BoxRec

65 years ago tonight - February 28, 1949 - 14,062 fans crowded into the newly-opened Cincinnati Gardens to watch a card that featured Cincinnati's Ezzard against Joey Maxim in the main event. Charles won the 15-round fight by a majority decision and wins over Jersey Joe Walcott and Joe Louis over the next 18 months gave him the heavyweight title.

The Cincinnati Gardens had opened only six days before and the attendance for this boxing card was the record for events held there for over four years. It still remains the 12th largest crowd in the building's history.

Interesting fight to bring up. This win helped Charles get the chance to fight Walcott for the vacant title.

It's amazing that Ezzard beat Joey 5 out of 5, and Floyd and Ray couldn't do the trick.

Nile4000 wrote:It's amazing that Ezzard beat Joey 5 out of 5, and Floyd and Ray couldn't do the trick.

It was a corrupt decision in Patterson's case. As very often happens in Boxing today and happened throughout Boxing History...

Here's the story from boxrec quoting the AP ""Floyd Patterson, the 19 year old Olympic graduate, won a "newspaper decision" over Joey Maxim last night, but the cagey ex-light heavyweight champion grabbed the verdict that counts - a unanimous if unpopular vote by the three officials. A poll of 11 boxing writers at the ringside at Brooklyn's Eastern Parkway Arena was unanimous for Patterson over his 32 year old opponent. Patterson, using a spectacular leaping right hand lead battered Maxim in the 6th, staggering him twice. Joey fought back gamely under bursts of fire by Patterson grabbing when in danger." -Associated Press

Boxing will never change.

Nor will your belief in your own unerring judgment.

The only one with unerring judgment is God... But you don't have to be God to realize Boxing has corrupt officials -- and it's been that way a long time.

Nile4000 wrote:It's amazing that Ezzard beat Joey 5 out of 5, and Floyd and Ray couldn't do the trick.

I've actually seen most of the fight. ESPN Classic Showed the Maxim-Patterson fight several years ago. I think one round was missing. I gave Patterson every round that was shown; though a couple were close. I'm sure some others here have seen it as well.

I do believe that Moore beat Maxim more definitively than Charles or Patterson did.....(and I think Patterson edged him as well.)

Ambling Alp II wrote:

Nile4000 wrote:It's amazing that Ezzard beat Joey 5 out of 5, and Floyd and Ray couldn't do the trick.

I've actually seen most of the fight. ESPN Classic Showed the Maxim-Patterson fight several years ago. I think one round was missing. I gave Patterson every round that was shown; though a couple were close. I'm sure some others here have seen it as well.

I thought Floyd Patterson got jobbed against Maxim as well.

After Patterson's showing against boxer Joey Maxim, Cus d'Amato determined to avoid boxer types as Patterson's opponents in the future.

That's why top contenders Eddie Machen and Zora Folley never got their rightful shots at Patterson's title---

while Pete Radamacher, Brian London, Tom McNeely did.

Interesting. And Machen might have beaten him.

D'Mato didn't want any fighters with connections to the IBC to get a shot against Patterson. This included Machen, Folley (as well as Liston and Cleveland Williams.)

Fighters such as McNeeley, London, Rademacher or Roy Harris for that matter were not controlled by the IBC.

Going into the first Folley-Machen fight, it looked like the public outcry would be huge for the winner to fight Patterson. However they fought to a boring draw and neither got a shot against Patterson.

Patterson did fight Machen years later after Patterson had lost the title. Patterson won easily in one of best performances.

Ambling Alp II wrote:D'Mato didn't want any fighters with connections to the IBC to get a shot against Patterson. This included Machen, Folley (as well as Liston and Cleveland Williams.)

PATHETIC excuse.

D'Amato's not letting heavyweight champion Patterson fight his top challengers stunk up the whole of boxing.

Patterson had to dump D'Amato to fight Liston.

The Patterson Machen fight so many years later proved nothing.

Ambling Alp II wrote:D'Mato didn't want any fighters with connections to the IBC to get a shot against Patterson. This included Machen, Folley (as well as Liston and Cleveland Williams.)

How convenient.

All of his most dangerous challengers.

I disagree that the Machen fight proved noting. It proved that Patterson could easily beat Machen.

To play the devil's advocate, Johannson was a top contender and of course he fought him three times. Tommy Jackson was the top contender when Patterson fought him. He took on Liston twice.

But of course I agree with that it would have better if Patterson would have defended the title against tougher competition. Was D'Mato making a moral stand against the crooked IBC or was he simply not wanting Patterson to take risky fights is the million dollar question. I think the question might be both.