Charlie Burley beats Sugar Ray Robinson All Night Long
elanders
First off, Burley was bigger.
Robinson did not fight at 160 until he was 34 years old. Burley reached
160 when he was 25 years old. Conversely, at 25 years of age, Robinson
fought at 148, a full 12 pound less than Burley at the same age.
More evidence Burley was the bigger man is seen by their relative
weights at their pro-debuts. Both were 19, but Robinson was 134 pounds
while Burley 150 pounds.
Conclusion: Burley was the bigger man (bone structure, musculature, etc)
In his prime, Burley fought a higher quality of bigger men than Robinson
did later in his career. Burley fought and beat Archie Moore twice, in
one of these fights knocking Moore to the canvass in the 1st, 3rd, and 4th.
This was a prime Moore only a year older than Burley.
Robinson's career KO average was higher: 54%, while Burley's was 51%,
but perhaps as many of a third of Robinson's knockouts occurred while he
was a lightweight and welterweight, classes Burley never fought at. Add
to this, Robinson was a virtual six-footer towering over his opponents
much of his career.
The one common opponent of note was Fritzi Zivic, a tough Croatian who
had bested a prime Lamotta, Henry Armstrong and others. Burley met him
in '39 and won by unanimous decision, as did Robinson a few years later.
The only film we have of Burley is rubber match with a solid light-heavy
named Oakland Billy Smith. Burley beat him twice. Smith was by no
stretch of the imagination a great fighter, but he fought several
greats, Moore, Ezzard Charles, Holman Willams, Bivens, et al.
Simply, put, Smith could not hit Burley, while Burley's clubbing lead
usally found its mark. Smith was a slick boxer-puncher. He was fast
and came to fight. He outweighed Burley by 12 pounds and was a seasoned
light-heavy. But he just couldn't hit Burley. And it wasn't because
Burley wasn't there -- Burley rarely backed up. No need. Burley had an
uncanny ability to lean away from anything Smith threw. Burley fought
flat-footed, but his upper-body was so fast, he could avoid any punch
the fast light-heavy threw.
I don't know how Robinson would have tagged Burley without paying for it
dearly. Burley had a clubbing punch he could lunch from any angle with
pinpoint accuracy. It was not a single knock-out punch, but then neither
were Robinson's. But it was hard and after getting hit with it for five
or six rounds it had to have a knock-out effect.
The first Ezzard Charles-Burley fight was competitive. The second less
so. Burley was on a 26 fight winning streak when he first met the future
heavyweight champ. Here's a description of that fight:
> 1942-05-25 : Charley Burley 155lbs lost to Ezzard Charles 161�lbs by UD in round 10 of 10
> Location: Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
> "Ezzard Charles moved into the first rank of the nation's middleweights today through an upset conquest of Charley Burley. Charles snapped Burley's string of victories at 26 straight and he did it so convincingly that even Burley's best friends admitted he was licked. Charles won the first two rounds but when Burley came back to win the 3rd, everyone thought Charley was just cold and now warming up. In the 4th, however, Charles had Burley as close to being KO'd as any fighter can be. Burley then had his best round in the 5th when he not only took the play away from Charles but battered him from pillar to post. Burley also won the 6th using a long looping left to his advantage. Charles then stepped into the classy Burley to take the play away from him in a great fight." -Associated Press
Meanwhile, around the same time of this tough middleweight bout,
Robinson was fighting as a welter. And it should be noted that although
Burley had his pro debut in 1936, Robinson and Charles both had theirs
in 1940.
Burley was never knocked out. Even the great Ezzard Charles could't do
it. How does a smaller Robinson do it? Robinson would be up against a
defensive master who avoided punches so effortlessly he rarely seemed
winded. And then there was Burley's clubbing punches. They'd have got
through time and time again and have taken their toll.
I say Burley would have avoided Robinson's speed and combinations in the
early rounds while connecting with bombs that would surprise Robinson
again and again. Watch the tape of the Burley-Smith fight. Watch how
lightening fast Burley gets his clubbing punch through. He'd have
connected with Robinson and these would have been punches from a big
hard-hitting middle-weight.
It would have been a long night for the Sugar man, an extremely
dangerous fight any manager would have been a fool to take.
E. Landers
Turban Joe Balasootoe
Those of us who are not Sugar Ray Robinson boosters most purely want
to believe that Burley was the better fighter. Would it not be fun if,
in pro
football, the Redskins decided not to risk a probable loss against the
Giants?
And so on................
D. Flynn
I'm usually skeptical hearing that any fighter in history would
dominate Robinson. Still, if the claims that SRR was afraid to get in
the ring w/Burley are true, then I might have to reconsider.
ne...@millions.com
wrote:
With Sugar Ray Robinson, if there were good money waiting at the
conclusion of a bout with Charley Bruley, he'd've foot raced Burley
to the ring. Burley, in the ring was a consummate boxer.
DCI
Pap...@webtv.net
you are a TROLL. How old are you?
Pap...@webtv.net
I think you took too many punches in "your boxing career".
elanders
> Stop smokin' that stuff Landers. Charley Burley was a club fighter, and
> you are a TROLL. How old are you?
>
Fine, now all you have to do is explain how this bum sends a prime
28-year-old Archie Moore to the canvas in the first, second, and third
round during their bout in 1944.
Elucidate, bitch.
Landers
steveh...@gmail.com
Burley fought between 145-162 ish,certainly had the power knocking out Walcott in sparring.
Calling Burley a Clubfighter is a bit disrespectful. he was anything but.Both Moore & Eddie Futch said Burley
was the best they ever saw,you dont get a much better opinion than the late great Eddie Fuch.
I dont see Robinson getting his shots off without paying for it.Charley was as slick as hell with a phenomenal jab.
I think you could maybe match them ten times & it may well end five a piece ?
