Word: ezzard
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Dates: during 1948-1948
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Four nights later, a brawler from Pennsylvania's coal mines got his big chance in Manhattan's Madison Square Garden. Joe Baksi had shed a lot of blubber (from 257 Ibs. down to 210½), but he was still 32½ pounds heavier than his Negro opponent, Ezzard Charles of Cincinnati. For most of the ten rounds, Ezzard buzzed around Baksi like a bumblebee around a bull. He kept stinging Baksi with lefts & rights that didn't seem to hurt much-though he opened a bad cut above his left eye. At 2:33 of the eleventh...
That made 178-lb. Ezzard Charles, by default, the most probable candidate to fight Joe Louis. But after the fight, Ezz seemed hone too eager to claim his newly won privilege. "My goodness, not yet," he said. "I'd have to be a lot sharper if I fought the champ." Besides, who was he to give his hero the last shove? "He's still the greatest," said Ezz. "I want him to retire undefeated...
...voices kept reminding him that all he had to do was say the word and collect $500,000 or so. Last week, Joe said the word. He would defend his heavyweight title, for the 26th time, next June, probably against the least bad of three unpromising contenders-Lee Savold, Ezzard Charles or Joe Baksi...
...champ announced-to the relief of his fans and his mother-that he had fought his last fight. Now his agent, Sol Strauss, of the 20th Century Sporting Club, announced that Joe would defend his title for the 26th time next June -if the winner of the Joe Baksi-Ezzard Charles bout "comes through good." Said Joe's mother: "I feel awful...