Charley Burley (September 6, 1917 – October 16, 1992) was an American boxer who fought as a welterweight and middleweight from 1936 to 1950. Archie Moore, the light-heavyweight champion who was defeated by Burley in a 1944 middleweight bout, was one of several fighters who called Burley the greatest fighter ever. Burley was the penultimate holder of both the World Colored Welterweight Championship and the World Colored Middleweight Championship.
Early life He was born Charles Duane Burley in Bessemer, Pennsylvania on September 6, 1917 to a mixed-race couple: his father was a black coal miner and his mother a white Irish immigrant from County Cork. Raised in Bessemer, the only son of seven children, the family moved to Pittsburgh when his father was killed in an industrial accident in 1925.
He began boxing at the age of 12 at a Boys Club and, as a lightweight, won city, state and national junior boxing titles and a Golden Gloves junior title. As a welterweight, he won a Golden Gloves Senior and lost the 1936 National Senior Championship finals. That same year, he refused an invitation to participate in the Olympic trials due to his objection to the Nazi regime. He did accept an invitation to attend a scheduled 'Workers Games' to be held in Republican Spain as a protest to the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics, but the games were cancelled by the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.
Burley had also excelled at baseball. He reportedly was offered a contract by the Homestead Grays, the local Negro leagues franchise.
Pro boxing career
The 5'9 ½ Burley fought at weights between 145 and 162 lbs. He made his pro debut on September 29, 1936, fighting as a welterweight at 150¾ lbs., at Pittsburgh's Moose Temple. He knocked out George Liggins in the fourth round of a four-round bout. Less than two years later, on August 22, 1938, Burley met the Cocoa Kid at Hickey Park in Millvale, Pennsylvania for the World Colored Welterweight Championship. He won a unanimous decision in the 15-round bout, knocking the Kid to the canvas three times and defeating him decisively, taking his title.
Burley did not defend that title, possibly as part of a strategy to win a shot at Henry Armstrong's World Welterweight title. He won the World Colored Middleweight Title in a ninth round technical knockout against Holman Williams at Victory Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana on 14 August 1942. In their rematch for the title two months later at the same venue, Williams won a 15-round decision. Jack Kincaid of the Times-Picayune reported that Burley had won nine rounds of the fight and had been the aggressor throughout.
Burley was never granted a world title shot by any of the world welterweight and world middleweight champions of his era and was avoided by many of the top white contenders. Among the fighters who "ducked" Burley were Hall of Famers Billy Conn (who twice fought Joe Louis for the heavyweight title), Frenchman Marcel Cerdan (who was supposed to face Burley in his American debut) and even Sugar Ray Robinson, considered by many boxing historians as the best pound-for-pound fighter of all time.
Of course, not everyone ducked the slick Pittsburgh warrior. Burley won two out of three matches against future welterweight champion Fritzie Zivic, defeated the great Archie Moore by decision, and easily defeated future NYSAC middleweight king Billy Soose. Burley also faced future heavyweight champion Ezzard Charles, but dropped two 10-round decisions to him (the bouts were contested within a five-week period, sandwiching a fight against Holman Williams). Another notable Burley fight was the one against heavyweight J.D. Turner, who outweighed him by around 70 lbs. "Turner, face beaten to raw beefsteak in six rounds, failed to answer the bell for the seventh." (The Ring, June 1942).
Burley himself was never stopped in 98 bouts. He compiled a record of 83 wins (50 by knockout) against 12 losses and two draws with 1 "no contest". He also battled financial problems at times during his career (which is why he's thought to have lost some of the fights he did) and was forced to work as an aircraft mechanic and garbage man in order to earn enough money to live off.
Legacy Burley's second fight with Oakland Billy Smith in 1946 is the only boxing film for him that is known to exist. It shows a conservative counter-puncher taming a much larger opponent with relative ease. During the fight Burley showed remarkable defense using the crab style while slipping and using the shoulder roll to avoid punches. Burley is also seen throwing a spear jab to split Smith's guard during the fight.
Burley's former sparring partner A.J. "Blackie" Nelson offers this comparison: "I see a lot of Charley in this kid, Roy Jones Jr. Both had unorthodox styles, could hit you from any angle, both hard to hit. Charley jabbed more than Jones, if Jones would concentrate on boxing as Charley did, he would become an all-time great."
Eddie Futch, the great trainer, called Burley "the finest all-around fighter I ever saw."
Burley was named to the Ring Magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time, elected to the Boxing Hall of Fame in 1983 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992.
Burley was ranked 39th on Ring Magazine's list of the 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years.
An exhibit at the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum at Pittsburgh's Senator Heinz History Center states that Burley was the model for the character Troy in August Wilson's play Fences.
Professional boxing record
ResultRecordOpponentTypeRoundDateLocationNotes98Win Pilar BastidasPTS10Jul 22, 1950 97Win82–12–2 Buddy HodnettKO6 (8)Mar 2, 1950 96Win81–12–2 Chuck HigginsKO1 (8)Feb 2, 1950 95Win80–12–2 Willie WrightPTS8Jul 25, 1949 94Loss79–12–2 Charley Doc WilliamsPTS10Apr 3, 1949 93Win79–11–2 Lonnie CraftKO3 (6)Mar 24, 1948 92Win78–11–2 Larry CartwrightTKO8 (10)Aug 8, 1947 91Loss77–11–2 Bert LytellUD10Feb 17, 1947 90Win77–10–2 Bert LytellUD10Aug 5, 1946 89Win76–10–2 Charley BanksPTS10Jul 16, 1946 88Win75–10–2 Oakland Billy SmithPTS10Apr 24, 1946 87Win74–10–2 Paulie PetersTKO2 (10)Apr 8, 1946 86Win73–10–2 Charley DodsonTKO3 (10)Mar 14, 1946 85Win72–10–2 Oakland Billy SmithPTS10Oct 8, 1945 84Win71–10–2 Speedy DuvallKO4 (10)Sep 28, 1945 83Win70–10–2 Dave ClarkKO1 (10)Sep 4, 1945 82Win69–10–2 Aaron WadeUD10Aug 20, 1945 81Win68–10–2 Oscar BoydKO2 (8)Jul 26, 1945 80Loss67–10–2 Holman WilliamsUD12Jul 11, 1945 79Win67–9–2 Joe CarterUD10Mar 12, 1945 78Win66–9–2 Jack ChaseTKO12 (15)Sep 11, 1944 77Win65–9–2 Young Gene BuffaloTKO5 (10)Aug 28, 1944 76Win64–9–2 Frankie NelsonTKO7 (10)Jun 23, 1944 75Win63–9–2 Al GilbertTKO4 (10)May 12, 1944 74Win62–9–2 Archie MoorePTS10Apr 21, 1944 73Win61–9–2 Jack ChaseKO9 (15)Apr 6, 1944 72Win60–9–2 Aaron WadePTS10Mar 24, 1944 71Win59–9–2 Bobby BergerKO5 (10)Mar 3, 1944 70Win58–9–2 Bobby BirchPTS10Jun 26, 1943 6957–9–2 Holman WilliamsNC10 (10)May 14, 1943 68Draw57–9–2 Herbert Lewis HardwickPTS10Apr 19, 1943 67Win57–9–1 Aaron WadePTS10Mar 3, 1943 66Win56–9–1 Jack ChaseUD10Feb 19, 1943 65Win55–9–1 Harvey MasseyTKO9 (10)Feb 3, 1943 64Loss54–9–1 Lloyd MarshallSD10Dec 11, 1942 63Win54–8–1 Cecilio LozadaTKO2 (10)Nov 13, 1942 62Loss53–8–1 Holman WilliamsUD15Oct 16, 1942 61Win53–7–1 Holman WilliamsTKO9 (15)Aug 14, 1942 60Loss52–7–1 Ezzard CharlesUD10Jun 29, 1942 59Win52–6–1 Holman WilliamsPTS10Jun 23, 1942 58Loss51–6–1 Ezzard CharlesUD10May 25, 1942 57Win51–5–1 George WilsonKO2 (10)Apr 30, 1942 56Win50–5–1 Joe SutkaKO4 (8)Apr 24, 1942 55Win49–5–1 Phil McQuillanKO1 (8)Apr 20, 1942 54Win48–5–1 Cleo McNealKO5 (10)Apr 9, 1942 53Win47–5–1 Jay D TurnerTKO7 (10)Mar 13, 1942 52Win46–5–1 Holman WilliamsUD10Feb 26, 1942 51Win45–5–1 Shorty HogueRTD6 (10)Feb 13, 1942 50Win44–5–1 Milo TheodorescuTKO4 (10)Feb 6, 1942 49Win43–5–1 Jackie BurkeTKO5 (10)Jan 23, 1942 48Win42–5–1 Shorty HogueTKO10 (10)Jan 9, 1942 47Win41–5–1 Jerry HayesKO4 (10)Dec 23, 1941 46Win40–5–1 Ted MorrisonTKO2 (8)Dec 12, 1941 45Win39–5–1 Antonio FernandezPTS10Sep 25, 1941 44Win38–5–1 Otto BlackwellPTS8Aug 25, 1941 43Win37–5–1 Young Gene BuffaloTKO5 (10)Jul 14, 1941 42Win36–5–1 Ossie HarrisTKO9 (10)Jun 2, 1941 41Win35–5–1 Eddie EllisTKO5 (8)Apr 18, 1941 40Win34–5–1 Babe SynnottTKO5 (8)Mar 31, 1941 39Win33–5–1 Vince PimpinellaPTS10Nov 11, 1940 38Win32–5–1 Ernest PeircePTS10Oct 17, 1940 37Loss31–5–1 Jimmy BivinsUD10Sep 3, 1940 36Win31–4–1 Kenny LaSalleUD10Aug 19, 1940 35Draw30–4–1 Georgie AbramsPTS10Jul 29, 1940 34Win30–4 Carl DellPTS10Jun 17, 1940 33Win29–4 Sam EdwardsKO2 (10)Apr 26, 1940 32Win28–4 Baby Kid ChocolateTKO5 (10)Apr 12, 1940 31Win27–4 Nate BoldenPTS10Feb 12, 1940 30Loss26–4 Holman WilliamsPTS15Dec 1, 1939 29Win26–3 Mickey MakarKO1 (10)Oct 23, 1939 28Win25–3 Jimmy LetoPTS10Aug 28, 1939 27Win24–3 Fritzie ZivicUD10Jul 17, 1939 26Loss23–3 Jimmy LetoSD10Jun 20, 1939 25Win23–2 Sonny JonesTKO7 (12)Jan 10, 1939 24Win22–2 Billy SooseUD10Nov 21, 1938 23Win21–2 Werther ArcelliKO1 (10)Nov 3, 1938 22Win20–2 Herbert Lewis HardwickUD15Aug 22, 1938 21Win19–2 Leon ZorritaUD10Aug 2, 1938 20Win18–2 Fritzie ZivicUD10Jun 13, 1938 19Win17–2 Mike BartoTKO4 (10)Jun 1, 1938 18Loss16–2 Fritzie ZivicSD10Mar 21, 1938 17Win16–1 Art TateKO2 (6)Mar 3, 1938 16Win15–1 Carl TurnerUD4Feb 10, 1938 15Win14–1 Johnny FolioPTS4Feb 3, 1938 14Win13–1 Tiger JacksonKO2 (4)Jan 27, 1938 13Loss12–1 Eddie DolanUD8Sep 9, 1937 12Win12–0 Sammy GrippeTKO6 (8)Aug 16, 1937 11Win11–0 Remo FernandezTKO7 (8)Aug 9, 1937 10Win10–0 Mickey O'BrienPTS10Jun 24, 1937 9Win9–0 Keith GoodballetTKO2 (8)May 27, 1937 8Win8–0 Sammy GrippePTS6May 3, 1937 7Win7–0 Ray GrayPTS6Apr 19, 1937 6Win6–0 Johnny FolioTKO5 (8)Apr 15, 1937 5Win5–0 Ray CollinsTKO5 (8)Feb 8, 1937 4Win4–0 Ralph GizzyKO2 (8)Jan 22, 1937 3Win3–0 Eddie WirkoTKO5 (6)Nov 9, 1936 2Win2–0 Ralph GizzyPTS6Oct 22, 1936 1Win1–0 George LigginsKO4 (4)Sep 29, 1936
See also List of bare-knuckle boxers Murderers' Row (Boxing)
References
External links