why ezz didn't go after the light heavy title
Posted: 06 Dec 2005, 04:16
...somebody...i think it was my buddy brockton boy...asked how come ezzard stopped pursuing the light heavy title and went after the heavyweight one instead. i think the question was even directed to me...but....darn....i can't find the thread.
however....the answer is very specific. ezzard's folks kept offering lesnevich's people (joe vella) all kinds of money to defend against charles.
vella kept turning them down. instead, he went over to london..thinking he'd defend successfully against freddie mills and of course lost instead. the very next day ezzard and his camp stated they were no longer interested in the light heavy title...they knew they had no chance to get a shot at it with mills....they weren't even going to pursue it.
a post script....sam becker...cincinnati promoter....offered lesnevich $50,000...a huge sum then....but one that was a little less than what was offered him to fight ezzard.....to come to cincinnati to fight joey maxim for the so-called american lightheavyweight title. gus lost...becker lost even more....it made a big story in ring magazine. the gate wasn't even enough to pay gus alone....so for the whole card...maxim....etc...becker dumped a bundle....more than the fifty grand....though that was erroneously givemn as the loss.
anyway..the winner was to fight mills...gus thought he'd beat maxim and get a shot at his title back...mills took on maxim because maxim wasn't known as a puncher....and after a fine boxing exhibition that the british loved...maxim knocked mills out. (Maxim, a very intelligent and funny guy, said the press and fans were surprised at his show of power. when a writer asked maxim if he himself was surprised, he said "stunned would be more accurate.)
it's always bugged me that ezzard didn't get his shot at the title,as he would have been the first light heavy champ to step up and win the heavy crown.
however....the answer is very specific. ezzard's folks kept offering lesnevich's people (joe vella) all kinds of money to defend against charles.
vella kept turning them down. instead, he went over to london..thinking he'd defend successfully against freddie mills and of course lost instead. the very next day ezzard and his camp stated they were no longer interested in the light heavy title...they knew they had no chance to get a shot at it with mills....they weren't even going to pursue it.
a post script....sam becker...cincinnati promoter....offered lesnevich $50,000...a huge sum then....but one that was a little less than what was offered him to fight ezzard.....to come to cincinnati to fight joey maxim for the so-called american lightheavyweight title. gus lost...becker lost even more....it made a big story in ring magazine. the gate wasn't even enough to pay gus alone....so for the whole card...maxim....etc...becker dumped a bundle....more than the fifty grand....though that was erroneously givemn as the loss.
anyway..the winner was to fight mills...gus thought he'd beat maxim and get a shot at his title back...mills took on maxim because maxim wasn't known as a puncher....and after a fine boxing exhibition that the british loved...maxim knocked mills out. (Maxim, a very intelligent and funny guy, said the press and fans were surprised at his show of power. when a writer asked maxim if he himself was surprised, he said "stunned would be more accurate.)
it's always bugged me that ezzard didn't get his shot at the title,as he would have been the first light heavy champ to step up and win the heavy crown.
