Charles Burley (83-12-2, 50 KOs)
Pittsburgh/Bessemer, Pennsylvania, September 6Th 1917 - October 10Th 1992 WEIGHT CLASS: Welterweight 147, Middleweight 160
Charles Burley is one of my all time favorite fighters because he was so hardworking and humble. He was ducked at middleweight by the greatest fighter ever to lace up a pair of boxing gloves Sugar Ray Robinson. Even though he deserved a shot at the welterweight crown he was not given the chance. The reason is despicable and it makes me sick it was mostly because of the racist times. His height was 5'9" and that was on the small side for welterweight and for sure at middleweight. He was almost always out weighed by his opponents. He fought heavyweights including Ezzard Charles a future champ twice and was out weighed by as much as 40 or 50 lbs many times. He had all the tools a great chin, a powerful punch, a good jab, great defense, and an awkward style to boot. Archie Moore said he was the finest boxer he ever fought and he had 234 recorded fights. The great trainer Eddie Futch said that he was the finest all-around fighter he ever saw. He would fight anyone and would take fights on short notice. He worked at an aircraft factory by day and trained and fought after work. I guess that is why fighters today make me so sick. He was never given the chance to win a title and people today are afraid to fight the best. Fighters today should learn the history look up to men like Burley and be thankful for what they have. Charles worked at an airplane factory the same day he fought Archie Moore the man who has the most knockouts in boxing history. Just imagine what he would do with today's training science and purse sizes. He beat Archie anyway by a one sided decision, knocking down the boxing great a total of 4 times. He started his career off by winning 16 times in 18 months, which is unheard by today's standards. He was avoided by most of his peers but not all, Archie Moore and Ezzard Charles took the challenge. It is a shame that a man that had that much skill couldn't get a shot even in the golden era of welterweights. With fighters like Mercel Cerdan, and Jake LaMotta it was amazing he had to fight at heavyweight to get a fight. Guys he could have fought like Sugar Ray Robinson, and Billy Conn didn't sign to fight because he was so good. He would not take a dive to get ahead and he even claimed he would have got a shot at Robinson if he would have dropped the first of 3 scheduled fights. People have compared Paul Williams to Burley but he is not even in that same boat Paul will get a chance. Charles Burley fought with honor in the face of tremendous adversity and was well respected by his community, that is why I call him a legend.
Nick Thomas deathwish72@gmail.com
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