In a career spanning 19 years and 5 months, Ezzard Charles fought 121 times with 95 wins, 25 losses, and 1 draw. By his last professional fight on September 1, 1959, Charles' boxing record stood at 95-25-1 (52 KO wins, 7 KO losses).
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Ezzard Charles (Cincinnati Cobra) was an American professional boxer. He was born in Lawrenceville, Georgia, U.S. on July 7, 1921. Charles made his professional boxing debut at the age of 18 on March 12, 1940. He was a heavyweight world champion. He died on May 28, 1975 at the age of 53 years. Charles is a Hall of Famer.
Total Fights | 121 |
---|---|
Wins | 95 |
Losses | 25 |
Draws | 1 |
No-Contests | 0 |
KO Wins | 52 |
---|---|
Total Title Wins | 3 |
Title Defenses | 8 |
Title-Fight KO Wins | 5 |
Losses via KO | 7 |
# | Date | Age | Opponent | Result | Via |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
121 | Sep 1, 1959 | 38 | Alvin Green | Loss | UD |
120 | Jul 30, 1959 | 38 | George Logan | Loss | KO8 |
119 | Jul 3, 1959 | 37 | Dave Ashley | Win | TKO9 |
118 | Oct 27, 1958 | 37 | Donnie Fleeman | Loss | KO6 |
117 | Aug 28, 1958 | 37 | Alfredo Zuany | Loss | UD |
116 | Aug 28, 1958 | 37 | Johnny Harper | Win | UD |
115 | Oct 2, 1956 | 35 | Dick Richardson | Loss | DQ |
114 | Aug 31, 1956 | 35 | Harry Matthews | Loss | UD |
113 | Jul 13, 1956 | 35 | Pat McMurtry | Loss | UD |
112 | Jun 19, 1956 | 34 | Bob Albright | Win | RTD6 |
111 | May 21, 1956 | 34 | Wayne Bethea | Loss | UD |
110 | Apr 21, 1956 | 34 | Don Jasper | Win | TKO9 |
109 | Dec 29, 1955 | 34 | Young Jack Johnson | Loss | TKO6 |
108 | Dec 22, 1955 | 34 | Bob Albright | Win | SD |
107 | Dec 6, 1955 | 34 | Toxie Hall | Win | UD |
106 | Nov 14, 1955 | 34 | Toxie Hall | Loss | SD |
105 | Aug 31, 1955 | 34 | Tommy Jackson | Loss | UD |
104 | Aug 3, 1955 | 34 | Tommy Jackson | Loss | UD |
103 | Jul 13, 1955 | 34 | Paul Andrews | Win | SD |
102 | Jun 8, 1955 | 33 | John Holman | Win | UD |
101 | Apr 27, 1955 | 33 | John Holman | Loss | TKO9 |
100 | Apr 11, 1955 | 33 | Vern Escoe | Win | KO3 |
99 | Feb 18, 1955 | 33 | Charley Norkus | Win | UD |
98 | Sep 17, 1954 | 33 | Rocky Marciano | Loss | KO8 |
97 | Jun 17, 1954 | 32 | Rocky Marciano | Loss | UD |
96 | Jan 13, 1954 | 32 | Bob Satterfield | Win | KO2 |
95 | Dec 16, 1953 | 32 | Coley Wallace | Win | KO10 |
94 | Sep 8, 1953 | 32 | Harold Johnson | Loss | SD |
93 | Aug 11, 1953 | 32 | Niño Valdés | Loss | UD |
92 | May 26, 1953 | 31 | Larry Watson | Win | KO5 |
91 | May 12, 1953 | 31 | Billy Gilliam | Win | UD |
90 | Apr 1, 1953 | 31 | Rex Layne | Win | UD |
89 | Feb 4, 1953 | 31 | Tommy Harrison | Win | TKO9 |
88 | Jan 14, 1953 | 31 | Wes Bascom | Win | TKO9 |
87 | Dec 15, 1952 | 31 | Frank Buford | Win | TKO7 |
86 | Nov 26, 1952 | 31 | Jimmy Bivins | Win | UD |
85 | Oct 24, 1952 | 31 | Cesar Brion | Win | UD |
84 | Oct 8, 1952 | 31 | Bernie Reynolds | Win | KO2 |
83 | Aug 8, 1952 | 31 | Rex Layne | Loss | PTS |
82 | Jun 5, 1952 | 30 | Jersey Joe Walcott | Loss | UD |
81 | Dec 12, 1951 | 30 | Joe Kahut | Win | KO8 |
80 | Dec 12, 1951 | 30 | Joey Maxim | Win | UD |
79 | Oct 10, 1951 | 30 | Rex Layne | Win | TKO11 |
78 | Jul 18, 1951 | 30 | Jersey Joe Walcott | Loss | KO7 |
77 | May 30, 1951 | 29 | Joey Maxim | Win | UD |
76 | Mar 7, 1951 | 29 | Jersey Joe Walcott | Win | UD |
75 | Jan 12, 1951 | 29 | Lee Oma | Win | TKO10 |
74 | Dec 5, 1950 | 29 | Nick Barone | Win | KO11 |
73 | Sep 27, 1950 | 29 | Joe Louis | Win | UD |
72 | Aug 15, 1950 | 29 | Freddie Beshore | Win | TKO14 |
71 | Oct 14, 1949 | 28 | Pat Valentino | Win | KO8 |
70 | Aug 10, 1949 | 28 | Gus Lesnevich | Win | RTD7 |
69 | Jun 22, 1949 | 27 | Jersey Joe Walcott | Win | UD |
68 | Feb 28, 1949 | 27 | Joey Maxim | Win | MD |
67 | Feb 7, 1949 | 27 | Johnny Haynes | Win | KO8 |
66 | Dec 10, 1948 | 27 | Joe Baksi | Win | TKO11 |
65 | Nov 15, 1948 | 27 | Walter Hafer | Win | KO7 |
64 | Sep 13, 1948 | 27 | Jimmy Bivins | Win | UD |
63 | May 20, 1948 | 26 | Erv Sarlin | Win | UD |
62 | May 7, 1948 | 26 | Elmer Ray | Win | KO9 |
61 | Feb 20, 1948 | 26 | Sam Baroudi | Win | KO10 |
60 | Jan 13, 1948 | 26 | Archie Moore | Win | KO8 |
59 | Dec 2, 1947 | 26 | Fitzie Fitzpatrick | Win | KO4 |
58 | Nov 3, 1947 | 26 | Teddy Randolph | Win | UD |
57 | Oct 27, 1947 | 26 | Clarence Jones | Win | KO1 |
56 | Oct 16, 1947 | 26 | Al Smith | Win | TKO4 |
55 | Sep 29, 1947 | 26 | Lloyd Marshall | Win | KO2 |
54 | Sep 16, 1947 | 26 | Joe Matisi | Win | UD |
53 | Jul 25, 1947 | 26 | Elmer Ray | Loss | SD |
52 | Jul 14, 1947 | 26 | Fitzie Fitzpatrick | Win | KO5 |
51 | May 5, 1947 | 25 | Archie Moore | Win | MD |
50 | Apr 14, 1947 | 25 | Erv Sarlin | Win | UD |
49 | Mar 10, 1947 | 25 | Jimmy Bivins | Win | KO4 |
48 | Feb 17, 1947 | 25 | Oakland Billy Smith | Win | KO5 |
47 | Nov 12, 1946 | 25 | Jimmy Bivins | Win | UD |
46 | Sep 23, 1946 | 25 | Oakland Billy Smith | Win | UD |
45 | Jul 29, 1946 | 25 | Lloyd Marshall | Win | KO6 |
44 | Jun 13, 1946 | 24 | Shelton Bell | Win | KO5 |
43 | May 20, 1946 | 24 | Archie Moore | Win | UD |
42 | May 13, 1946 | 24 | Tommy Hubert | Win | KO4 |
41 | Apr 15, 1946 | 24 | George Parks | Win | TKO6 |
40 | Apr 1, 1946 | 24 | Billy Duncan | Win | KO4 |
39 | Mar 25, 1946 | 24 | Tommy Hubert | Win | UD |
38 | Feb 18, 1946 | 24 | Al Sheridan | Win | KO2 |
37 | Dec 16, 1944 | 23 | Al Barlow | Win | PTS |
36 | Dec 13, 1944 | 23 | Stanley Goicz | Win | PTS |
35 | Mar 31, 1943 | 21 | Lloyd Marshall | Loss | TKO8 |
34 | Jan 7, 1943 | 21 | Jimmy Bivins | Loss | UD |
33 | Dec 1, 1942 | 21 | Joey Maxim | Win | UD |
32 | Oct 27, 1942 | 21 | Joey Maxim | Win | UD |
31 | Sep 15, 1942 | 21 | Mose Brown | Win | KO6 |
30 | Aug 17, 1942 | 21 | Jose Basora | Win | KO5 |
29 | Jul 27, 1942 | 21 | Booker Beckwith | Win | KO9 |
28 | Jul 14, 1942 | 21 | Steve Mamakos | Win | KO1 |
27 | Jun 29, 1942 | 20 | Charley Burley | Win | PTS |
26 | May 25, 1942 | 20 | Charley Burley | Win | UD |
25 | May 13, 1942 | 20 | Kid Tunero | Loss | UD |
24 | Apr 8, 1942 | 20 | Billy Pryor | Win | PTS |
23 | Mar 2, 1942 | 20 | Ken Overlin | Draw | MD |
22 | Jan 12, 1942 | 20 | Anton Christoforidis | Win | TKO3 |
21 | Nov 17, 1941 | 20 | Teddy Yarosz | Win | UD |
20 | Oct 13, 1941 | 20 | Pat Mangini | Win | KO1 |
19 | Jul 21, 1941 | 20 | Al Gilbert | Win | TKO5 |
18 | Jun 9, 1941 | 19 | Ken Overlin | Loss | UD |
17 | May 12, 1941 | 19 | Rudy Kozole | Win | PTS |
16 | Mar 31, 1941 | 19 | Joe Sutka | Win | PTS |
15 | Mar 10, 1941 | 19 | Floyd Howard | Win | KO7 |
14 | Feb 24, 1941 | 19 | Slaka Cavrich | Win | KO2 |
13 | Feb 10, 1941 | 19 | Billy Bengal | Win | UD |
12 | Dec 2, 1940 | 19 | Charley Jerome | Win | KO3 |
11 | Oct 1, 1940 | 19 | Marty Simmons | Win | PTS |
10 | Sep 23, 1940 | 19 | Billy Hood | Win | KO2 |
9 | Aug 5, 1940 | 19 | John Reeves | Win | PTS |
8 | Jun 29, 1940 | 18 | Carl Turner | Win | PTS |
7 | Jun 17, 1940 | 18 | Young Kid Ash | Win | KO3 |
6 | Jun 13, 1940 | 18 | Frankie Williams | Win | TKO5 |
5 | Jun 3, 1940 | 18 | Charley Banks | Win | KO1 |
4 | May 20, 1940 | 18 | Charley Banks | Win | PTS |
3 | Apr 3, 1940 | 18 | Remo Fernandez | Win | PTS |
2 | Mar 27, 1940 | 18 | John Reeves | Win | PTS |
1 | Mar 12, 1940 | 18 | Melody Johnson | Win | KO4 |
Featured Opponents
Ezzard Charles' professional boxing career spanned more than 19 years — from 1940 to 1959.
Charles made his debut against Melody Johnson at the age of 18 on March 12, 1940, defeating Johnson via 4th round KO. He went on to win 16 more consecutive fights after the debut, which included 7 wins via stoppage.
Charles had his first world title fight at the age of 27 on June 22, 1949 after 68 professional fights, against Jersey Joe Walcott for the heavyweight NBA (vacant) title. He defeated Walcott via 15 round unanimous decision to become the heavyweight champion of the world.
He was a one-time unified heavyweight world champion, and won one world title at heavyweight. For all the details about Charles' world title wins and defenses refer to "Ezzard Charles World Titles".
Some of Charles' best fights and notable victories include wins over Joe Louis, Joey Maxim, Jersey Joe Walcott, Archie Moore, and Charley Burley.
Ezzard Charles had a total of 25 losses in his professional boxing career — four of them in title bouts and 21 in non-title bouts. He suffered his first loss against Ken Overlin via 10 round unanimous decision on June 9, 1941, which ended his 17-fight win streak. He was stopped seven times and lost 18 times via decision. For more details about these defeats, refer to "All of Ezzard Charles' losses".
His last professional fight was a non-title bout against Alvin Green at 38 years of age, on September 1, 1959. Charles lost the fight via 10 round unanimous decision.
Charles retired from professional boxing with a record of 95-25-1, which included 52 knockout wins and 7 losses via knockout, and 1 title win. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) in 1990.
Ezzard Charles fought a total of 121 times during his professional career. He was among the very best of his generation and was known for his great performances. These 10 fights are the highlight of his career.
The first remarkable big fight in Ezzard Charles' career. A 20-year old Charles (22-2-1, 11 KO) faced Charley Burley on May 25, 1942. Burley was 24 years old with a record of 51-5-1. Burley was on a 20-fight win streak with 31 KO wins. Charles was the taller of the two by 8 cms and also had a 10 cm reach advantage.
Charles defeated Burley via 10 round unanimous decision.
A 24-year old Ezzard Charles (37-4-1, 19 KO) faced Archie Moore, who was 32 years old with a record of 80-11-5. Moore was on a six-fight win streak with 62 KO wins. Charles was the taller of the two by 3 cms but Moore had a 6 cm reach advantage over Charles.
Charles defeated Moore via 10 round unanimous decision.
In a rematch, a 25-year old Ezzard Charles (45-4-1, 23 KO) faced Archie Moore, who was now 33 years old with a record of 84-12-7. Moore was on a two-fight win streak with 65 KO wins. Charles was the taller of the two by 3 cms but Moore had a 6 cm reach advantage over Charles.
Charles defeated Moore via 10 round majority decision.
In a rematch, a 26-year old Ezzard Charles (53-5-1, 28 KO) faced Archie Moore, who was now 34 years old with a record of 89-13-7. Moore was on a five-fight win streak with 67 KO wins. Charles was the taller of the two by 3 cms but Moore had a 6 cm reach advantage over Charles.
Charles defeated Moore via 8th round KO.
A 27-year old Ezzard Charles (62-5-1, 34 KO) faced Jersey Joe Walcott, who was 35 years old with a record of 44-13-2. Walcott was on a two-fight losing streak. Both the boxers were of the same height but Walcott had a 3 cm reach advantage over Charles.
Charles defeated Walcott via 15 round unanimous decision to win the vacant NBA heavyweight title.
A 29-year old Ezzard Charles (66-5-1, 37 KO) faced Joe Louis, who was 36 years old with a record of 58-1. Louis was on a 34-fight win streak with 49 KO wins, and was the taller of the two by 5 cms and also had a 8 cm reach advantage over Charles.
Charles defeated Louis via 15 round unanimous decision to win the vacant NYSAC and Ring Magazine heavyweight titles and retain the NBA heavyweight title.
In a rematch, a 29-year old Ezzard Charles (69-5-1, 39 KO) faced Jersey Joe Walcott, who was now 37 years old with a record of 49-15-2 in a heavyweight title defense fight. Walcott was on a one-fight losing streak. Both the boxers were of the same height but Walcott had a 3 cm reach advantage over Charles.
Charles defeated Walcott via 15 round unanimous decision to retain the NBA, NYSAC, and Ring Magazine heavyweight titles.
In a rematch, a 29-year old Ezzard Charles (70-5-1, 39 KO) faced Joey Maxim, who was now 29 years old with a record of 75-16-4 in a heavyweight title defense fight. Maxim was on a 12-fight win streak with 20 KO wins, and was the taller of the two by 2 cms but Charles had a 1 cm reach advantage over Maxim.
Charles defeated Maxim via 15 round unanimous decision to retain the NBA, NYSAC, and Ring Magazine heavyweight titles.
In a rematch, a 30-year old Ezzard Charles (72-6-1, 40 KO) faced Joey Maxim, who was now 29 years old with a record of 76-17-4. Maxim was on a one-fight win streak with 20 KO wins, and was the taller of the two by 2 cms but Charles had a 1 cm reach advantage over Maxim.
Charles defeated Maxim via 12 round unanimous decision.
A 32-year old Ezzard Charles (85-10-1, 48 KO) faced an undefeated Rocky Marciano, who was 30 years old with a record of 45-0. Marciano was on a 45-fight win streak with 40 KO wins. Charles was the taller of the two by 4 cms and also had a 12 cm reach advantage.
Marciano defeated Charles via 15 round unanimous decision.
Some of Charles' best wins were against Joe Louis, Joey Maxim, Jersey Joe Walcott, Archie Moore, and Charley Burley. Despite the loss, his performances against Rocky Marciano and Jersey Joe Walcott are also among Charles' best.
Charles knocked out 52 of his 121 opponents. By his last fight, his KO ratio was at 43%. Of his total 95 wins, 52 of them were via KO (54.7%).
Charles had 25 losses. Alvin Green, George Logan, Donnie Fleeman, Alfredo Zuany, and Dick Richardson are some of the boxers who have beaten Charles.