Ezzard Charles

2022-04-26T01:31:03Z

Xmdimoff: Different James Toney. Clearly was not Light's out Toney as he wasn't alive in the 1930s

[[File:EzzardCharles.jpg|left|thumb|250px]]
[[file:Ibhof-logo.jpg|thumb|right|Class of 1990 Modern Category Hall of Fame bio:[http://www.ibhof.com/pages/about/inductees/modern/charles.html click]]]
[[File:WBHF Logo.jpg|right|thumb|200px|World Boxing Hall of Fame Inductee]]
<boxer>009012</boxer>
'''Managers:''' Bert Williams, [[Charles Dyer]], Gene Elkus, George Rhein, [[Jake Mintz]], [[Tom Tannas]] 
'''Trainers:''' [[Jimmy Brown (Cincinnati trainer)|Jimmy Brown]], [[Ray Arcel]], Jimmy Brown, [[Chickie Ferrera]], [[Bill Gore]] 
'''[[:Category:Ezzard Charles Gallery|Ezzard Charles Gallery]]

== Amateur Career ==

During his first year as a professional, various newspapers mention his long winning streak dating all the way back to 1937 as an amateur. On July 26, 1940 before his 8th scheduled pro bout, ''Cincinnati Enquirer'' says if Charles is beaten it'll be his first defeat in 40 fights. Prior to his 10th pro bout with [[Billy Hood]], ''Cincinnati Enquirer'' mentions Ezzard having been unbeaten in 48 starts. After his 12th pro bout, when he knocked out [[Charley Jerome]] of Memphis, Tenn., Associated Press reports it being his 50th straight win and he hasn't been on the losing side of a bout since he dropped a close, three round decision in the finals of a 1937 regional amateur tournament in Cincinnati.

*1936 On Mar. 16, Northern Kentucky amateur boxing tournament Lightweight Champion.
** Semifinals 135-Pound class: Defeated Charles Johnson, Pastime A.C. by decision.
*1936 On Mar. 26, lost to [[Dodo Woods]] by decision at amateur boxing show held at Hartwell Country Club.
*1936 On Dec. 2, lost to [[Jim Shuffleberger]] by decision at A.A.U. amateur boxing show held at Music Hall in Cincinnati.
*1937 The Times Star [[Diamond Belt]] boxing tournament Welterweight Champion.
** 1st Round 147-Pound class: Defeated [[Robert McKibben]], Times-Star A.C. by decision.
*1937 On Feb. 25 6th Annual Greater Cincinnati junior novice boxing tournament Welterweight Champion
** 1st Round 147-Pound class: Defeated [[Charley Morris]], Times-Star A.C. by decision.
** Quarterfinal 147-Pound class: Defeated [[Ras Lamb]] Times-Star A.C. by decision.
*1937 On Mar. 3 2nd annual Cincinnati Golden Gloves tournament lost a decision to [[Johnny Castro]], Miami University in welterweight semi finals.
** Quarterfinals 147-Pound class: Defeated [[George Craft]] by decision.
** Consolation bout 147-Pound class: Defeated [[Israel Clemons]], Williams A.C. by decision.
*1937 On Mar. 29 Ohio [[AAU]] district Welterweight Champion
** 1st Round 147-Pound class: Defeated [[Rex Johnson]] of Toledo, Oh. by decision.
** 2nd Round 147-Pound class: Defeated H. Fisher of Dayton, Oh. by knockout first round.
** Semifinals 147-Pound class: Defeated [[Ernest Banks]] of Columbus, Oh. by decision.
** Finals 147-Pound class: Defeated Paul Jones of Wilberforce University by technical knockout in second round.
*1937 On Apr. 13 in Boston, Mass., 35th National AAU tournament lost a decision to [[Fred Lewis (of Nanticoke, PA)|Freddy Lewis]] of Philadelphia, PA. in welterweight second round preliminaries.
*1938 Jan 19 The Times Star [[Diamond Belt]] boxing tournament Welterweight Champion.
** 1st Round 147-Pound class: Defeated [[Tony Milillo]] Times-Star A.C. by technical knockout in second round
** Quarterfinals 147-Pound class: Defeated [[Charles Wilson]] by decision.
** Semifinals 147-Pound class: Defeated [[Ray McDonald]] Times-Star A.C. by decision.
Charles was knocked down early in the fight but was able to come back and win it by decision. It was reportedly the only time Ezzard touched the canvas during his entire amateur career.
** Finals 147-Pound class: Knocked out [[Henry Wright]] C.Y.O. in second round.
*1938 On Feb 24 3rd annual Cincinnati Golden Gloves tournament welterweight champion
** Finals 147-Pound class: Won by default over [[Johnny Castro]]. Illness forced Castro to default. He pleaded to go on, but Boxing Commission physician ruled otherwise.
*1938 On Mar. 1 [[Chicago Golden Gloves|Chicago Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions]] lost a decision to [[Artie Dorrell]] of Fort Worth, Tx. in welterweight second round preliminaries.
*1938 On Mar. 28 at National AAU Junior championships lost a decision to [[Sam Amico]] of Detroit, Mich. in welterweight first round preliminaries.
*1938 Ohio [[AAU]] district Welterweight Champion
** 1st Round 147-Pound class: Defeated [[James Johnson]] of Toledo, Oh. by decision.
** 2nd Round 147-Pound class: Defeated [[Chris Williams]] of Springfield Oh.
*1939 Diamond Belt Middleweight Champion.
*1939 On Feb 9 4th annual Cincinnati Golden Gloves tournament Middleweight champion
** Opening Round 160-Pound class: Defeated [[Walter Scott]] by decision.
** Semifinals 160-Pound class: Knocked out [[James Brown]] of Cincinnati, Oh. in third round.
** Finals 160-Pound class: Knocked out [[Edward Fowler]] of Williams A.C. in first round.
*1939 On Mar. 10 [[Chicago Golden Gloves|Chicago Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions]] Middleweight Champion
** 1st Round 160-Pound class: Defeated [[Leroy Bolden]] of St. Louis, Mo. by decision.
** 2nd Round 160-Pound class: Defeated [[Rocco Volento]] of Madison A.C., Chicago, Ill. by decision.
** Quarterfinals 160-Pound class: Defeated [[Luther Brent]] of Rockford, Ill. by decision.
** Semifinals 160-Pound class: Defeated [[Paul Frazier]] of Savoy A.C. Chicago, Ill. by decision.
** Finals 160-Pound class: Defeated [[Pete Hantz]] of Davenport, Ill. by decision.
*1939 On Mar. 29 Ohio [[AAU]] district Middleweight Champion
** Opening Round 160-Pound class: Defeated [[Bill Richardson]] of Dayton, Oh. by decision.
** Semifinals 160-Pound class: Defeated [[Perry Mason]] of Toledo, Oh. by decision.
** Finals 160-Pound class: Knocked out [[James Brown]] of Cincinnati, Oh. in third round.
*1939 On Apr. 14 National AAU Middleweight Champion
** 1st Round 160-Pound class: Defeated the defending champion [[Bradley Lewis]] of Albany, NY by decision.
** 2nd Round 160-Pound class: Defeated [[Ray Williams]] of Muskogee, Ok. by decision.
** Quarterfinals 160-Pound class: Defeated [[Ralph Di Castro]] of Rome, N.Y. by decision.
** Semifinals 160-Pound class: Defeated James Toney of Detroit, Mich. by decision.
** Finals 160-Pound class: Defeated [[Leroy Bolden]] of St. Louis, Mo. by decision

{{start box}}
{{succession box |
before= [[Cornelius Young]] |
title= [[Chicago Golden Gloves Champions|Chicago Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions]] Middleweight Champion |
years= 1939 |
after= [[Joey Maxim]]}}
{{succession box |
before = [[Bradley Lewis]] |
title = [[United States Amateur Middleweight Champions|National AAU Middleweight Champion]]|
years = 1939 |
after = [[Joey Maxim]]}}
{{end box}}

== Record Issues ==
The previously published 1940 record for Charles is inaccurate, evidently because his first manager, Bert Williams of Cincinnati, padded it with fights that did not occur. Checks of two newspapers (The ''Cincinnati Enquirer'' and The ''Ohio State Journal'' of Columbus, Ohio) by historian [[Herbert Goldman]], using the facilities of the Library of Congress and a Cincinnati newspaper by Jack Kincaid, found the following fights untraceable:

* Eddie Fowler, Portsmouth, Ohio, May 10, 1940.
* Pat Wright, Middletown, Ohio, May 17, 1940.

Other untraceable professional fights:

*Al Woodridge, Portsmouth, Ohio, February 26, 1940. This was reported as an upcoming amateur bout in the February 24, 1940, edition of The ''Portsmouth Times'', and the bout is listed as an amateur contest by The Cyber Boxing Zone.
*Jimmy Brown, Reading, Pennsylvania, March 20, 1940. This bout was not reported in The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'' (search by Luckett Davis). Charles knocked out James Brown in the third round on March 28, 1939, at Cincinnati, winning State AAU middleweight title.
*Bradley Lewis, San Francisco, California, June 24, 1940. This was actually an amateur bout that occurred on April 12, 1939.

Even in 1940 and 1941, Charles' record still listed these untraceable fights, although the details given were varied and conflicted from one telling to another. It seems best to omit all of these fights from Charles' record, at least until they can be verified.

==Professional Career==
*Defeated [[Joe Louis]], [[Teddy Yarosz]], Anton Christoforidis, Gus Lesnevich, [[Charley Burley]] twice, [[Lloyd Marshall]] twice, [[Oakland Billy Smith]] twice, [[Jersey Joe Walcott]] twice, [[Archie Moore]] three times, [[Jimmy Bivins]] four times, and [[Joey Maxim]] five times.
*Put his boxing career on hold while serving in the U.S. Army in 1944 and 1945.
*Was ranked as the No. 1 light heavyweight contender by [[The Ring Magazine|''The Ring'']] in [[The Ring Magazine's Annual Ratings: 1947|1947]].
*Knocked out [[Sam Baroudi]] on February 20, 1948. Baroudi died from injuries sustained in the fight.
*Defeated Jersey Joe Walcott by a fifteen-round unanimous decision on June 22, 1949, to win the vacant [[National Boxing Association]] World Heavyweight Championship.
*Defeated Joe Louis by a fifteen-round unanimous decision on September 27, 1950, to gain universal recognition as [[World Heavyweight Champion]].
*Successfully defended the title against [[World Heavyweight Title Records and Statistics|8 fighters]].
*Lost the title to Jersey Joe Walcott by a seventh-round knockout on July 18, 1951.
*Attempted to regain the World Heavyweight Championship three times, losing once to Walcott in 1952 and twice to [[Rocky Marciano]] in 1954.
*From 1955 until his retirement in 1959, Charles fought twenty-three times and only won ten of those bouts.
*Charles died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, on May 28, 1975. Charles said he first noticed the ailment in 1955. "After a guy hit me, I didn't seem to be able to get away," he recalled. "I didn't have the same coordination."

==Professional Record==
'''Championship record'''
*[[Most Opponents Beaten for World Heavyweight Title|8 opponents]] ([[Most World Heavyweight Title Bout Wins & Beaten Opponents By Stoppage|5 by KO]]) beaten for the World Heavyweight Title.

'''[[World Heavyweight Title Records and Statistics|Legitimate]] Championship Record'''
*[[Most Opponents Beaten for World Heavyweight Title|8 opponents]] ([[Most World Heavyweight Title Bout Wins & Beaten Opponents By Stoppage|5 by KO]]) beaten for the World Heavyweight Title between September 27, 1950 and July 18, 1951.

==Awards & Recognition==
*Named [[Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year|''The Ring'' Fighter of the Year]] for 1949 and 1950.
*Inducted into [[Ring Magazine's Boxing Hall of Fame|''The Ring'' Boxing Hall of Fame]] in 1970.
*Inducted into the [[World Boxing Hall of Fame]] in 1983
*Inducted into the [[International Boxing Hall of Fame]] in 1990.
*Named the [[Division-By-Division - The Greatest Fighters of All-Time|greatest light heavyweight of all-time]] by ''The Ring'' in 1994 and 2002.
*Named the 11th [[Division-By-Division - The Greatest Fighters of All-Time|greatest heavyweight of all-time]] by ''The Ring'' in 1998.
*Named the 13th [[The 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years|best fighter of the last 80 years]] by ''The Ring'' in 2002.

{{start box}}
{{Succession box|
before=[[Joe Louis]] Retired|
title=[[World Heavyweight Champion]] [[NBA World Heavyweight Champion]]|
after=[[Jersey Joe Walcott]]|
years=1949 Jun 22 – 1951 Jul 18}}
{{Succession box|
before=[[Joe Louis]] Retired|
title=[[NYSAC World Heavyweight Champion]]|
after=[[Jersey Joe Walcott]]|
years=1950 Sep 27 – 1951 Jul 18}}
{{end box}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Charles, Ezzard}}
[[Category:World Heavyweight Champions]]
[[Category:American World Champions]]
[[Category:United States Amateur Champions]]
[[Category:Chicago Golden Gloves Champions]]
[[Category:Diamond Belt Champions]]
[[Category:Cincinnati Golden Gloves Champions]]
[[Category:World War II Veterans]]
[[Category:IBHOF Members]]
[[Category:World Boxing Hall of Fame Members]]
[[Category:African American Boxers]]
[[Category:The Ring Magazine Champions]]

Tony Scarpati

2021-09-14T17:43:59Z

Xmdimoff:

<boxer>009406</boxer>

IN 1931 Scarpati won the New York Daily News Golden Gloves' open championship at featherweight vs. [[Johnny Bonito]], he was stopped in the second round by [[Don Gonzales]] for the Intercity Golden Gloves' featherweight championship and won the National AAU at featherweight. Scarpati died of cerebral hemorrhage sustained in his 1936 bout versus [[Lou Ambers]].

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{{start box}}
{{succession box |
before= [[Joe Comforti]]|
title= [[New York Golden Gloves|New York Daily News Golden Gloves]] Open Featherweight Champion |
years= 1931 |
after= [[Richie Carter|Richard Carter]]}}
{{succession box | title=[[United States Amateur Featherweight Champions|National AAU Featherweight Champion]] | before= [[Ray Meyers]]| after= [[Richie Carter|Richard Carter]]| years=1931}}
{{end box}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Scarpati, Tony}}
[[Category:New York Daily News Golden Gloves Champions]]
[[Category:United States Amateur Champions]]
[[Category:Ring Fatalities]]

BoxRec - User contributions [en]

Ezzard Charles

Tony Scarpati