Educate me: How good was Charley Burley?

True and it isnt fair, but it's happened throughout boxing history. There is a 30 and 0 Russian fighter Konstantin Ponomarev, who beat two undefeated Top Rank guys who were both 26-0 at the time, and he is sitting on the bench, waiting and waiting and waiting and .............

 

Exactly.

 

He was the most avoided black fighter of the 40s

 

Business has played a very important part in professional boxing since the beginning. Keeping that fact in mind, it is little wonder that Charley Burley, not much of a drawing card, never got a world title shot or even a "big money" bout no matter how good he was.

- Chuck Johnston

 

Perhaps the bigger problem for Burley was being avoided by a few top contenders and not being able to tighten the noose around a title shot opportunity even tighter?

 

Part of Charley Burley's problem was that he wasn't a big enough drawing card to make it worthwhile to get certain top contenders to fight him.

- Chuck Johnston

 

unfortunately burley was to good for his own good

 

https://www.youtube.com/shared?ci=_VofOwy2a2s

 

Just read Ott's book on him last week. One of the better biographies, he does a good job throughout the book, particularly in the last quarter, of showing the character of the man. A consummate professional. It seems it was a combination of his style, management, WW2, unwillingness to work with the corrupt establishment, and shrewd avoidance by Robinson and others that resulted in no title shot. We are frankly lucky we have the Oakland Billy Smith fight at all considering we have virtually none on Holman Williams, Tiger Wade, Elmer Ray, Eddie Booker, etc.

 

Charley Burley's filmed bout with Oakland Billy Smith had a gate of about $14,000. or $15,000., which probably was the largest one that Burley drew during his career when he was fighting in a "stand-alone" main event. It also appears that Burley's largest purse ever was $4,500. Based on such figures, would any promoter risk putting up a big enough guarantee to have Sugar Ray Robinson fight Burley? I doubt it because the risk would be huge.

- Chuck Johnston

 

I care zero about the business side of the sport.

Burley is clearly, for me, the best fighter to never get a title shot in his career.

He's easily amongst the top 100 fighters I've ever seen and amongst the top 10 MW fighters I've ever seen.

 

He was good enough to be welterweight and middleweight champion if he's been given title shots against Armstrong/Zivic/Cochrane (at 147) and Zale (160).

 

Based on his record, there isn't any doubt that Charley Burley was a truly great fighter. I was simply pointing out one important obstacle for Burley in getting a bout with Sugar Ray Robinson. The business end is very important factor in professional boxing. In fact, professional boxing is a business, which is a good reason why a great fighter like Burley, but far from being a good gate attraction, was unable to get a title shot or lucrative bouts.

- Chuck Johnston

 

What I've read previously on this forum is that Ray was offered a then career high payday of 50k to face Burley, but turned it down.

I wouldn't call it a duck, though, since there was no title at stake and Burley must have been a MW at the time and Leonard was still a WW.

 

Whilst true, I'm not here to debate proift margins, gate receipts or any other financial stuff.

I only care about the fight game.