He fought over 100 times, yet there is no confirmed film on Ray, only live radio broadcasts. While most of his fights were vs. Journeyman, he did mix it with big names likes Charles, Walcott, John Henry Lewis, Walker, Savold and Thompson winning his share. In one of his Madison Square Garden fights, Joe Louis management saw him and decided to steer clear. He was also involved in several battle royals and wrestled with alligators on the side. I tend to view him as a top 50-80 all time heavyweight based on his ring record, perhaps a bit of a gift. An interesting cat for sure, but what was he really like in the ring?
I think that he was one of the best post war heavyweight contenders, though this is said with a dollop of hindsight. We now know that Charles and Walcott would go on to be lineal champions after Ray split series with them. Like Walcott he only got the benefit of good management/financial support late in his career, but unlike Walcott his style was not suited for longevity.
I don't think that he had a glass jaw either. I think that his chin was probably middle of the pack for what he was.
His run form October 1943 to 1948 run is fascinating. He lost twice, by KO to Chalres, on a split to Walcott. He beat both men. His win over Charles is questioned due to the Ring report quoted on Boxrec. Another ringside reporter wrote that Ray "smashed the myth that was Ray Charles who had to run for his life." Maybe the first report is right but i'd be cautious about writing that win off completely based upon what is on Boxrec. He won every other fight though much of the competition wasn't great. That was some run.
Elmer "Violent" Ray fought an incredible amount of very "soft" opposition during his career and apparently never won in a decisive manner while facing top fighters. Moreover, Ray had an advantage of about 17 to 20 pounds over Ezzard Charles in both of their bouts. As a result, I can't conclude that Ray was a great puncher despite having an impressive number of knockouts. Considering that Ray was stopped nine times while having a total of 108 bouts, much of them in which he faced less than formidable opposition, it does appear that Ray wasn't that durable. That doesn't mean that he had a "glass jaw," but it is very likely. - Chuck Johnston
I think that the least that we could do, based on his record against Charlescott, is rank him alongside Rex Layne, and probably a bit better. This is somebody who is often held up as one of Marciano's key opponents, and rightly so in my opinion.
I've always wondered about him myself. Seemed like he was hidden in the shadows for much of the mid to late 40's. I haven't counted in some time but I think from like 1941-1948 he win some 44 of 46 fights and knocked out most of his victims. Beat a few big names too. Kind of a Tim Witherpsoon type guy.
When I review Ray's career on paper, a few things stand out. He only had one fight scheduled past 10 rounds, and it was a 12 rounder. Most of his KO's seemed to come early. He could have been a front runner type, who's power and stamina tailed off in the later rounds. I see him as a good, but not great puncher. A few clippings of his biggest fights. It seems like Ray really wanted a fight with Joe Louis post WWII wasn't as good. 1947-07-25 : Ezzard Charles 174¾ lbs lost to Elmer Ray 194½ lbs by SD in round 10 of 10 Referee: Eddie Joseph 4-6 Judge: Marty Monroe 8-2 Judge: George LeCron 4-6 "Elmer (Violent) Ray, who is an old alligator wrestler out of Florida, was around today hollering for a shot at Joe Louis' heavyweight championship. He started putting up the holler immediately after coming in with a split 10 round decision last night in MSG over Ezzard Charles, a Cincinnati light heavyweight. Ray barely managed to get the nod of two of the officials, after putting up a hot rush down the stretch, particularly in the 7th and 9th when he forced Ezzard to grab and hold. The third official voted for Charles." -Associated Press Unofficial AP scorecard - 5-4-1 Charles Post fight comments. Charles match: "Charles is a good light heavyweight and fast but he couldn't knock my hat off. If Louis still refuses to meet me I'm gonna hang up my gloves. Why spend the rest of my life chasing him?" -Elmer Ray Walcott Match ( the one he won ) "I told you I had a good fighter. You'll all laugh, but I tell you I've got the guy who will beat Joe Louis." -Tommy O'Loughlan, Ray's manager 1947-03-04 : Jersey Joe Walcott 192½ lbs beat Elmer Ray 194¾ lbs by MD in round 10 of 10 Location: Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida, USA Referee: Eddie Coachman 51-49 Judge: Lou Bandell 50-50 Judge: Robert Floyd 52-48 "Jersey Joe Walcott, a seasoned heavyweight whose experience carried him to a close decision over Elmer 'Violent' Ray at the Orange Bowl Tuesday night, moved to the front among challengers for Joe Louis' title. Walcott made use of every opening to slip home telling blows, while Ray, a slightly harder puncher, several times had Walcott groggy but could not take advantage of his chances. It was an extremely close fight and was decided on the basis of points, with Walcott getting the edge on a 2-count knockdown of Ray in the 3rd round. Walcott's experience and boxing ability were what paid dividends. Changing his stance often to confuse Ray, he had his opponent coming in and belted him with rights and lefts. Ray never was able to figure out Walcott's changing style." -United Press Purses: Walcott - $15,000, Ray - $25,000
