Fight:17111
Ezzard Charles 164 lbs beat Joe Sutka 161 lbs by PTS in round 10 of 10
- Date: 1941-03-31
- Location: Music Hall Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Boxer From Detroit To Meet Gib Jones On Charles Card
Cincinnati Enquirer, March 26, 1941
Realizing that Sutka is of a rugged type, Manager Bert Williams began yesterday to feed light-heavyweight sparring partners to Charles in order to accustom him to the big fellows. Charles went six rounds with his heavier mates and tapered off with four rounds of calisthenics at his Fifth Street gym.
There is no question that Sutks is a superior fighter to Billy Bengal, a Detroit battler whom Charles decisioned several weeks ago, and Charles is preparing accodingly.
Sutka has been a busy mixer during his ring career. Although only 23 years of age, the Canadian born Pole has had 62 fights. He has won 48 of them - 22 by the knockout route and 26 by decisions. Like Charles, he never has been knocked out. In an important fight a couple of months ago he dropped a ten-round decision to Anton Christoforidis, present N.B.A. champion.
Charles Extends Win Streak With Triumph Over Sutka
by Bob Bohne, Cincinnati Enquirer, Apr 1, 1941
Hard-hitting Ezzard Charles moved upward another notch in his climb to fistic fame by pounding out a clean-cut victory over Joe Sutka, rugged Detroit middleweight, last night at Music Hall Sports Arena.
Ezzard shot the works trying to put Sutka away for keeps but Sutka, showing a far greater capacity to absorb punishment than ability to dish it out, was in there catching at the final bell.
Although Charles spun the Detroit battler repeatedly with terrific smashes and put nine out of ten rounds on the right side of the ledger, he failed to floor Sutka. And, despite the beating he took, Sutka never ceased to be a dangerous man.
Strictly a slugging type of fighter, Sutka ripped home some hard blows himself and was dangerous at all times. He did his best punching coming out of the clinches and countering after he had been stung by one of Charles's smashes. His ability to come back fighting when seemingly hurt by a hard punch prevented Charles leveling off for a killing blow.
For Charles the victory was No. 21 in as many professional fights, and a crowd of 2,000 paid $2,100 to see the scrap.
Charles, favored by a weight advantage of nearly four pounds and full head in height, began to touch up Sutka with stinging lefts and rights to the body in the first two stanzas.
The fighting tempo was speeded up in the third and Charles knew he had a rough customer to handle. Sutka, stopped by powerful body blows as he waded in during the opening two rounds, began to take the blows and slug away in close. For a few moments in the fourth round it appeared that this plan might work as he ripped home a couple of rights to Charles's head. But, Charles, a slugger in his own right when the occasion called for it, began to slug back.
By the end of the sixth, Sutka was convinced that even at slugging, Charles was the better man. Sutka seemed to give up all hope - except for a possible haymaker - early in the seventh and began to clinch and cover.
The slugging was one-sided from here out with Charles doing the throwing and Sutka the catching. Although Ezzard ripped away at will, he could not slip over his "Sunday punch". Try as he might, Charles couldn't make Sutka's knees to buckle and he couldn't set himself for Sutka came out swinging when least expected.