The ESB British Forum Encyclopedia

Name: David Reid
Height: 5'9

Boxing record
Total fights 19
Wins 17
KO's 7
Losses 2 (1)

There have been many fighters who looked for an opportune moment to make a 'smash'n'grab' and take some of Boxings riches for themselves with the minimum of effort. There have been Olympic Gold Medallists who have used their notoriety to climb the ladder of the Boxing World quickly, attracting lucrative deals and the 'push' of a major network to get them into positions some hard-working fighters could only dream to get into.

But for 1996 Olympic Gold medallist David Reid and his team, his quick ascension to the top of the game and minds of boxing fans and experts alike was based on necessity; a heavily drooping left eyelid made the usual drawn out 'prospect vs journeyman' matchups an unnecessary venture. The eyelid was damaged by future 154lb titlist Daniel Santos in the 1995 Pan-Am games, and made Reid's eyelid lose it's elasticity. Doctors told him they thought his vision would be impeded so drastically within a year, that he would have to cease boxing. Reid was going to be matched tough, quick, in order to get him the big fights before he found it impossible to carry on with his career. Ironically, the fight which cemented him as a top class talent was also the cause of his hopes of greatness to be derailed, when he stepped up to the plate against arguably the most dangerous P4P puncher of the last 20 years.

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A former drug dealer and hoodlum, Reid turned to boxing to get him on the straight and narrow, and developed into quality amateur with both National (Golden Gloves) and International (Welterweight Gold; 1995 Pan-Am games, where he first suffered his eye injury) Reid blazed into the finals of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games with little difficulty, scrapping and boxing, and went into the final as the last American hope for a Boxing Gold in a team that included Floyd Mayweather Jr, Antonio Tarver and Fernando Vargas. However, hopefully outclassed by Cuban Alfredo Duvergal, who had won Gold at the same Pan American games as Reid in the division above, Reid was urged by his corner, the announcers, and probably all of his countrymen at home, to let it all go in the third and final round. He did, landing the big right hand that would see him highly touted as a pro', sensationally taking home the Olympic Gold at Junior Middleweight with a come-from-behind K.O!
2:55 Al Beristein with a classic bit of commentary
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C44pjiRloE8&feature=related[/ame]

It was felt by a lot of the boxing press at the time, that Reid had as much potential to make a splash as the former Gold medal star, Oscar De La Hoya had. A rough and tough Philadelphia fighter, Reid moved away from his hometown to avoid the gym wars that so many of his heroes had seen shorten their ring career. Reid made his professional bow on HBO, the first fighter to do so, and received a lucrative fee of $200,000 for a four rounder. Reid demonstrated his crushing right hand power in his early fights, and some even touted him as a genuine P4P puncher. But Reid wasn't exactly knocking out stiffs. His first four opponents had a combined record of 44-2 and featured two undefeated fighters, and in his fifth pro bout he squashed faded former Welterweight champion Jorge Vaca inside a round.

Simon Brown, coming off a stoppage loss to Bernard Hopkins up at Middleweight, was more remembered for the power he brought to the table at Welter and Junior Middleweight, scoring a stoppage over Terry Norris amongst others. Vulnerable but extremely dangerous, he was nonetheless chosen as the 10th opponent for the fledgling Reid. Here, Reid displays his offensive savagery. Dominating Brown and dropping him early, Reid doesn't allow his powerful foe to get a foot in, bombing him out in the fourth round with another big right hand and a truly highlight-reel finish!

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvTIcdgAdS0[/ame]
K.O at 5:30; Brown down for a very long time, which I edited out
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPrYZG5MfMM&feature=related[/ame]

But as Reid stepped it up further, a worrying trend was being noted. Fading late and being dropped. HBO analysts quickly cottoned on to the fact that as Reid perspired more as the fight went on, his damaged eyelid would droop further down, impairing his vision further and leaving more prone to being hit with shots he didn't see coming. Nonetheless, in 1999 he recorded an impressive decision victory over solid titlist Laurent Boudouani (annoying taken off youtube :twisted who had made defences against a past-it Terry Norris, the very good Julio Cesar Vasquez, and solid Guillermo Jones, now a top ten Cruiserweight and was rated no.2 by The Ring going into the fight :nut

Two subsequent defences were not well-received. With his back against the wall, the 14-0 (7) WBA title holder was matched up with the most dangerous man in boxing at that point; 'Undefeated' Welterweight champion Felix 'Tito' Trinidad, jumping up to the 154lb weightclass directly after his controversial decision win over Oscar De La Hoya. 'Tito' was being primed for a super fight with the brash and popular Fernando Vargas, Reid's former team mate at Atlanta. Something strange happened. The rookie hit back.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT9ImufbgYw[/ame]

Reid takes the initiative from Trinidad in the second, and starts to find his range after some fairly cagey early rounds. Scoring a flash knockdown over Trinidad in the third round, Reid keeps it cool, with some success...until 'Tito' plants his feet and starts bombing at Reid.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MMZIhw4q1A&feature=related[/ame]

Reid displays his resilience, and gives a hint as to how good he'd be defensively without his injured eye. Taking heavy shots that had splattered most of Trinidad's opposition in pieces over the canvas, Reid shows incredible heart to keep rising, and uses swift upper body movement to avoid some scary looking shots and stay in the game. A big problem with Reid was that he wasn't too quick pulling out of exchanges. There are a few instances of him lazily backing straight out and getting a Trinidad wallop for his efforts.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8DDkmWZJkw&feature=related[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noS8Mj695lQ&feature=related[/ame]

Not only was Reid taking a pummeling, his issues going into the later rounds resurfaced. With little clue as how to stop the man in front of him, Reid gets through to the end on sheer guts, displaying attributes that would've served him well in his future career as well as the experience gained from fighting a peak Felix Trinidad and living to tell the tale. Sadly, the amount of knockdowns he suffered rendered his good start null, and Trinidad won widely on points. Reid had gained new plaudits for his bravery and ability to keep coming back for more against the consensus hardest puncher P4P. It seemed David Reid had gained new fortune, despite losing a brutal decision and suffering the first blemish on his pro record. Unfortunately, he had also gained a detached retina for his problems; in his right eye!

Unfortunately for Reid, the shellacking he took from Felix Trinidad worsened his eye problems, and numerous operations to repair his eyelid was not successful. His longtime manager and trainer, who had taken him to Olympic and Pro' honours, stepped down as his still young charge stubbornly refused to retire. The twenty-seven year old Reid hoped for a clash with middleweight Don, the uber-skilled Bernard Hopkins, and tried to keep busy with lackluster decisions over club fighters. Stunningly upset by 'The Punching Policeman' Sam Hill, a part-time fighter, Reid faded into obscurity, embarrassed and physically unable to attain the heights he had previously scaled. Regardless of that, he still had a relatively impressive career in a short period of time, and is a staple in 'What If' debates amongst boxing fans. David Reid may not have reached his full potential, but he showed a glimpse of his awesome talent. And what an awesome talent he was.

 

Borkhorsor would really hurt Wilde. As would Chang.

 

good read Flea:good

why has he changed his name:think Religion :yep

 

Eh??!? I'm lost LP But glad you enjoyed it :good

 

Nice job Flea Man :good

 

Thanks, shame I couldn't include the Boudouani fight though :fire

 

Got taken down fast, that fight.

 

Its on sosoboxing anyways if you want a look.

 

Sosoboxing has everything!

 

I ****ing wish, but its getting better:deal

 

Ezzard ‘The Cincinnati Cobra’ Charles 93 wins (52 KO) – 25 losses (7 KO) – 1 Draw

Date of Birth 7/7/1921
Date of Death 27/5/1975
Stance - Orthodox
Height – 6ft

Divisions – Middleweight – Heavyweight

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“Ezzard Charles. Yeah, I’ve heard of him. Wasn’t he that guy who took Rocky Marciano 15 rounds?” You have to wonder how Charles would have been remembered if he stayed down in the 8th round of the pair's first meeting in 1954. Charles, however, was unfazed by the power of The Rock, and rose at the count of ‘2’ in a fight that saw him push the undefeated Heavyweight Champion to the wire in a classic battle of attrition. Instead of adding to his already great legacy, the first fight with Rocky Marciano would somewhat eclipse all that had gone before. Ezzard Mack Charles, however, was so much greater than ‘That Guy’. Born on a smoking hot July afternoon in the Southern state of Georgia, Charles was already known as a fighter when he graduated from Woodward High School in Cincinnati. He entered the amateur ranks as a Featherweight, where he amassed an unconfirmed record of 42 wins with no defeats. By 1939, Ezzard had won the AAU Middleweight Championship, as well as the Chicago Golden Gloves tournament.

Charles then turned his attention to the paid ranks, assembling a 15 fight winning streak before losing to the great Ken Overlin, a veteran of almost 150 fights. Defeat, however, did not dishearten the Cincinnati Cobra, as he went on to unanimously beat the 106-16-3, and future Hall of Famer, Teddy Yarosz, before battling to a 10 round draw against his only conqueror just four months later. Charles, still a Middleweight, would then take part in his career defining fight to date, a pair of back to back fights with the master, and much avoided, Charley Burley. Ezzard, however, outfought Burnley in their fight encounter, shouting him out in the first five, before dropping his opponent in the tenth and final round. The rematch a month later was more of the same as Charles this time outboxed Burnley again over 10 rounds. Charles followed his career best performances by twice outpointing Joey Maxim before being defeated by the very good Jimmy Bivins.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4WXv0A6uDw&feature=related[/ame]

After a brief stint in the army during the final year of the Second World War, Charles returned to the ring as a Light Heavyweight and embarked on a terrific trilogy of fights with possibly the greatest Light Heavyweight Champion in history, the legendary Archie Moore. Their first meeting, in May 1946, however, was not even close, as Charles repeated jabbed his opponent at will, while also dropping Moore for the count of ‘9’ in the 8th round with a superb counter uppercut to the body. Moore climbed off the canvas only to be repeatedly out-boxed and beaten to the punch, losing a ten round non-title fight decision. The pair’s second battle a year later proved much closer, with Moore fairing much better having seemingly worked out his man, despite being dropped by yet another Charles body shot in the 7th. While Moore was awarded a draw from one of the judges, the other two scored the fight to Charles. Their third and final encounter in January 1948 was again a close affair until Archie (then 88-13-7) tagged Charles with a pin point left hook which badly wobbled the man from Cincinnati. Looking to finish his man, Moore rushed in only to be caught from nowhere by a left hook-right cross combination from Charles which knocked Moore clean out. While Archie Moore may have been the greatest Light Heavyweight champion ever to grace the sport of boxing, Charles was certainly the greatest fighter in the division’s long history. A tribute to Archie Moore can be seen here:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLvs0AvGK4Y[/ame]

Intertwined with the Moore trilogy, Charles embarked on another three fight rivalry, this time battling the impressive Lloyd Marshall between 1943-1947. Marshall, however, had greater success than Moore did; knocking the Cobra out in the pair’s first meeting. While it was said that Charles sustained a hip injury going into their first fight, his bravery proved not enough, as Charles was knocked down seven times in eight painful rounds before the referee stopped the contest. Their second fight in 1946 started just as badly for Charles, with Marshall dropping him for the count of ‘9’ in the very first round. Charles, however, regained his composure and boxed brilliantly for the remainder of the fight before stopping Marshall with a textbox left hook to the body.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56fBd7nfmUY"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56fBd7nfmUY [/ame]

The rubber match lasted just two rounds, with Charles dropping Marshall three times on route to a KO victory. During this period, Charles also avenged his loss to Jimmy Bivins by beating him twice, as well as knocking out Fritzie Fitzpatrick twice, only to be robbed by the judges against the dangerous banger Elmer Ray, which he would later avenge by 9th round knockout.

Ezzard Charles’ illustrious career almost ended just a month after his stunning knockout of Moore. In February 1948, Charles knocked out a 21 year old contender named Sam Baroudi in the 10th round and final round. Tragically, Baroudi suffered a brain haemorrhage after the knockout, and later died in hospital. Seeming contemplating retirement, Charles was urged to carry on by Baroudi’s grieving family. It was time for Charles to tackle the Heavyweights. Sam Baroudi after Ezzard Charles knocked him out

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After again beating Joey Maxim, this time via a 15 round majority decision, Charles embarked on a four fight rivalry with the great Jersey Joe Walcott, winning the vacant World Heavyweight Title after a comfortable 15 round decision in June 1949.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqr-wMprjEk&feature=player_embedded[/ame]

Between this and his 1951 rematch with Walcott (which he again won by decision), Charles fought the returning Joe Louis, beating the Brown Bomber to a very wide unanimous decision (by 9 rounds on one scorecard and 11 on another).

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQGryRCbLzU[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHObXnwGXQ4[/ame]

Charles would then lose his Heavyweight Title after being brutally stopped by Jersey Joe Walcott at the third time of asking. This was followed up by another defeat to Walcott, this time via unanimous decision.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFX0F0qUM-Q[/ame]

By this time, Ezzard Charles was showing signs of deterioration. His obsession, however, was to reclaim the Heavyweight title, now held by Rocky Marciano who had twice defeated Jersey Joe Walcott. By securing a unanimous decision Rex Layne, and having knocked out Coley Wallace, Bernie Reynolds and Bob Satterfield, he secured his shot at The Rock. The Satterfield and Reynolds' KOs can be seen here:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXz8CZDE7XI[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2PutDflPYo"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2PutDflPYo [/ame]

On the 17th June 1954, Charles, now 83-10-1, would become ‘That Guy’ by taking the imposing Marciano the full 15 rounds, losing a close but clear decision. A rematch was scheduled for three months later, and Rocky looked to be well on his way to victory after knocking the Cincinnati Cobra down in the second. Drama ensued in the third round, however, as a right cross from Charles opened a horrific cut over the nose of The Rock and the fight looked like it might be stopped. With greater urgency, Marciano stepped on the gas and knocked Charles out in the 8th round of 1954’s Fight of the Year.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmG1vcaH3yY[/ame]

Charles would never regain the heights he once held; losing 13 of his next 23 fights, before calling time on what would be legendary career in late 1959, almost 30 years after his professional debut. While Charles will always been known as ‘That Guy’ who took Rocky the distance, he was so much more than that. A prime Ezzard Charles could outbox master technicians, and out-bang sluggers from Middleweight to Heavyweight. Having beaten the likes of Jersey Joe Walcott, Archie Moore, Joe Louis, Jimmy Bivins, Joey Maxim, Joe Baksi, Elmer Ray and the great Charley Burley, Ezzard has cemented himself into the Top Ten ATG lists of most boxing experts and scholars. Regarded by many as the greatest Light Heavyweight that ever lived, Ezzard Charles was more than just ‘That Guy’.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4E2BEE8Ce70[/ame]


Ezzard Charles died on the 28th May 1975 as a result of Lou Gehrig’s disease. He was aged just 53.

 

Great idea for a thread m8 :good

Everyone go easy on my Ezzard Charles post

 

And its thanks to you Mandanda:good

I think its time for a ''Mandanda, this is your life!''

 

:happy:happy:happy:happy:happy