Part One Charley Burley started his career as a professional boxer with a knockout victory over George Liggins in the 4th round in a bout which took place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on September 29, 1936. He rose rapidly through the ranks and was listed as the no. 3 welterweight contender in Ring Magazine's annual ratings for 1938. According to the same ratings in the welterweight division, Ceferino Garcia and Fritzie Zivic were respectively listed as the no. 1 and no. 2 contenders. Henry Armstrong was the reigning world welterweight champion at the time. From the beginning of his career to the end of 1940, Burley fought 39 times, including bouts with Fritzie Zivic (3 times), Jimmy Bivins, Georgie Abrams, Holman Williams, Jimmy Leto (two times), Billy Soose, Cocoa Kid, Kenny LaSalle, Nate Bolden, Eddie Dolan and Leon Zorrita. During that period, Burley complied a record of 33 wins, five losses (all by decision, some of which were split verdicts ) and one draw. During that period, he lost to Dolan, Zivic (the first bout), Leto (the first bout), Williams and Bivins with the sole draw coming in a bout with Abrams. In a number of ways, Burley got off to a good start during the first four years of his career. He became a welterweight contender within a short period of time and compiled a credible record while facing some good white and black fighters. But at the same time, there were some troubling signs for him. One obvious troubling sign was that he had only five bouts outside of Pennsylvania from 1936 to 1940, none of them taking place in the major American boxing centers of New York City, Chicago, Cleveland, Boston and Detroit. During his entire career, Burley fought in New York City, Chicago, and Boston only one time each while never fighting in Cleveland or Detroit. The lack of bouts in such major boxing centers undoubtedly hampered Burley's ability to get lucrative paydays or a shot at a world championship during his career. Burley's first bout outside of Pennsylvania was when he lost a decision to Holman Williams in a fifteen rounder in New Orleans on December 1, 1939, three years after Burley's professional debut. During 1940, Burley had four bouts outside of Pennsylvania, two more in New Orleans, one in Holyoke, Massachusetts and the last one in Washington, D.C. - Chuck Johnston
