bivins and the great Archie Moore. Despite having beaten several former and future champions and the best his division had to offer, Charles was never given a shot at the weight many regard as his best.
After the war, Charles moved up to Heavyweight. From 1949 to 1951 Charles defeated such men as Jersey Joe Walcott, Joey Maxim, Nick Barone, Gus Lesnevich, Freddie Beshore & Pat Valentino. In 1950, Ezzard Charles defeated Joe Louis, winning the World Heavyweight Championship and becoming only the second man to defeat the great champion and handing Joe Louis his first loss since 1938. Charles would lose his title to the man he had earlier defeated in Jersey Joe Walcott and would defeat several more notable contenders and make several challenges to the Heavyweight crown. In 1954, visibly old and past his best Charles was given one last shot at the heavyweight title where he twice ran Rocky Marciano close in fights that are regarded as Heavyweight classics, with the second bout being awarded Ring Magazine fight of the year for 1954. After Marciano, Charles would fade on into obscurity with financial problems forcing him to fight on despite suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.
Charles retired with a record of 93 wins, 25 losses and 1 draw. However it should be noted that 20 of his 25 losses occurred after Charles had lost his Heavyweight title and had begun to decline and 13 of his 25 defeats occurred post-Marciano when Charles had begun to suffer from Lou Gehrig's Disease.
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Early Career
Ezzard Charles started his career as a featherweight in the amateurs, where he had a record of 42-0. In 1938, he won the Diamond Belt Middleweight Champion. He followed this up in 1939 by winning the Chicago Golden Gloves tournament of champions. He won the national AAU Middleweight Championship in 1939. He turned pro in 1940, knocking out Melody Johnson in the 4th round. Charles won all of his first 15 fights before being defeated by veteran Ken Overlin. Victories over Hall of Famers Teddy Yarosz and the much avoided Charley Burley had started to solidify Charles as a top contender in the Middleweight division. However Charles found championship opportunities hard to come by and moved north to the Light Heavyweight division where he would stake his claim as one of the greatest to have ever graced the history filled division.
Career
He was born in Lawrenceville, Georgia, but is commonly thought of as a Cincinnatian.[1] Charles graduated from Woodward High School in Cincinnati where he was already becoming a well-known fighter.[2] Known as "The Cincinnati Cobra," Charles is best remembered for his wins as a heavyweight, but most experts feel he was in his prime as a light heavyweight. Although he never won the championship at that weight, Ring magazine has rated him as the greatest light heavyweight of all time.[3]
Charles turned professional in 1940. He served in the U.S. military during World War II, which prevented him from fighting in 1944 and 1945. He returned to boxing after the war, and hit his prime. He defeated the great light-heavyweight Archie Moore three times, once by knock out, and also defeated all-time greats Charley Burley and Joey Maxim. Shortly after his knock-out of Moore, tragedy struck. Charles fought a tough, young boxer named Sam Baroudi, knocking him out. Baroudi died of the injuries he sustained in this bout. Charles was so devastated he almost gave up fighting. He adapted a more cautious style afterwards, trying not to hurt his opponents.
Charles was unable to get a title shot at light heavyweight, and decided to move up to heavyweight. After knocking out Joe Baksi and Johnny Haynes, Charles won the vacant National Boxing Association world heavyweight title when he outpointed Jersey Joe Walcott over 15 rounds on June 22, 1949. The following year, he outpointed his idol and former world heavyweight champion Joe Louis to become the undisputed champion.
In 1951, despite having beaten Walcott in a rematch, Charles fought Walcott again and lost the title when Walcott knocked him out with a left hook in the seventh round. Charles lost a controversial decision in the fourth and final bout. If Charles had won this fight he would have become the first man in history to regain the heavyweight championship.
Later, Charles would go on to challenge Rocky Marciano twice for the Heavyweight title. His two stirring battles with Marciano are regarded as ring classics. In the first bout, held in June 1954, he valiantly took Rocky the distance, going down on points in a vintage heavyweight bout. In their September rematch, Charles split Marciano's nose and almost won the fight by TKO. Marciano, however, rallied to KO Charles in the 8th round, in a bout that was named "Fight of the Year." It is believed by some that Charles eased off and became less aggressive after splitting Marciano's nose for fear of a repeat of the Baroudi fight.[4]
Financial problems forced Charles to fight long after he should have retired. At that point, he was only a shell of his former self, losing 12 of his final 23 fights. He retired with a record of 96-25-1 (58 KOs).
Charles was also a respected double bass player who played with some of the jazz greats in the 40s and 50s at such notable places as Birdland. He was very close with Rocky Marciano and a neighbor and friend of Muhammed Ali when they both lived on 85th street in Chicago.[5] Charles also starred in one motion picture: "Mau Mau Drums", an independent (and unreleased) jungle-adventure film shot in and around Cincinnati in 1960 by filmmaker Earl Schwieterman.
Death
Ezzard Charles died May 28, 1975, in Chicago from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, aged 53, and was interred in the historic Burr Oak Cemetery, in Alsip, Illinois. In 1976 Cincinnati honored Charles by changing the name of Lincoln Park Drive to Ezzard Charles Drive. This was the street of his residence during the height of his career.[6] Sadly it was at Burr Oak Cemetery in Illinois, that in 2009 scandal hit the small cemetery, when its owners had been desecrating its older graves, for illegal resales.
He was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990.
In 2002, Charles was ranked #13 on Ring Magazine's list of the 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years. His signature is worth approximately 750 $ on an original 8x10 photo's
Recognition
In 2006, Ezzard Charles was named the 11th greatest fighter of all time by the IBRO (International Boxing Research Organisation).[7]
The “Cincinnati Cobra” was a master boxer of extraordinary skill and ability. He had speed, agility, fast hands and excellent footwork. Charles possessed a masterful jab and was a superb combination puncher. He was at his peak as a light-heavyweight. His record is quite impressive. Against top rate opposition like Archie Moore, Charley Burley, Lloyd Marshall, Jimmy Bivins, and Joey Maxim he was an impressive 16-2 combined. Despite being a natural light-heavy he won the heavyweight title and made 9 successful title defenses. Nearly 25% of voters had Charles in the top 10. Half of the voters had him in the top 15. Two thirds of voters had him inside the top 20.
ESPN online ranks Ezzard Charles as the 27th greatest boxer of all time, ahead of such notable fighters as Mike Tyson, Bernard Hopkins, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Larry Holmes and Jake LaMotta. [8]
In 2009, Boxing Magazine listed Ezzard Charles as the greatest Light Heavyweight fighter ever, beating the likes of Archie Moore, Bob Foster, Gene Tunney.[9]
Prominent Boxing historian, Bert Sugar, listed Charles as the 7th greatest Heavyweight of all time.
See also
External links
References
- ^ Cyber Boxing Zone - Ezzard Charles
- ^ Newsmakers Interview with Ezzard Charles Jr., WKRC Channel 12, Cincinnati, August 17, 2008
- ^ Detloff, William (September 2002), "The 20 Greatest Light Heavyweights of All-Time", The Ring 81, no. 10: 50
- ^ Newsmakers Interview with Ezzard Charles Jr., WKRC Channel 12, Cincinnati, August 17, 2008
- ^ Newsmakers interview with Ezzard Charles Jr., WKRC Channel 12 Cincinnati, August 17, 2008
- ^ Guide to 20th Century African American Resources, Cincinnati Historical Society,[1]
- ^ IBRO'S 25 Greatest Fighters of All Time,[2]
- ^ ESPN.com: ALL-TIME GREATEST BOXERS,[3]
- ^ The Greatest Light Heavyweights of All Time,[4]
- Grace, Kevin and Grace, Joshua. CINCINNATI BOXING. Chicago, IL: Arcadia, 2006.
| Preceded by Joe Louis Retired |
World Heavyweight Champion 1949–1951 |
Succeeded by Jersey Joe Walcott |
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