Charley Burley Fights Billy Smith the 2nd time

[Brownpride480]

Charley Burley is one of the most underrated boxers of all time and I believe he deserves to be ranked in the top 5 Middleweights.

[tqm1994]

I don't think he would have beaten SRR, He had skill but just look at his record 83 wins 12 losses, SRR had 134 wins 1 loss in his prime

[examinfo]

SRR avoided Ezzard Charles also. He was a still a great champ, it is what it is.

[1SugarRayRobinson1]

Sugar ray robinson is better

[jameskimmike]

charley burley sam langford and joe gibbs read up!

[TheChoice264]

That Charles was better?

[cizer77]

shit this guy moves like Floyd Mayweather, very fast on his feet

[montiel291]

@cizer77 No he fights more like Roy Jones Jr.

[panfel78]

Burley-Robinson, who would have won?

I think it's stupid (sorry, but it's the only word) to state that Burley would have SURELY won.

Sugar Ray is unanimously considered one of the 5 best fighters ever.

Nobody who hasn't fought Robinson can say "I'm sure, I will beat him because I'm better".

I only agree that Burley looks very very good and, moreover, with the style to trouble legendary Robinson.

And it's strange that so many champions avoided him. I repeat... a shadow, at least.

[Tusc9969]

@panfel78 Charlie Burley was the real deal and on par with the Sugar Man. Ray did duck Burley. But Burley even admitted that if he was in Rays position he wouldnt have fought Ray because there was no money in the fight. Also if you look at the time lines Burley retired in 1950. Robinson did not even win the middleweight title until 1951. Robinson also had to wait till after the war to fight for the welterweight title in 1946 by that time Burley was a middleweight.

[Tusc9969]

@panfel78 So yes Ray could have fought him regardless but we must look at the totality of the circumstances. As for Ray saying he was too pretty to fight Charley Burley, legend has it that he said it at ringside at one of Burleys fight. I can only assume it was respectful banter and not fear, but who knows.

[OkieSlims]

@panfel78 Nobody can say who would of one.. and the reason is because Ray Robinson ducked Burley.. he openly stated "I am far too pretty to be fighting Charley Burley"

[panfel78]

I agree with bbxx44 and WZ912.

Burley, -if not a stain-, is at least a shadow over the 40's Hall of Famers, including SR Robinson.

I'm very understanding with fighters who stop in their proper weight-class, such as Calzaghe. I think Pavlik should have made the same choice, as a superMW he made a poor showing against a great like Hopkins.

To adapt in a highest weight class isn't for everybody and isn't a duty.

I'm not understanding at all with quitting a champion in the same weight class.

[909kong]

BTW, for those who don't know, Burley is the lighter-complexioned dude....We can see he has one helluva jab, that's fo' sho'...

[chunkyscotty]

If Eddie Futch said Burley was the greatest all-round fighter he ever worked with he must have been great, because Futch worked with Joe Louis, Larry Holmes, Joe Frazier, Alexis Arguello and a load of other greats. Imagine how good Burley must have been for Futch to put him above them.

[alexfromgalax87]

@chunkyscotty futch worked with joe louis? cant believe :D

[diazrpasion]

I think Burley would have tore Robinson a new asshole.

[TheChoice264]

Based on this evidence? How do you figure?

[judaschongo]

Burley was so great & feared he had no choice but to take on men who were bigger in the light-heavy division. Burley defeated Moore and took on Ezzard Charles in 2 fights with only 5 weeks in between; lost both to Charles on points but what does that tell you?

[MMAMeetsBoxing]

I remember in a Battle of the Legends issue of The Ring magazine, one of Robinson's former trianers (he had a few different ones) said Burley was the only man he feared f fight the great Sugar Ray. What I would like to know is who wins the rematch.

[home2bell]

I think Charley is the Man, the tougth and technical will cause any boxer including Joe Louis serious problem would beat him in my humble opinion this type of boxer has a different mentalliy than todays fighter, have gloves will travel

[keltonkng]

Hey when I was in N.Y I ran into bert sugar Yes the guy with the cigar .He told me burley and robinson sparred 1 round and ray hit him with everthing and burley just walked through it he said ray could`nt keep him off him.And also he never fought him in the ring psychologicly that tell me he knew burley was the better man

[home2bell]

I would like more details of when Charley Burley the boxer sparred with the aledged Great pound for pound boxer Sugar Ray Robinson and what sparring session, I need more details

[tmmmviii]

He demonstrates excellent hand and foot speed and lets you know this is staged by putting his glove near the guys face to show he can easily hit him and touching gloves like its a joke. He doesn't throw punches, misses on purpose, and pulls punches.

As for losing to Charles, who was a great fighter. Charles outweighed him by 8 pounds and Burley hurt his hands before their fight. Burley was reported by papers to have won their second fight.

Futch called him the best and he knew them all

[CampeonUnificado]

Wow, you are right. Burley really seems like he is holding back punches and throwing punches that would miss. Was this fight staged or something?

[tmmmviii]

It's great to hear someone agree. Thanks for writing.

On the first viewing, the guy moves great, but does nothing. But his reputation made me watch again (also because he's from my hometown). It eventually became clear that the boxer was tipping the viewer off that he could do everything but was holding back. Maybe the film was made to make him look bad and he wanted to let the viewer what was up and give a hint at what

he could do.

A lot of things in boxing and sports look funny.

[LorcanFilms]

Based on the little there is on Burley, whose defensive, pinpoint punching style I admire (the old time style of Gans, Ketchel, Langford, Johnson, Fitzsimmons), I think Robinson, the greatest combonation puncher ever, would beat Burley. Burley pokes in a left; Robinson fires off a 3-4 punch combo back. And Robinson was no Leonard (a great fight, too); Robinson threw combos with power -- any of the four punches who KO you. Still, Burley is awesome to watch. A Master.

[boxingnut1986]

well said only thing i dont agree wit is robinson and leonard being a good fight leonard even last a round robinson sorry

[LorcanFilms]

Yes, Robinson was the greater fighter, but Leonard would take Sugar Ray into the late rounds and lose via a KO or decision. Robinson was the better puncher, but Leonard was the better boxer. Watch Graziano and LaMotta jabbing Sugar in the face! A great defensvie boxer doesn't allow that! Sugar was, as Paul Pender said, the best puncher ever! But, he couldn't match Pep for boxing skill. And, though Sugar was my man, he didn't fight Charley Burley or Turpin in a 3rd fight.

[BooBooLane]

A lot of guys deserved shots: Eduardo Lausse,

Peter Mueller and Gustave Scholz, just to name a few.

[dpcg3e]

Famed trainer Eddie Futch said Burley had the style to beat Sugar Ray.

[artistj73]

Interesting, thanks for posting! Based on this, I would say Robinson would have beaten him. I don't believe LaMotta or any of those guys ducked him, people love to pass stories like that along. Keep in mind Fritzie Zivic beat him and so did a very young Ezzard Charles who was only like 21 at the time...

[BooBooLane]

It seems clear that Charley would have fought anyone. Lots of guys have been ducked in boxing hx. And lots of undeserving fighters got shots and won.

It's the only sport which is unregulated, which allowes murderers, such as Don King, to control it.

[wubranch]

Ezzard was also an alltime great and a very big middleweight. I wouldn't be too hard on him for that.

[BooBooLane]

Meant to say Charley fought and got beat by the best while beating some of the other best. If he never got a title shot, that's not on him, not a reason to degrade him.

Other guys beat Zivic and LaMotta--why didn't they get shots? Again, let's not be blaming Charley for getting screwed.

[wubranch]

I was talking to artistj73 when was trying to prove Burley wasn't that good for losing to a young Charles. No one should ever use a loss to Charles as a negative. An all time great like will get the better of anyone who is not an all time great.

[artistj73]

Never stated that Burley wasn't a good, or even a great fighter.

[cuntyballs07]

WZ is right.you`d think he`d got something terribly contagious.the only top liners he fought Moore and Zivic made the mistake of fighting him and took bad beatings,all the rest including La Motta who prides himself on fighting all the tough black guys while he himself was frozen out of the title picture wouldnt even stand in the same room as him

[kevvyxxx]

his style reminds me of rjj,don't you think?

[vampireLOREN]

Big Thank you for this...I had heard of this footage, now I can say I have seen it. THANK YOU

[coxscorner]

Robinson did consider a May 1946 fight against Burley, but Charley was by then a natural middleweight. The fact is Burley had outgrown the welterweight division before 1946. Burley had weighed between 158-160 pounds since 1944. Robinson, the top welterweight contender, would not win the 147 pound welterweight title until the end of the year. By the time Robinson was ready to compete full time at middleweight in 1950 Burley retired. I for one, do not buy the notion the Robinson ducked Burley.

[WZ912]

Ray was the smaller man but fought the Raging Bronx Bull Jake Lamotta 6x! Lamotta was huge middleweight (truly a light heavyweight bigger than Burley) at 160lbs to Rays 145, god knows what he weighed on fight night. 4 of the 6 fights Ray was welterweight and still won 5 out 6. Styles make fights. I don't think Ray liked that super slick cutey defensive Burley had in addition to the size and power. Burley BEAT UP a prime Archie Moore 1944 dropping him 4x!  ( more than Marciano) Makes me think.

[fitboxer3]

Burley was very slick neat move fast hands but i agree That Robinson would have beaten him.But thanks for the footage never seen him but always read about him.

[WZ912]

Then why did Ray Robinson, Tony Zale, Jake LaMotta, MarcelCerdan, Rocky Graziano, and others did not fight him? The Greatest era in boxing 1940's-50's And not one these Hall of Fame Legends would get in the ring with him. This is the strangest thing I ve ever heard. I thought Sam Langford was the most avoided fighter. Burley's a Ghost.

[coxscorner]

Burley is slick, but based on this film Robinson would beat his ass.

[bbxx44]

Burley was a greaat fighter. If you see pictures of him in his later years you would never know he had been a boxer. Not a mark on his face. Do you have more of this fight? This guy deserves recognition.

[AntonioSantiago]

Well, he is in the Hall of Fame now.

[benjaminBarr]

Burley was the sweetest fighter there ever was. Better than Robinson probably.

[TORIANO677]

robinson was ducking burley,same shit with most champions these days...if they feel someone is threat than they wont get in the ring with them.

[AntonioSantiago]

That's too bad cause a guy-or girl, take Lucia Rijker for example-needs a fight for the title to see if they can indeed become Champion. I had never seen Burley b4 but he looks pretty good. Like I said once, if Lennox Lewis thought John Ruiz was so unworhty, he'd made his easy millions in two rounds and get it done with-which I think he'd beaten Ruiz that way-so basically, Robinson should have given Burley a title shot.

[Mikelovision]

@TORIANO677 Hmm... More brain damage and a loss or More money and a win? I think Robinson was the smarter one there. lol..