Anyone else rank Ezzard Charles top 5 p4p of all time?

I wish I knew more about the unfoldings of those fights. They are certainly very intriguing wins at that stage of a fighter's development. Maybe size was a key issue?

I'd rate Robinson, Armstrong, Greb, Fitz, and Langford above him for starters, though. Duran, maybe Leonard, maybe Gans, maybe Pep, maybe Ali, McFarland, Dixon, etc.

I'd probably have him around #7 though, were I to actually make a list. I dunno what it is about Charles. His achievement is the stuff of the boxing Gods, but as a stylist he was just never terribly impressive to me on film, and I've seen a lot of him. A bit like Griffith, albeit of a higher class. Not to say he's necessarily overrated (obviously his resume shows differently), but I just don't really think as highly of him on film as many others. Undeniably very effective, though.

 

The rematch with Ortega, as well as the third Paret fight might qualify. I get your point, though. No doubt about it Charles was the bigger puncher. Just not much more exciting.

What!?

 

top 5 material for me defo

 

1 Greb
2 Robinson
3 Langford
4 Armstrong
5 Charles
6 Duran

 

Great list!

(because it is almost exactly the same as mine)

 

Duran at 4 is absolute bull****. He should never be above Muhammad Ali in any case.

 

I have him at number 5.

1.SRR
2. Armstrong
3. Langford
4. Greb
5. Charles

 

At the time was he not just over the Middleweight limit, he was definitly a Middleweight though, albeit a big one and Burley had mixed with fighters at top level who were big Middleweights.

I think the first win is very emphatic for Charles and for me it seems to have been a mix of Charles; speed, power, and aggresion that won him the fight.

I disagree, I think he is very impressive on film. A sound boxer-puncher who was a good athlete, I always think of him as a less athletic although more fundamentally sound Ray Robinson. He also looked very accurate and had a great offence.

Not the nature of it though? How dominant Charles was against such a great operater?

I always think Charles is abit overlooked by more casual fans due to him being Heavyweight champion, and admittadly not the greatest champion or one who captured the imagination of fans. So they tend to overlook his cracking resume sub-175lbs.

I think it was more in terms of his achievements compared to his ability on film, that El Buija was using for an example, rather than any stylistic comparisons, although I maybe wrong.

What Marshall fight?

 

Thats fair enough, but the dominance is very surprising IMO.

Thanks just clarifying not sure if you meant Charles vs Marshall.

 

5 is a perfect spot since that is where he is on my list!