Fights included in this set:
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Charles, Ezzard W15 Joe Louis
Charles, Ezzard KO8 Pat Valintino
Charles, Ezzard KO11 Rex Layne
Silent
Charles, Ezzard W10 Coley Wallace
Charles, Ezzard W10 John Holman II
Charles, Ezzard W10 Rex Layne III
Charles, Ezzard W15 Joe Walcott II HL
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Ezzard Charles Boxing DVDs
$64.95
Ezzard Mack Charles (July 7, 1921 – May 28, 1975) was an African-American professional boxer and
former world heavyweight champion. He holds wins over numerous Hall of Fame fighters in three
different weight classes. Charles retired with a record of 93 wins, 25 losses and 1 draw.
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[weasel words] 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]
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 future 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, he served in the U.S. military during World War II and
was unable to fight professionally in 1945.
He returned to boxing after the war as a light heavyweight, picking up many notable wins over leading
light heavyweight as well as heavyweight contenders Archie Moore, Jimmy Bivins, Lloyd Marshall, and
Elmer Ray. Shortly after his knock-out of Moore in their third and final meeting, tragedy struck. Charles
fought a young contender named Sam Baroudi, knocking him out in Round 10. Baroudi died of the
injuries he sustained in this bout. Charles was so devastated he almost gave up fighting. Charles was
unable to secure a title shot at light heavyweight, and moved 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 recognized lineal
champion. Successful defenses against Walcott, Lee Oma and Joey Maxim would follow.
In 1951, Charles fought Walcott a third time and lost the title by knockout 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. Remaining a top
contender with wins over Rex Layne, Tommy Harrison, and Coley Wallace, Charles knocked out Bob
Satterfield in an eliminator bout for the right to challenge Heavyweight Champion Rocky Marciano. 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. Charles is the
only man ever to last the full 15-round distance against Marciano.[4] In their September rematch, a
severely cut Marciano rallied to KO Charles in the 8th round, in a bout that was named Ring
Magazine's "Fight of the Year." Financial problems forced Charles to continue fighting, 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]
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.
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