Ezzard Charles case for nr p4p?

Charles had to be on the list resume alone at least top 10-15....he may have been one of the greatest 175-195 lbers

 

I've seen cases made before. He can be argued to be way up there, for sure. The SD loss was by all accounts a rip off.

 

If you also factor in that a lot of his fights followed the death of Sam Baroudi which really affected Ez, then you get an idea of how great he was.

In A J Liebling's 'Sweet Science' a sports psychologist talks about Ezzard needing to unleash his inner tiger vs Marciano and fight without mental constraint. If he could do that, he would win, the doctor concluded. A real 'what if' when evaluating how great the great man was. Fact is, we'll never know, because after Baroudi he never could fight 100%. And still he merits discussion about a top 10 p4p ranking.

 

I don't think there is any debate .. Charles is without question one of the very best pound for pound that ever lived .. Charles, Greb, Langford, Robinson are all at the very top ... maybe

Langford
Charles
Greb
Robinson

 

i think that he is overrated AT HW!! , but i agree with you here, pfp he is one of the very best. For example i think that at hw Floyd Patterson beats him but pfp charles ranks higher. at 175 he was the best to me, maybe even better than spinks,foster ,tunney,archie moore or roy jones

 

The below two were more than enough for me. Very confident Charles should have got the nod.

Charles "apparently won handily. . . Ray was the aggressor most of the way, but Charles was the faster, the better boxer, and the sharper hitter." (The Ring, October 1947, page 42)

Unofficial AP scorecard - 5-4-1 Charles

 

Many of Charles losses came long after he should have hung them up, his hattrick against Moore and record against Burley alone would make one wonder how good he was before Sam's death.

 

I agree that he is over rated at heavyweight as well by many .. at heavyweight he was just past his best and certainly out of his best weight .. that being said he was a hell of a small heavyweight for the early 1950's but I don't see him doing well against the much bigger fighters to come ever if he was better P4P as a heavyweight ..

 

Heavyweight is the cherry on top for Charles, and it's one helluva cake underneath.

 

Yes indeed!

 

So you're confident he could have gotten the nod without seeing it, when the API scored it a 1 point victory?

It seems the people who did see it are less confident than you are!

 

Charles has as good a case as anyone. His record speaks for itself. Maybe not always a spectacular performer as far as excitement is concerned but he was a winner. That`s all that really matters.

 

2 out of 2 very reliable sources both had Charles winning, one confidently. I am indeed happy to take that on board.

What sources are you referring to that saw the fight? Where can i find these accounts you speak of? Always happy to take more on board.