Ezzard Charles vs Pat Valentino

Two of the three officials had the challenger ahead when the contest ended abruptly in the eighth round, a circumstance which showed how strongly Pat Valentino’s aggression had impressed at ringside. The Californian had pressed Ezzard Charles through much of a hard contest at the Cow Palace in Daly City on 14 October 1949, but the champion’s cleaner punching and steady accumulation of damage finally settled the matter. A left hook dropped Valentino, who was counted out 35 seconds into the round.

Charles was making the second defence of the National Boxing Association heavyweight championship he had won by outpointing Jersey Joe Walcott four months earlier. His claim was not yet universally accepted, since the New York State Athletic Commission and the British Boxing Board of Control had declined to recognise the NBA succession following Joe Louis’s retirement. Charles had nevertheless strengthened his position by stopping former light-heavyweight champion Gus Lesnevich in August. Valentino, the California heavyweight champion, entered as a popular local challenger and a 5-to-1 underdog. Charles weighed 182 pounds, approximately six pounds less than his opponent.

A crowd of 19,591 produced a gross gate of $167,870. Valentino received a guaranteed $5,000, while Charles was entitled to 35 per cent of the net receipts. Referee Jack Downey was joined by judges Frankie Carter and Frank Manfredo. The atmosphere favoured Valentino, whose direct methods and willingness to exchange drew an immediate response from the large gathering.

The opening round contained considerable holding, with Valentino seeking to crowd Charles and prevent him from working at his preferred distance. Charles accepted the close fighting and drove short punches into the body before stepping away. Valentino advanced persistently, but the champion’s feet were quicker, and his punches were more compact. Charles did not waste movement and generally made the challenger reach before countering.

The exchanges became heavier in the second. Valentino threw wide punches at the head and tried to carry Charles backwards through strength and activity. Charles remained composed, catching the incoming blows on his gloves and arms before answering through the centre. One clean counter checked Valentino’s advance and caused him to stumble, but the Californian recovered and continued to force the pace. The third followed much the same course. Valentino supplied the pressure, while Charles moved, turned him and scored with the straighter punches.

By the fourth round, Valentino’s forward movement had lost some of its early sharpness. He was still willing, but he approached more slowly, and Charles found increasing opportunities to meet him with combinations. The champion worked to the body, brought punches upstairs and moved away before Valentino could establish himself. There was no knockdown, yet the effects of Charles’s accuracy were becoming apparent in the challenger’s face and decreasing output.

Valentino remained competitive because he refused to concede the initiative. During the middle rounds, he continued to advance and frequently drove Charles into clinches, earning credit from two officials for making the fight. Charles occasionally appeared weary under the pressure, but he retained the clearer judgment. As Valentino’s punches became less frequent, the champion remained able to counter him while stepping to either side. By the seventh, Valentino’s attack had been reduced largely to the jab and occasional heavy swings, while Charles continued to score with shorter punches.

The official scoring after seven rounds reflected the closeness of the contest as viewed at ringside. Downey and Carter each had Valentino ahead by 39 points to 38, while Manfredo favoured Charles by 39 to 37. Valentino therefore began the eighth with a genuine opportunity to retain his lead, but his renewed advance exposed him to the decisive counter. Charles landed the left hook, and the challenger went down. Exhausted by the preceding exchanges, Valentino could not rise before the count was completed.

The victory was Charles’s 24th successive win and his second successful NBA title defence. Valentino had supplied more resistance than the betting suggested, but his aggression had come at a severe physical cost. He later lost the sight in one eye, with the damage attributed to the contest. Charles, though pressed and at times made uncomfortable, had demonstrated the difference between effective pressure and accurate championship punching. Valentino fought once more, in an exhibition with Joe Louis later that year, before leaving the ring.

I’ve always thought this fight showed why Ezzard Charles was such a complete boxer. Pat Valentino had the home crowd, greater weight and a rugged style, but although two officials had him ahead after seven rounds, I cannot agree. He forced the action, yet Charles landed the cleaner punches.

Valentino crowded and held, while Charles used sharper feet, shorter counters and steady body work. The eighth-round left hook was no accident. Charles had spent the fight making Valentino reach and walk onto punches. Valentino was brave and competitive, but Charles absorbed the pressure, retained his technique and finished matters decisively.