“To be the champ, you gotta eat it and sleep it.”
Ezzard Charles
Ezzard Mack Charles was born in Lawrenceville, Georgia, on July 7, 1921.
Giving her son a chance at a better life, Ezz's mother moved him from Jim Crow South to Cincinnati, to be raised by his grandmother and great-grandmother.
In the thriving West End, Cincinnati neighborhood, Ezz graduated from Woodward High School while honing his skills as a boxer. There, he met and eventually married Gladys Gartrell. Together, they would start a family and raise three children.
Known in the ring as the Cincinnati Cobra, Ezzard Charles developed a methodical style of lightning-fast inside work and quick, hard punches to overtake his opponents.
Ezz stuck to a strict regimen of clean living and daily exercise, training at a local gym or putting in road work through the city. And while the hard work paid off, Ezz would go right back to training the very next day—even after a big win.
After going 42-0 as an amateur, Ezz had to fight up in his weight class just to get a shot at the championship.
In 1949, he defeated Jersey Joe Walcott for the heavyweight belt. And then bested Joe Louis, his childhood idol and boxing star, for the undisputed title in 1950. His reign as champ ended in 1951, but his boxing career continued, racking up a record of 95-25-1.
Wildly underappreciated in his day, the Cincinnati Cobra defeated numerous Hall of Fame boxers in three different weight classes, and is now heralded as one of the greatest fighters ever.
But Ezz was more than just a great boxer. A Renaissance man, Ezz played bass fiddle and considered jazz a passion, helping to shape the Cincinnati music scene. He was a painter, an avid reader and spoke several languages, learning Italian overseas during World War II. A dresser to the nines, Ezz had impeccable style and was a gifted tailor.
Ezz faced adversity his entire life. And even when he was the heavyweight champ, he was often snubbed compared to other boxers of the time. But Ezz maintained a positive outlook, often concentrating on things that gave him hope and the motivation to help him through. No matter the circumstance, Ezz remained true to himself and his family.
A community advocate during his life, Ezz built a legacy of dignity, generosity and determination that still resonates today.