Why'd no one want to play with Charley Burley...it made him feel left out

I find this gut-busting funny.

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Pollack makes a great distinction between "betting fighters" and "crowd fighters" in the economics of boxing as it transitioned from a gambler's economy of the 19th century to a spectator economy of the Jeffries and on era.

Burley was certainly a bettor's fighter, a guy who would control the pace and negative fight to get a reliable outcome but not necessarily entertain and put @sses in seats. He fought primarily during WW2 when I imagine that the latter trumped the former for distraction from more ominous affairs, but maybe I'm just guessing at this given what I imagine of the general zeitgeist.

 

There was not just Burley, but others in the 'Murderers' Row' that were so avoided by the top Champions of the time. They were so good and so feared that they had to have their own tournament it was reported and they all had extreme toughness and great boxing ability.

 

Really good point and I think your assumption is probably right. He didn't have a crowdfriendly style and was a handful for anybody. There was high risk and low reward for fighting him so he was stuck on the Murderers Row treadmill, facing other fighters no one else wanted to meet either.

 

I think it was a combination of both. Back in those days it must have been terrible being that good and not being able to get a title shot. Although boxer like Louis and Archie Moore did get through , Moore eventually.

 

Robinson did`nt get a title shot until 1946 when everyone knew he was the best 147lber around 1942. He had to keep fighting middleweights agree to carry certain guys to keep some balance.
Some of the champions at that time could get away with avoiding better boxers. LaMotta did fight many of those tough black fighters that Rocky Graziano never would have fought. Burley wasnt gonna stick his chin out for the amusement of the fans at ringside. His style as a fighter played a huge part in that. He didnt draw $ to make the champion accept his challenge.