In the articles covering the lead-up to the fight (my father had the forethought to bring home the dailies from the cities he fought in), the articles were all pro Powell as you can tell. After the first fight, some of the writers made sure Powell's broken hand was the lead cause of the loss. Maybe it did, but Powell's guard was let down by flying lefts. Many writers I see here praised my father for his ability to take punches and stay in the game. A few guys said exactly what you thought, for Powell to return to football. As a great athlete and former all-Pro star with the 49ers, Powell's mind was made up to stay in the ring. And rightly so.
My father said he had very good skills and talent, but his dejection over such a loss would take the heart out of any fighter rising up. He had a possible title shot with Rocky, and that was put on the back burner. The fight meant so much to Powell, and a loss in front of the fans had to be very tough on his ego.
It was the exact same story 10 months earlier with Danny Nardico- the same exact circumstances. Danny 3rd ranked Lt-Heavy moved up to 18o lbs to fight my dad under the same auspices. Nardico readily admitted he made a huge mistake after his 1st beating followed up by another loss 2 months later to my father.
What they probably didnt know was what was going on in New York when Rocky would pick and choose his opponents.
When Al Weill saw what my father was doing in the ring fighting out of New Jersey right out of the starting gate in 1948; he liked what he saw immediately. He petitioned those in charge to buy a piece of my father repeatedly. Officially-you will find no paper stating of that transaction.Al Weill likened my father's training and boxing skills to Rocky style. Weill, the match-maker at the Garden Productions office couldnt even claim Marciano as his boy because of his job there (conflict of interest). But he sure as hell ran his career. When Rocky got too big for his britches record wise-Weill left the Garden to go on record with Rocky.And a few others. Hal Boylston was another, Tommy Harrison after he left LA to go to Providence. But my father stayed put.
What Weill did was smart. Whether he had a piece of my father or not (my dad said no, never, but he might not have known himself), my father was Rocky's front man.
Rocky and Weill wanted to see what future possible opponents might look like against a guy with the same way Rocky fought. Low hands, hard head(can take a punch) and a KO punch to boot. Weill put my father in with no less than 6 guys before their possible fights with Rocky. LaStarza was the only delay because the Norkus-LaStarza fight was cancelled in Providence,RI because LaStarza had cuts still healing from a previous fight he had only weeks earlier. Harrison was substituted in (Rocky's sparring partner). Then Rocky fought LaStarza and almost beat him.Thats why my father fought Nardico,Powell, Boylston and others - so Rocky can get a look see. A "Ring Spoiler" they called my father.
The promise at the end of all this. Look at my dads career. 1954 ends with my dad as a top contender and Weill says to him- " Wait, Dont fight. Train. Tread Water Rocky has a few promises to take care of,then its your turn Charley if everything lines up".
Marciano HAD to fight Ezzard Charles. Top contender and money making fights.
Rocky was promised a rematch with Charles if he lost the first one, he didn't, but they decided to rematch anyway, too much money on line for Rocky to pass up. Thats why my father didnt fight in early months of 1955. If he did and lost-no possibile title fight. Dad had money to live on because of his fights in 1954 all on TV.
Ezzard Charles loses twice and Weill dropped a hammer on my father. He played my father liked he used to let my father play others for Rocky. Weill says " Fight Ezzard Charles- you beat Charles, you get Rocky". My father was pissed, but understood the game. Norkus-Charles goes 10 Rds but it wasnt close. My father closed Ezzard's right eye but the wily Ezzard protected it from my fathers left hooks. So much for that. He still was pay day fodder for others though. Changed management taking on a former high ranked middleweight Marty Sampson as his new trainer, and he got him some nice pay with TV fights with Moore and Pastrano and others.
I watched my father give many interviews for TV, magazines and papers over the years. My father always stuck with the same story, ALWAYS.
Magazine: Charlie -you never got a shot versus Rocky, you ever feel bad about that ?
Charley Norkus: No, I dont look back on things like that. I made a pretty good living for my family, my wife Margie and my son, Charlie Jr to be comfortable on at the
time.
Magazine: If you did face Rocky, do you think you could beat him ?
Charley Norkus: Rocky was the toughest and hardest puncher I ever saw. I knew Rocky well. I don't know if I would have beat him, but I can tell you that it would have
a very intersesting fight.
He made those statements with conviction, but deep down, I think he wanted that shot, who wouldnt when you were that close.
My father told me privately that he felt that Rocky had trouble with left handed punchers. THat was one thing he and Weill were looking out for in his fight previews.
Rocky let his right hand dangle after a hard thrown punch-and if he missed with it, left him with no defense of lefts coming over the top of it. My father was counting on that. My father would also end with- " You had to hope Rocky missed you-if he didnt- you could of had a sledge hammer of a left, it didnt matter"
Rocky and Charley at "The Town and Country" niteclub in Brooklyn, NY 1961 The place was mobbed run but every big named entertainer played it.
I downloaded a few other Norkus fights on Youtube.com. Trying to get a few more up there too.
