Classic Fight: Rocky Marciano vs. Ezzard Charles I

I’ve never heard anyone think Charles won this fight…never even heard anyone say it’s controversial. Not sure why u would say that knowing u haven’t seen the full fight.

 

Def close fight worthy of a rematch but usually it’s the opposite. Stating Charles won most of the first six while Marciano won most of the rest.

 

The AP didn't give Charles a single round after the fourth (they called the 7th even). Most ringsiders had it closer. Going by the official cards, Charles had the better of the 7th, 8th and 14th.

Goldstein

CME CMM CCM MME MCM = M8, C5, E2

Barnes

CCM CEM CMM MMC MCM = M8, C6, E1

Aidala

CCC CMM ECM MMM MMM = M9, C5 E1

 

I have the radio call with many of the missing rounds. How I score it, Charles got the first 5 rounds, The Rock seem to have taken over from the 6th on, and really never stop the pace in out punching and out scoring Charles from rounds 7-15. I think I score it like 6 for Charles and 9 Marciano. Again, this is based on listening and not seeing the action lol.

 

ten rounds are lived call and the rest round summaries of the action.

 

Whilst there were definitely times that Rocky looked clumsy and inaccurate, he was a smarter fighter than a lot of people give him credit for. Charles was superb and Rocky had to utilise everything he had to win.

 

Well done. Wiki's take:

Marciano–Charles I
Marciano wins via 15 round UD


Rounds 1–4
The first four rounds of the first Marciano–Charles bout revealed Charles's superior technical expertise. Marciano was outfought and outmaneuvered in these early rounds. Charles threw body shots at Marciano with great success; he also opened a two inch long and one inch deep cut over Marciano's left eye. Marciano's cut man Freddie Brown, who later worked for [url]Roberto Durán[/url], would comment that he could not remember treating a cut worse than this one.

Rounds 5–9
In the fifth round, Charles surprisingly became defensive and stopped dictating the pace of the fight. In the early rounds, Charles had thrown body punches at Marciano with great success; by the fifth round Charles was no longer throwing these punches. Without making any effort to protect his eye, Marciano carried the fight to Charles, went on the offensive, found his rhythm, and seized the initiative in the fight. By the end of round 9, Marciano's face was a crimson mask, and yet he had managed to land so many punches on Charles that he was ahead in the scoring.

Rounds 10–15
By the 10th round, Marciano was clearly ahead and yet he kept fighting as if the decision was in doubt, and kept trying for a knockout. Charles managed to stay on his feet while withstanding Marciano's punches, but his face gradually started changing for the worse. His right eye closed, his lower lip was split and swollen, and a blood clot appeared on his left jaw. At the end Marciano won the fight with a unanimous decision (scored 8-5, 9-5 and 8-6 in favor of the champion). Ruby Goldstein, who refereed this fight, commented:

Charles was a very good, smart fighter, who still employed the tactics he had as a middleweight.He gave Marciano trouble for the first ten rounds.He came at him fast with an assortment of punches, and he hit Rocky with a lot of combinations where he'd put together five or six punches in a row.Most fighters would grab on and wait for their head to clear after being hit by a good combination. But this is where Marciano was a discouraging-type fighter. After a fighter hit him with some of his best punches, Rocky would come chasing right back after him, back him up against the ropes, and throw seven or eight punches of his own.


My take. Rocky won a war or a fight. His stamina was a factor late and Charles was beaten back by a volume of punches

 

I love the fight, will, but for me it's definitely Rocky's win.
Charles puts in a great effort, but Rocky s aggression, youth and harder punching gives him the win.

 

As I've said before with the new generation of boxing "fans"..."Revisionist history!"

 

Writer Red Smith said: "Marciano won because of his incredible indifference to pain...and the numbing power of his punches!". AP writer Whitney Martin said: "It was Marciano's finest fight...he displayed his power...unswerving determination...and extreme confidence!". "He has a body that is conditioned to withstand anything for an endless period of time!". "He was great when he had to be great!" It's considered one of the great heavyweight fights off all time! Non stop action...non stop punching...and Charles' back touched the ropes in the 15th and final round!!!