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Ezzard Mack Charles (July 7, 1921 – May 28, 1975), was an American professional boxer who competed from 1940 to 1959. Known as " the Cincinnati Cobra", Charles was respected for his slick defense and precision, and is often regarded as the greatest light heavyweight of all time, and one of the greatest fighters pound for pound, having defeated numerous Hall of Fame fighters in three different weight classes. Charles was the world heavyweight champion from 1949 to 1951, and made eight successful title defenses in under two years.
After losing the world title, Charles continued to fight several top rated heavyweight contenders and made three close but unsuccessful attempts at reclaiming the heavyweight championship. Charles eventually retired from a near two decade long career with a record of 95–25–1. He was posthumously inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural class of 1990.
Charles' professional career began on March 12, 1940, knocking out Melody Johnson in the fourth round. Charles went undefeated in his first 17 fights before being defeated by former NYSAC middleweight champion Ken Overlin. Victories over future Hall of Famers Teddy Yarosz and the heavily avoided Charley Burley had started to solidify Charles as a top contender in the middleweight division, however, during World War II, Charles served in the U.S. military, which would eventually bring his career to a halt.
Shortly after his knockout of Moore in their third and final meeting, tragedy struck. On February 20, 1948, 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 by the incident that he nearly gave up fighting, but a need to provide for his family along with encouragement from Baroudi's family convinced him to continue.
For these achievements in such a short span of time, Charles was named Fighter of the Year twice consecutively in 1949 and 1950. Four more successful title defenses would follow against Nick Barone, Walcott, Lee Oma, and the new light heavyweight champion Joey Maxim.
The two stirring battles between Charles and Marciano are regarded as ring classics. In the first bout, held in Yankee Stadium on June 17, 1954, he valiantly took Marciano 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. Marciano won a unanimous decision. Referee Ruby Goldstein scored the bout 8-5-2 in rounds for the champion. Judge Artie Aidala scored the fight 9-5-1 while judge Harold Barnes' tally was 8–6–1. In their September rematch, Charles landed a severe blow that actually split Marciano's nose in half. Marciano's cornermen were unable to stop the bleeding and the referee almost halted the contest until Marciano rallied with an eighth-round knockout. The fight was awarded The Ring’s 1954 Fight of the Year.
"Ezzard Charles. Who else has been great in every division he fought in?" - James Toney
Ezzard Charles was one of the greatest ring technicians that ever laced on a pair of gloves. He could seamlessly blend between defence and offense and adapt on the fly. Charles fought side on, leaning slightly to the right to take his head off the centre from the line of attack. This increases the distance the opponent's punch has to travel as well, giving him more time to see punches coming. This 'old-school' stance was similar to those of Joe Louis, Charley Burley and Sandy Saddler. Charles parried with both of his hands and smothered opponents on the inside, even against larger men, he was fully capable of trapping the opponent's glove to prevent them from punching on the inside. On the outside range, Charles would stalk his prey, circling leftwards and utilising his lightning-quick probing jab to attack both the head and body to properly gauge the opponent's distance. Charles was also well known for his use of the shoulder roll. James Toney credits Charles as the inspiration for his variation of the shoulder roll. In his prime, Ezzard would be exceedingly aggressive, often relying on his thunderous power and accuracy to win exchanges. However, some would note that after Sam Baroudi died of injuries during their 1948 fight, Charles is alleged to have become less aggressive and more cautious, although this theory is hotly debated.
Despite being best known for his counter-punching excellence, his varied skillset and high ring intelligence allowed him to excel in many situations. These qualities allowed Charles (a natural middleweight) to triumph against the tough light-heavyweights and heavyweights of the talent-rich 1940s.
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Charles died on May 28, 1975, in Chicago. He was buried at 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 at the height of his career. Guide to 20th Century African American Resources , Cincinnati Historical Society
In 2002, Charles was ranked No. 13 on The Ring magazine's list of the 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years.
Muhammad Ali said in his own autobiography:
"Ezzard Charles was a truly great fighter and champion. He was the only heavyweight champion, other than a young Sonny Liston, who I think would have really troubled me at my best."
In 2007, ESPN online ranks Ezzard Charles as the 27th greatest boxer of all time, ahead of such notable fighters as Mike Tyson, Larry Holmes and Jake LaMotta.
In 2007, prominent boxing historian Bert Sugar listed Charles as the seventh greatest Heavyweight of all time.
In 2009, Boxing magazine listed Ezzard Charles as the greatest Light Heavyweight fighter ever, ahead of the likes of Archie Moore, Bob Foster, Michael Spinks and Gene Tunney.
In 2019, Ezzard Charles was named the 13th greatest pound for pound fighter of all time by the IBRO (International Boxing Research Organisation).
Coming in the 13th position is Ezzard Charles with 200 points. Charles finished 1st at light-heavyweight, in the top 20 at middleweight and in the top 20 at heavyweight. Charles impressive record of opponents; going 3-0 over Archie Moore, 2-0 over Charley Burley, 4-1 against Jimmy Bivins, 3-0 over Joey Maxim as well as 8 successful title defenses at heavyweight prove he was one of boxing’s best. 21 of 31 voters had Charles in the top 20, 7 of those had him in the top 10. Charles finished tied 12-13th last time, so falls in about the same spot as IBRO’s last pound for pound poll.
In 2022, Charles was ranked No. 8 on The Ring magazine's list of the 100 Best Fighters in the history of The Ring magazine's rankings .
In 2022, a statue honoring Ezzard Charles was unveiled in the former Laurel Park in the West End neighborhood of Cincinnati. The park was renamed to Ezzard Charles Park alongside the unveiling of the statue.
| 121 | Loss | Alvin Green | UD | 10 | Sep 1, 1959 | |||
| 120 | Loss | 95–24–1 | George Logan | KO | 8 (10), | Jul 30, 1959 | ||
| 119 | Win | 95–23–1 | Dave Ashley | TKO | 9 (10) | Jul 3, 1959 | ||
| 118 | Loss | 94–23–1 | Donnie Fleeman | KO | 6 (10), | Oct 27, 1958 | ||
| 117 | Loss | 94–22–1 | Alfredo Zuany | UD | 10 | Sep 30, 1958 | ||
| 116 | Win | 94–21–1 | Johnny Harper | UD | 10 | Aug 28, 1958 | ||
| 115 | Loss | 93–21–1 | Dick Richardson | 2 (10) | Oct 2, 1956 | |||
| 114 | Loss | 93–20–1 | Harry Matthews | UD | 10 | Aug 31, 1956 | ||
| 113 | Loss | 93–19–1 | Pat McMurtry | UD | 10 | Jul 13, 1956 | ||
| 112 | Win | 93–18–1 | Bob Albright | RTD | 6 (10) | Jun 19, 1956 | ||
| 111 | Loss | 92–18–1 | Wayne Bethea | UD | 10 | May 21, 1956 | ||
| 110 | Win | 92–17–1 | Don Jasper | TKO | 9 (10), | Apr 21, 1956 | ||
| 109 | Loss | 91–17–1 | Young Jack Johnson | TKO | 6 (10) | Dec 29, 1955 | ||
| 108 | Win | 91–16–1 | Bob Albright | SD | 10 | Dec 22, 1955 | ||
| 107 | Win | 90–16–1 | Toxie Hall | UD | 10 | Dec 6, 1955 | ||
| 106 | Loss | 89–16–1 | Toxie Hall | SD | 10 | Nov 14, 1955 | ||
| 105 | Loss | 89–15–1 | Tommy Jackson | UD | 10 | Aug 31, 1955 | ||
| 104 | Loss | 89–14–1 | Tommy Jackson | UD | 10 | Aug 3, 1955 | ||
| 103 | Win | 89–13–1 | Paul Andrews | SD | 10 | Jul 13, 1955 | ||
| 102 | Win | 88–13–1 | John Holman | UD | 10 | Jun 8, 1955 | ||
| 101 | Loss | 87–13–1 | John Holman | TKO | 9 (10), | Apr 27, 1955 | ||
| 100 | Win | 87–12–1 | Vern Escoe | KO | 3 (10), | Apr 11, 1955 | ||
| 99 | Win | 86–12–1 | Charley Norkus | UD | 10 | Feb 18, 1955 | ||
| 98 | Loss | 85–12–1 | Rocky Marciano | KO | 8 (15), | Sep 17, 1954 | ||
| 97 | Loss | 85–11–1 | Rocky Marciano | UD | 15 | Jun 17, 1954 | ||
| 96 | Win | 85–10–1 | Bob Satterfield | KO | 2 (10) | Jan 13, 1954 | ||
| 95 | Win | 84–10–1 | Coley Wallace | KO | 10 (10), | Dec 16, 1953 | ||
| 94 | Loss | 83–10–1 | Harold Johnson | SD | 10 | Sep 8, 1953 | ||
| 93 | Loss | 83–9–1 | Niño Valdés | UD | 10 | Aug 11, 1953 | ||
| 92 | Win | 83–8–1 | Larry Watson | KO | 5 (10), | May 26, 1953 | ||
| 91 | Win | 82–8–1 | Billy Gilliam | UD | 10 | May 12, 1953 | ||
| 90 | Win | 81–8–1 | Rex Layne | UD | 10 | Apr 1, 1953 | ||
| 89 | Win | 80–8–1 | Tommy Harrison | TKO | 9 (10) | Feb 4, 1953 | ||
| 88 | Win | 79–8–1 | Wes Bascom | TKO | 9 (10), | Jan 14, 1953 | ||
| 87 | Win | 78–8–1 | Frank Buford | TKO | 7 (10), | Dec 15, 1952 | ||
| 86 | Win | 77–8–1 | Jimmy Bivins | UD | 10 | Nov 26, 1952 | ||
| 85 | Win | 76–8–1 | Cesar Brion | UD | 10 | Oct 24, 1952 | ||
| 84 | Win | 75–8–1 | Bernie Reynolds | KO | 2 (12), | Oct 8, 1952 | ||
| 83 | Loss | 74–8–1 | Rex Layne | PTS | 10 | Aug 8, 1952 | ||
| 82 | Loss | 74–7–1 | Jersey Joe Walcott | UD | 15 | Jun 5, 1952 | ||
| 81 | Win | 74–6–1 | Joe Kahut | KO | 8 (12), | Dec 12, 1951 | ||
| 80 | Win | 73–6–1 | Joey Maxim | UD | 12 | Dec 12, 1951 | ||
| 79 | Win | 72–6–1 | Rex Layne | TKO | 11 (12) | Oct 10, 1951 | ||
| 78 | Loss | 71–6–1 | Jersey Joe Walcott | KO | 7 (15), | Jul 18, 1951 | ||
| 77 | Win | 71–5–1 | Joey Maxim | UD | 15 | May 30, 1951 | ||
| 76 | Win | 70–5–1 | Jersey Joe Walcott | UD | 15 | Mar 7, 1951 | ||
| 75 | Win | 69–5–1 | Lee Oma | TKO | 10 (15), | Jan 12, 1951 | ||
| 74 | Win | 68–5–1 | Nick Barone | KO | 11 (15), | Dec 5, 1950 | ||
| 73 | Win | 67–5–1 | Joe Louis | UD | 15 | Sep 27, 1950 | ||
| 72 | Win | 66–5–1 | Freddie Beshore | TKO | 14 (15), | Aug 15, 1950 | ||
| 71 | Win | 65–5–1 | Pat Valentino | KO | 8 (15), | Oct 14, 1949 | ||
| 70 | Win | 64–5–1 | Gus Lesnevich | 7 (15) | Aug 10, 1949 | |||
| 69 | Win | 63–5–1 | Jersey Joe Walcott | UD | 15 | Jun 22, 1949 | ||
| 68 | Win | 62–5–1 | Joey Maxim | MD | 15 | Feb 28, 1949 | ||
| 67 | Win | 61–5–1 | Johnny Haynes | KO | 8 (10) | Feb 7, 1949 | ||
| 66 | Win | 60–5–1 | Joe Baksi | TKO | 11 (15), | Dec 10, 1948 | ||
| 65 | Win | 59–5–1 | Walter Hafer | KO | 7 (10) | Nov 15, 1948 | ||
| 64 | Win | 58–5–1 | Jimmy Bivins | UD | 10 | Sep 13, 1948 | ||
| 63 | Win | 57–5–1 | Erv Sarlin | UD | 10 | May 20, 1948 | ||
| 62 | Win | 56–5–1 | Elmer Ray | KO | 9 (10), | May 7, 1948 | ||
| 61 | Win | 55–5–1 | Sam Baroudi | KO | 10 (10) | Feb 20, 1948 | ||
| 60 | Win | 54–5–1 | Archie Moore | KO | 8 (15), | Jan 13, 1948 | ||
| 59 | Win | 53–5–1 | Fitzie Fitzpatrick | KO | 4 (12), | Dec 2, 1947 | ||
| 58 | Win | 52–5–1 | Teddy Randolph | UD | 10 | Nov 3, 1947 | ||
| 57 | Win | 51–5–1 | Clarence Jones | KO | 1 (10), | Oct 27, 1947 | ||
| 56 | Win | 50–5–1 | Al Smith | TKO | 4 (10), | Oct 16, 1947 | ||
| 55 | Win | 49–5–1 | Lloyd Marshall | KO | 2 (10), | Sep 29, 1947 | ||
| 54 | Win | 48–5–1 | Joe Matisi | UD | 10 | Sep 16, 1947 | ||
| 53 | Loss | 47–5–1 | Elmer Ray | 10 | Jul 25, 1947 | |||
| 52 | Win | 47–4–1 | Fitzie Fitzpatrick | KO | 5 (10), | Jul 14, 1947 | ||
| 51 | Win | 46–4–1 | Archie Moore | MD | 10 | May 5, 1947 | ||
| 50 | Win | 45–4–1 | Erv Sarlin | UD | 10 | Apr 14, 1947 | ||
| 49 | Win | 44–4–1 | Jimmy Bivins | KO | 4 (10), | Mar 10, 1947 | ||
| 48 | Win | 43–4–1 | Oakland Billy Smith | KO | 5 (12), | Feb 17, 1947 | ||
| 47 | Win | 42–4–1 | Jimmy Bivins | UD | 10 | Nov 12, 1946 | ||
| 46 | Win | 41–4–1 | Oakland Billy Smith | UD | 10 | Sep 23, 1946 | ||
| 45 | Win | 40–4–1 | Lloyd Marshall | KO | 6 (10), | Jul 29, 1946 | ||
| 44 | Win | 39–4–1 | Shelton Bell | KO | 5 (10), | Jun 13, 1946 | ||
| 43 | Win | 38–4–1 | Archie Moore | UD | 10 | May 20, 1946 | ||
| 42 | Win | 37–4–1 | Tommy Hubert | KO | 4 (10), | May 13, 1946 | ||
| 41 | Win | 36–4–1 | George Parks | TKO | 6 (10) | Apr 15, 1946 | ||
| 40 | Win | 35–4–1 | Billy Duncan | KO | 4 (10), | Apr 1, 1946 | ||
| 39 | Win | 34–4–1 | Tommy Hubert | UD | 10 | Mar 25, 1946 | ||
| 38 | Win | 33–4–1 | Al Sheridan | KO | 2 (10), | Feb 18, 1946 | ||
| 37 | Win | 32–4–1 | Al Barlow | PTS | 3 | Dec 16, 1944 | ||
| 36 | Win | 31–4–1 | Stanley Goicz | PTS | 3 | Dec 13, 1944 | ||
| 35 | Loss | 30–4–1 | Lloyd Marshall | TKO | 8 (10), | Mar 31, 1943 | ||
| 34 | Loss | 30–3–1 | Jimmy Bivins | UD | 10 | Jan 7, 1943 | ||
| 33 | Win | 30–2–1 | Joey Maxim | UD | 10 | Dec 1, 1942 | ||
| 32 | Win | 29–2–1 | Joey Maxim | UD | 10 | Oct 27, 1942 | ||
| 31 | Win | 28–2–1 | Mose Brown | KO | 6 (10), | Sep 15, 1942 | ||
| 30 | Win | 27–2–1 | Jose Basora | KO | 5 (10), | Aug 17, 1942 | ||
| 29 | Win | 26–2–1 | Booker Beckwith | KO | 9 (10), | Jul 27, 1942 | ||
| 28 | Win | 25–2–1 | Steve Mamakos | KO | 1 (10), | Jul 14, 1942 | ||
| 27 | Win | 24–2–1 | Charley Burley | PTS | 10 | Jun 29, 1942 | ||
| 26 | Win | 23–2–1 | Charley Burley | UD | 10 | May 25, 1942 | ||
| 25 | Loss | 22–2–1 | Kid Tunero | SD | 10 | May 13, 1942 | ||
| 24 | Win | 22–1–1 | Billy Pryor | PTS | 10 | Apr 8, 1942 | ||
| 23 | Draw | 21–1–1 | Ken Overlin | 10 | Mar 2, 1942 | |||
| 22 | Win | 21–1 | Anton Christoforidis | TKO | 3 (10), | Jan 12, 1942 | ||
| 21 | Win | 20–1 | Teddy Yarosz | UD | 10 | Nov 17, 1941 | ||
| 20 | Win | 19–1 | Pat Mangini | KO | 1 (10), | Oct 13, 1941 | ||
| 19 | Win | 18–1 | Al Gilbert | TKO | 5 (10), | Jul 21, 1941 | ||
| 18 | Loss | 17–1 | Ken Overlin | UD | 10 | Jun 9, 1941 | ||
| 17 | Win | 17–0 | Rudy Kozole | PTS | 10 | May 12, 1941 | ||
| 16 | Win | 16–0 | Joe Sutka | PTS | 10 | Mar 31, 1941 | ||
| 15 | Win | 15–0 | Floyd Howard | KO | 7 (10) | Mar 10, 1941 | ||
| 14 | Win | 14–0 | Slaka Cavrich | KO | 2 (10) | Feb 24, 1941 | ||
| 13 | Win | 13–0 | Billy Bengal | 10 | Feb 10, 1941 | |||
| 12 | Win | 12–0 | Charley Jerome | KO | 3 (10) | Dec 2, 1940 | ||
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | Marty Simmons | PTS | 10 | Oct 1, 1940 | ||
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Billy Hood | KO | 2 (10) | Sep 23, 1940 | ||
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | John Reeves | PTS | 4 | Aug 5, 1940 | ||
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Carl Turner | PTS | 6 | Jun 29, 1940 | ||
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Young Kid Ash | KO | 3 (6), | Jun 17, 1940 | ||
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Frankie Williams | 5 (8), | Jun 13, 1940 | |||
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Charley Banks | KO | 1 (6), | Jun 3, 1940 | ||
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Charley Banks | PTS | 6 | May 20, 1940 | ||
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Remo Fernandez | PTS | 6 | Apr 3, 1940 | ||
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | John Reeves | 6 | Mar 27, 1940 | |||
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Melody Johnson | 4 (4) | Mar 12, 1940 |
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