1. Ezzard Charles was the world heavyweight champion from 1949 to 1951, and made eight successful title defenses in under two years.
35 Facts About Ezzard Charles
1. 2.
Ezzard Charles was posthumously inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural class of 1990.
3.
Ezzard Charles was born in Lawrenceville, Georgia, and grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio.
4.
Ezzard Charles graduated from Woodward High School in Cincinnati where he was already becoming a well-known fighter.
5.
Ezzard Charles started his career as a featherweight in the amateurs, where he had a near perfect record.
6.
Ezzard Charles followed this up in 1939 by winning the Chicago Golden Gloves tournament of champions.
7.
Ezzard Charles won the national AAU Middleweight Championship in 1939.
8.
Ezzard Charles went undefeated in his first 17 fights before being defeated by former NYSAC middleweight champion Ken Overlin.
9.
Ezzard Charles moved up in weight and went on to dominate the light heavyweight division, scoring many notable wins over leading light heavyweights, as well as heavyweight contenders including Archie Moore, Jimmy Bivins, Joey Maxim and Lloyd Marshall.
10.
On February 20,1948, Ezzard Charles fought a young contender named Sam Baroudi, knocking him out in Round 10.
11.
Ezzard 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.
12.
Ezzard Charles made three title defenses, all ending in knockout, before facing his idol and former heavyweight champion, Joe Louis, on September 27,1950.
13.
Louis was quickly forced out of retirement due to troubles with the IRS, and at this stage in his career proved no match for the younger Ezzard Charles, who dominated the fight and won a wide unanimous decision.
14.
Ezzard Charles was now recognized as both the undisputed and Lineal world heavyweight champion.
15.
On July 18,1951, Ezzard Charles made his ninth and final title defense in a third fight against Walcott.
16.
Ezzard Charles fought a rematch with Walcott the following year, but lost a controversial decision in their fourth and final bout.
17.
Ezzard Charles was now next in line to challenge the new Heavyweight Champion: Rocky Marciano.
18.
Ezzard Charles is the only man ever to last the full 15-round distance against Marciano.
19.
Age and damage sustained during his career caused Ezzard Charles to begin a sharp decline following his title fights.
20.
Ezzard Charles retired after his final bout on September 1,1959.
21.
Ezzard Charles was one of the greatest ring technicians that ever laced on a pair of gloves.
22.
Ezzard Charles fought side on, leaning slightly to the right to take his head off the centre from the line of attack.
23.
Ezzard 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.
24.
However, some would note that after Sam Baroudi died of injuries during their 1948 fight, Ezzard Charles is alleged to have become less aggressive and more cautious, although this theory is hotly debated.
25.
Ezzard Charles was an avid fan of jazz and played a variety of instruments throughout his life.
26.
Ezzard Charles spoke fluent Italian, and even held a short conversation with Rocky Marciano in Italian during a televised interview shortly before their first fight.
27.
Ezzard Charles starred in one motion picture: Mau Mau Drums, an independent jungle-adventure film shot in and around Cincinnati in 1960 by filmmaker Earl Schwieterman.
28.
In 1968, Ezzard Charles was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
29.
Ezzard Charles was buried at Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois.
30.
In 2002, Ezzard Charles was ranked No 13 on The Ring magazine's list of the 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years.
31.
In 2006, Ezzard Charles was named the 11th greatest fighter of all time by the IBRO.
32.
Ezzard Charles had speed, agility, fast hands and excellent footwork.
33.
Ezzard Charles possessed a masterful jab and was a superb combination puncher.
34.
Ezzard Charles was the only heavyweight champion, other than a young Sonny Liston, who I think would have really troubled me at my best.
35.
In 2022, a statue honoring Ezzard Charles was unveiled in the former Laurel Park in the West End neighborhood of Cincinnati.