Ezzard Charles' record vs top 10 ranked opposition

L Ken Overlin (Former Middleweight champion and #1 ranked Middleweight at the time)
W Teddy Yarosz (Former Middleweight champion and ranked as the #5 Middleweight in 1938, 3 years prior)
W Anton Christoforidis (Former Light Heavyweight champion, and #6 ranked Light Heavyweight at the time)
D Ken Overlin (Former Middleweight champion and #1 ranked Middleweight at the time)
L Kid Tunero (#4 ranked Middleweight at the time)
W Charley Burley (#2 ranked Middleweight at the time)
W Charley Burley (#2 ranked Middleweight at the time)
W Booker Beckwith (Future #8 ranked Light Heavyweight in 4 years, in 1946)
W Jose Basora (#5 ranked Middleweight at the time)
W Mose Brown (#4 ranked Light Heavyweight at the time)
W Joey Maxim (Future Light Heavyweight champion)
W Joey Maxim (Future Light Heavyweight champion)
L Jimmy Bivins (#1 ranked Light Heavyweight at the time)
L Lloyd Marshall (#5 ranked Light Heavyweight at the time)
W Archie Moore (Future Light Heavyweight champion, #1 ranked Light Heavyweight at the time)
W Lloyd Marshall (#4 ranked Light Heavyweight at the time)
W Oakland Billy Smith (#9 ranked Light Heavyweight at the time)
W Jimmy Bivins (Soon to be #6 ranked Light Heavyweight in 2 years, in 1948)
W Oakland Billy Smith (#5 ranked Light Heavyweight at the time)
W Jimmy Bivins (Soon to be #6 ranked Light Heavyweight in 2 years, in 1948)
W Erv Sarlin (Last ranked as the #9 Light Heavyweight back in 1941, 5 years prior)
W Archie Moore (Future Light Heavyweight champion, #3 ranked Light Heavyweight at the time)
W Fitzie Fitzpatrick (#10 ranked Light Heavyweight at the time)
L Elmer Ray (#2 ranked Heavyweight at the time, roberry)
W Lloyd Marshall (#7 ranked Light Heavyweight at the time)
W Fitzie Fitzpatrick (#10 ranked Light Heavyweight the year prior, 1946)
W Archie Moore (Future Light Heavyweight champion, #2 ranked Light Heavyweight at the time)
W Sam Baroudi (Former #9 Middleweight in late 1946, a year or so prior)
W Elmer Ray (#2 ranked Heavyweight at the time)
W Erv Sarlin (Last ranked as the #9 Light Heavyweight back in 1941, 5 years prior)
W Jimmy Bivins (#6 ranked Heavyweight at the time)
W Joe Baksi (#5 ranked Heavyweight at the time)
W Joey Maxim (Future Light Heavyweight champion and soon to be #1 Light Heavyweight contender)
W Jersey Joe Walcott (#1 Heavyweight contender at the time, future Heavyweight champion)
W Gus Lesnevich (Former Light Heavyweight champion and current #1 ranked Light Heavyweight)
W Pat Valentino (#8 ranked Heavyweight at the time)
W Freddie Beshore (#10 ranked Heavyweight at the time)
W Joe Louis (Heavyweight champion of the world)
W Nick Barone (#5 ranked Light Heavyweight at the time)
W Lee Oma (#9 ranked Heavyweight at the time)
W Jersey Joe Walcott (#7 ranked Heavyweight at the time, future Heavyweight champion)
W Joey Maxim (Light Heavyweight champion of the world at the time)
L Jersey Joe Walcott (#7 ranked Heavyweight at the time, now Heavyweight champion)
W Rex Layne (#6 ranked Heavyweight at the time)
W Joey Maxim (Light Heavyweight champion of the world at the time)
W Joe Kahut (Former #7 Heavyweight in 1948, 3 years prior)
L Jersey Joe Walcott (Heavyweight champion of the world at the time)
L Rex Layne (#6 ranked Heavyweight at the time)
W Cesar Brion (#7 ranked Heavyweight at the time)
W Jimmy Bivins (Last ranked at #7 in 1949, 3 years prior)
W Wesbury Bascom (Last ranked as the #7 Light heavyweight, 1 year prior)
W Tommy Harrison (#10 ranked Light Heavyweight at the time)
W Rex Layne (#6 ranked Heavyweight the last year, in 1952)
L Nino Valdes (#1 ranked Heavyweight at the time)
L Harold Johnson (#1 ranked Light Heavyweight at the time)
W Colley Wallace (#10 Heavyweight at the time)
W Bob Satterfield (#9 Heavyweight at the time)
L Rocky Marciano (Heavyweight champion of the world)
L Rocky Marciano (Heavyweight champion of the world)
W Charley Norkus (#10 Heavyweight at the time)
L John Holman (#4 ranked Heavyweight at the time)
W John Holman (#4 ranked Heavyweight at the time)
W Paul Andrews (Currently ranked as the #2 Light Heavyweight)
L Tommy Jackson (#8 ranked Heavyweight at the time)
L Tommy Jackson (#3 ranked Heavyweight at the time)
L Young Jack Johnson (#9 ranked Heavyweight at the time)
L Wayne Bethea (#10 ranked Heavyweight at the time)
L Harry Kid Matthews (Last ranked as the #3 Light Heavyweight in the world)
L Dick Richardson (Future ranked #9 Heavyweight in the world, 4 years later in 1960)
L George Logan (Future ranked #2 Heavyweight in the world, 2 years later in 1961)

49-20-1 vs top 10 ranked contenders total.

Clearly the huge amount of losses (literally 8 out of 20) in the final record is due to his physical decline post the Marciano beatings (his prime really ended with the first Walcott loss anyway) and his developing ALS disease.

Surprising to see how many contenders he actually fought. Most greats who go on for too long get these types of results against some club fighter with a barely winning record. Charles' case kinda seems like the more sad one, for some reason.