Home Boxing News Ezzard Charles Part 1 of 2: Cobra’s Triumph and Tragedy

Ezzard Charles Part 1 of 2: Cobra’s Triumph and Tragedy

Ezzard Charles (93-25-1 52 KO’s) was born on July 7, 1921 in Lawrenceville, GA. He would move to Cincinnati at the age of nine where he would be raised primarily by his grandmother and great-grandmother. Charles started to box in his teenage years as an amateur. The fighter who would be known as the “Cincinnati Cobra” would go 42-0 as an amateur and win the AAU National middleweight title in 1939. He fought as low as a featherweight as an amateur and could have fought professionally as a welterweight if he had turned professional earlier.

Charles would fight near his native Cincinnati and win his first 15 bouts. Charles first major name in his resume was Charles Burley. It wouldn’t be far fetched to believe that a fighter with the raw talent that Ezzard Charles would easily be a quintuple champion today with seventeen weight classes and four major sanctioning bodies. Charles fought professional from a weight range of 157-204 pounds which encompasses five divisions. Charles would be regarded by many as the greatest light heavyweight of all time and defeat notable hall of fame fighters Archie Moore, Joe Louis, Charley Burey, Joey Maxim, and Jersey Joe Walcott. In total, Charles would defeat 10 future boxing hall of famers.

Charles was an excellent transitional fighter who could switch from defensive to offensive stands in a whim. This enabled Charles to exploit offensive opportunities while minimizing return fire. For example, when Charles would go to an opponent’s body he immediately would crotch down and go after the body again to avoid shots upstairs. Charles understood when to set up his left hook or counter opponents with right hands over a pawing left jab. The physicality and durability of Charles allowed him to successfully defeat larger opponents.

Charles would have a nearly two year ring hiatus as he served in the Army in 1943-1944 during World War 2. There would be no time lapse when Charles returned in 1946. He would defeat future hall of famers Archie Moore three times and Jimmy Bivins twice in the immediate two years. In 1948, Charles would tragically be involved in a bout that resulted in the death of Sam Baroudi. Baroudi was a tough fighter who never was knocked out in 55 professional bouts. Baroudi would make a name for him in the fourth round, but remain on the defensive after the fifth round due to the overwhelming aggression by Charles. The fight was close early as both fighters exchanged with some of their best shots. Charles would be the first to knock out Baroudi in the tenth round. Unfortunately, Baroudi would immediately lose consciousness and die the next day due to brain hemorrhage. There would be a police inquest that ruled the death accidental. The tragic irony was that Baroudi himself would be involved in the accidental ring death of Glenn Newton Smith the year before. That police inquest as his own death would be ruled accidental. The Baroudi death had a profound impact on Charles as Baroudi was a fellow Ohio native and a youthful 21-years-old. Charles would be extra cautious in finishing off fighters with combinations to the head while they were hurt in the future. Nontheless, Charles would still win his next 16 consecutive matches. This included a win over Joey Maxim and a 15 round decision over Jersey Joe Walcott in 1949 for the NBA heavyweight title. The encounter was a highly technical match seeing plenty of side stepping, feints, and inside clinching. Charles would win the fifteen round decision by unanimous scores of 78-72, 78-72, and 78-72. Charles most notable win in this period was when he fought national hero Joe Louis in 1950 in Yankee Stadium.

Charles would defeat Joe Louis who had defended his heavyweight title 25 times. Although Louis was a bit heavier and slower than his heyday he still had that great knockout power and a 33-pound advantage that could have caused trouble for the natural light heavyweight. Charles would dominate the bout by beating Louis to the punch and evading the best Louis artillery. For Louis it was trying to swat a very clever fly that would disappear right in the final moment you thought you had it. Charles was able to slip and parry the punches with excellent timing. Even when Louis would catch Charles the Cincinnati fighter would be able to take the shots as in the fourth round of the bout. Charles would often catch Louis with a straight left, and overhand right deliberately on Louis left eye. To his credit, Louis was able to take some powerful shots as the opening minute of the ninth round. Louis would display an incredible determination and display of courage in the tenth round, reminiscent to what Evander Holyfield would do against Riddick Bowe four decades later in a losing title effort.

It is believed that Charles could have stopped the legendary Louis in the late rounds but out of respect carried the older fighter to the closing bell. This was a bit of a stretch as Charles was swinging for the fences in the final rounds as Louis was still coming forward. The final verdicts of 10-5, 13-2, and 12-3 made Charles the new heavyweight champion of the world. “I will try to do my best to keep it as clean as the previous fellow who just stepped down, Joe Louis, and I will try to be as much of a credit to it as he was,” Charles would say after the decision. Unfortunately, defeating such an American icon would still be a burden that Charles would carry until the end of his career.