Ezzard Charles vs Jersey Joe Walcott III

[ForeverYoung58]

My father told me that Walcott had this ploy where it looked like he was walking away from his opponent; which would really confuse the guy Walcott was fighting. The opponent would then follow Walcott, who would clock him with a punch from out of nowhere. Joe Louis was so sure he had lost, he left the ring before the decision in the first Walcott fight was announced. Ezzard Charles was not served well by how light he was (172 lbs!) when he got nailed by that left hook. His legs were gone.

[daTruChosen]

Walcott was a great boxer, don't let his 13 losses fool you. He often took fights on short notice, prepped or not, to provide for his family.

[crookedwiretap89]

@daTruChosen yeah i herd used fight after not eating for days..

[carlitoboxing7]

bernard hopkins must have learned a lot by watching Walcott. Too bad there are so few fights of him available, we could have learned much, too

[vgr112261]

These guys are just so much more skilled than today's light heavies. Note the footwork, the feinting, jabs, power shots. Just much better technically.

[HarryTheTalkingDude]

@vgr112261 well they were among the best talents of a golden period for boxing (i don't mean that in a rose-tinted way, because the talent pool was genuinely much bigger in those days)

[jimmie159]

You ever notice that when you watch the legends, their styles very closely match the cleaned up modern styles of today...That's why they're legends...they're skill is way ahead of the time... like if Jordan went back in time and played b-ball when it was barely invented and guys are still learning to shoot...haha

[capablemachine]

@jimmie159 There are subtle differences. It's all about the interpretation of the art. Guys like Ali and Tyson made it look different.

[JackassHill]

@PeekaPeep: And there are at least three guys in the front two rows who didn't even see it. Must stink to get a seat in the front row of the heavyweight championship, and miss one of the greatest knock outs of all time.

[boxing4life1000]

how clean is it wow thank you man lol

[PureBoxerP4P]

Both of these guys were beast. Ezzard was not only the greatest light-heavyweight of all time, but one of the greatest fighters of all time. It's too bad he became so passive and afraid to hurt people after he killed a guy in the ring, but I'm sure that's a hard thing to deal with. Either way they don't make'em like these guys anymore.

[Clay4legacy]

Ha, they had ESPN score update at the bottom of the TV screen back then?

[PeekaPeep]

If you time it just right at 9:50 you can see Ezzard's head do a COMPLETE 180 from that nasty left served up by Jersey Joe. Good stuff!!!

;-)

[Robstailey]

sugar ray's knockout of gene fullmer, ali's stoppage of bonavena, and this, are the three best left hooks i've ever seen landed. 

[vgr112261]

You have to put in Frazier's left hook on Ali in the 15th of their first fight.

[BIGBADJOHN220]

Both these guys would beat mike tyson...

[deriter64]

Walcott must have hit like thunder ... he staggered a great pro like Charles with a heart punch and went on to nearly take his head off. I read somewhere that Bruce Lee studied Walcott's punching.

[ESSENCEOFEACHTHING]

@deriter64

Do you remember where you read that?

[deriter64]

@ESSENCEOFEACHTHING It was in a biography I bought for my son in law a few Christmases back. He's looking for it and if he finds it I'll send you the title.

[ESSENCEOFEACHTHING]

@deriter64

Thanks! I look forward to it if you can find it.I appreciate you responding.

[deriter64]

@ESSENCEOFEACHTHING Darn. My son in law lent that book to some one in his karate group and it seems to have disappeared. As near as we can recall it was titled Bruce Lee ... A biography. Unfortuntely I bought that in Australia when on holiday so I don't know where else i might be in print. I would guess that Lee was interested in how little travel there was in JJW's knock out punches. I used to think it was hype but apparently Lee could put you through a wall with a 2 inch punch.

[carmodifire]

@deriter64 There's a book in my library by Bruce lee about fighting and fighting philosophy. I'll give you the title when I drop by, very interesting.

[Robstailey]

@deriter64

i heard he was in awe of ali's speed and technique as well

[Godsmasher22]

By ODIN!

[JimboJ1981]

That's got to be one of the nastiest single punches in the history of the game. Walcott ko's Charles by attempted murder.

[shadowboxingfool]

perfect left hook counter, walcott threw another against marciano in their 1st fight but it couldn't finish marciano like it did ezzard

[Dragoncannon4]

Walcott is top tier......up there with ALi and Ray Robinson

[AliRidah619]

@Dragoncannon4 yeah he is charles is up there too

[perfecto100]

im puzzled. walcott is very very talented. look at his foot movement in this and the louis fights. he was ahead of his time in many ways. but what puzzles me is how did he suffer so many losses on his record.

and that too against unheard of opponents. perhaps he was robbed like the 1st joe louis fight, which was disgracefully given to louis

[TheGreatA]

Early on in his career he wasn't managed and took fights on short notice. It wasn't until 1945 when he truly got his act together, but he was already in his 30's by then.

[ESSENCEOFEACHTHING]

@TheGreatA

I like how Jersey Joe walks toward his opponent and moseys on in with a dip then left hook.That's his signature.

[BeirutWedding]

@perfecto100 In KINGS OF THE RING, Gavin Evans asserts that Jersey Joe was, in fact, on the bad end of some shady decisions. Walcott was even brought in as a sparring partner for Louis before the first Schmeling fight -- and dropped him in the first round. After which he was summarily dismissed. In general, when it came to fight night, he seemed to be good enough to beat most fighters and just barely not good enough to beat the best. Until this fight with Charles.

[2READYCRETE]

@perfecto100 Boxing has actually regressed since the 70's or 80's. Tyson and Holyfield are the last truly great Heavyweights

[Robstailey]

@perfecto100

a lot of fights were fixed back then, especially if you were a man of color.

[Mutwasze]

JERSEY JOE WALCOTT was the epitome of a COUNTERPUNCHER who made you expose yourself then exploited it. Just BRILLIANT! Its all the little things he did in there that you cant see that opened you up. Head move here, shoulder dip there. He used FEINTS that you dont see now. That lil hop to the side then--BOOM, he hit ya--and down you would go! lol! Always has been my favorite fighter of ALL TIME! and its why i modeled my boxing style from his. It was shame he got bad breaks most of his career...

[Rasclot222]

@Mutwasze Agreed, If only Jersey Joe was 5 years younger he would have destroyed Marciano

[faltagh]

@Rasclot222 Didn't he win every round until he got clocked ? Good fighter. Rocky got him though. He was robbed in first Louis fight. Blackburn was training him until Louis came along. Very slick fighter.

[Rasclot222]

@faltagh Oh yeah no doubt, Rocky was a tuff guy. I don't want to find any excused for Walcott but they guy was old. Yeah he was winning the fight until Rocky landed the killer shot. Yes he did get robbed by in the first Louis fight. But we all know what happened in the rematch. LOL. Walcott is most definatly one of my favorites.

[mookeychase0907]

@Mutwasze Yeah I love Jersey Joe he did so much I love Ray Robinson as well but JJW was such a slick fighter and a counter puncher I love his feints you never knew which way his punches were coming from if he was more careful he would've beat Rocky but he wanted to knock him out and got beat to the punch it was who he was tho, toe to toe no cruising to a win.

[Mutwasze]

@mookeychase0907 Sho nuff.....i coach kids and i always show/make them watch tapes of JERSEY JOE. Very instructional. One of JAMES TONEY favorites too. Thanks for the comment.

[loyaldude10]

What a pair of greats---both were excellent boxersand punchers. Charles may have been the most underrated heavywt champion. One of his early KO victims died after fight, and it was rumored that he held back a little after that. Walcott was a truly amazing champ to win title at age 37 in this era.

[kevlarunderwear22]

the exact same punch he knocked marciano down with, probably would have KOed anyone except marciano, who had a chin of granite. both these guys were truly great. just 3 years later, at the age of 30, charles got two shots against marciano but couldnt beat the toughest heavyweight of all time. people dont realize this was a golden age of sorts for heavyweights.

[loyaldude10]

it sure was a golden age. Would have been interesting to see a younger Walcott against Rocky.

[kevlarunderwear22]

actually a young walcott was not very good, just an average fighter. he didnt become great until the last few years he fought. somehow he became inspired at that point.

[danemreg]

wayne alexander v takaloo is another example of a left hook brought up from hell

[greenrate]

Other than Ali . . . there's no heavyweight fighter that I more enjoy watching than Walcott. Crafty boxing intelligence at work.

Liked his role in the movie "The Harder They Fall", too . . .

[PihaSandDunes]

That is one of the great left hooks. Jersey Joe was a hell of a fighter. Looks a bit strange now with the ref hardly shorter than the fighters, but Walcott was a fine fighter in anyone's language.

[jn829]

He timed it perfectly. He slipped it right under ezzard charles' left jab.

[jn829]

Joe walcot was a great technical boxer. His left hook knock out of ezzard charles is a classic.

[jeryd2003]

jerysey joe was a great fighter saw 3 of his fights 2 with joe lewis 1 with ezzard charles @ he knocked em both down huh

[TheVargo911]

Ouch being hit by a pillow has to hurt!

[ihatelifejosemartine]

Walcott could punch. Don't let his low KO totals fool you.

[shotgunshawzy]

R.I.P. he brockton blockbuster ( suzi Q ) & arturo gatti.

real men.

[furtherdefinitions]

Yeah, Jersey Joe ,was the oldest man to win the heavyweight crown. But he won, didn't he? A light division in those times? Sure, tell it to the men who fought in it. Armchair fighters don't know shit.

[furtherdefinitions]

The Marciano haters will never face the fact that their idols also fought older fighters. That is the nature of the game. However, to you, if he is a white fighter, he fought over the hill fighters, otherwise, he fought great young fighters. However, the statistics speak for themselves, and the rest of you, who never stepped in the ring, don't know shit.

[shotgunshawzy]

Ali arse-lickers thats what i call people like you DEMARCUSS

[shotgunshawzy]

ps.....marciano fought the great ezzard charles & knocked him out second time around, marciano-30 charles-32 so age wasnt a factor, so fuck all yoos marciano haters & face the facts, this man was undefeated & will go down in history as one of the all time greats......ali said he was the greatest, but only fools believe that who have little knowledge of boxing....the great joe louis gets my vote.

[shotgunshawzy]

ali also fought an older cleveland williams who was 33, ali was just 24, the same can be said about mike tyson he won the title off a much older trevor berbick, tyson was 20, berbick was 33, also bonecrusher smith 33, tyson 21, pinklong thomas 34, tyson 21....& marciano was in against all world champions & better fighters, so do your homework son before you open that big uneducated mouth of yours. ( all the great champions fought older fighters, its just that ppl like u tend to ignore the facts)

[shotgunshawzy]

yeah yeah, thats wat all the fools say about rocky, he fought over the hill older fighters blah blah blah, & ali didnt....? ali fought archie moore after marciano right....he also fought a much older sonny liston wen he won the title, liston was suppossedly 32, while ali was 21.. & some say he liston could have been older cause nobody knew his proper age, ali also fought an old henry cooper 34 wen he was 20, who he got knocked down off & would have got knocked out if ali's corner didnt cheat.

[furtherdefinitions]

You don't know shit!

[shotgunshawzy]

boom rocky nearly killed walcott, thats wat its all about, 1 punch and he knocked that cunt out.....49 wins 43 ko's no defeats

[demarcuss]

walcott nearly 38 yrs old , marciano only had 6 title fights in his entire career , walcott even knocked him down ,as did archie moore at 42 yrs old , moore had more career knockouts than marciano had fights. against younger fighters he would have been well crushed, the greatest fighters ever from robinson to ali didn t have unbeaten records. the brockton blockbuster was around at the right time among over the hill fighters

[ballerketballer]

both legends,

after the Sam Baroudi Ezzard wasent the same, he could of beat rocky after he split his nose,

walcot could of beaten rocky by points if he stuck with his jab and move away,

any way thats boxing,

old skool legends

[HAFA74]

True about Baroudi. These guys went 2-2 vs. each other but I think it shoudl have been 3-1 for Charles (many felt Charles won the 4th fight). That would have made Charles the first 2x HW champ.

[frankfsd]

Damn! Jersey Joe and Ray Leonard are look alike

[boxerrick42]

when joe was presented with the ring championship belt for fighter of the year, he was overcome with emotion.he was a very humble,hardworking man who finally got his break.charles looked like he got hit with a bat.

[theonlysaltspring]

1951? What a shot. The punch u don't see!

[mafiahat111]

my god that was brutal

[nportillo73]

One of my favorite all-time knockouts.

Seems to always get lost in the shuffle...

[JULIUS773]

left hook from hell.