Photo: Distributed by ACME Newspictures / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Ezzard Charles, the Cincinnati Cobra, is one of the most underrated heavyweight champions in boxing history, and that frustrates me a little. He won the heavyweight title yet is often remembered more as the greatest light heavyweight who never got a title shot at that weight. Two-time Ring Fighter of the Year and a Hall of Famer, he beat Hall of Famers across three divisions on pure skill, defense, and precision rather than spectacle. To me his career is a study in how technical brilliance can get overshadowed by flashier punchers. He deserves to be named alongside the era's giants, not just footnoted beside them.
Overview
Ezzard Mack Charles (July 7, 1921 – May 28, 1975), was an American professional boxer who competed from 1940 to 1959. Known as "the Cincinnati Cobra", Charles was respected for his slick defense and precision, and is often regarded as the greatest light heavyweight of all time, and one of the greatest fighters pound for pound, having defeated numerous Hall of Fame fighters in three different weight classes.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Ezzard Charles
- Name (Japanese)
- イザード・チャールズ
- Reading
- いざーど・ちゃーるず
- Born
- July 7, 1921 – May 28, 1975
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Cancer / Rooster
- Origin
- Lawrenceville, Georgia, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 183 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- boxer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 1990 International Boxing Hall of Fame
- WBA World Heavyweight Champion
- The Ring World Heavyweight Champion
- 1949 Sugar Ray Robinson Award
- 1949 The Ring magazine Fighter of the Year
- 1950 The Ring magazine Fighter of the Year
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Boxer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.