From 1947 to 1954, heavyweight history received a timeless series of sagas to behold. I’ve seen much coverage (my own none-withstanding) of the Five Kings rivalries (Leonard, Hearns, Hagler, Durán, Benítez) but not much covering the specific four man masterclass of rivalries that headlined and closed the “Black & White Age”.
Jersey Joe Walcott, Ezzard Charles, Rocky Marciano, and Joe Louis; these are the four legends of the sport who all fought one another at some point or another in their quests for glory and greatness. It’s probably shocking to any new fight fans that there was a time when the best fighters *actually fought one another*. Imagine if Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder, and Tyson Fury all fought one another in a series of bouts that defined the era (at least before Oleksandr Usyk came along). This is what we’ve got in store today.
In 1947, Joe Louis accepted the challenge of Jersey Joe Walcott and a would-be upset for the ages unfolded in Madison Square Garden. They would rematch the next year and a magical ending occured that took fight fans back to the glory days. Fortunately, the duology between Louis and Walcott was just the beginning of the bigger picture.
In 1949, with Louis having retired, the two top contenders met in a match organized by Louis to determine the new champion. Neither Jersey Joe or new heavyweight Ezzard Charles were highly regarded, at least in the shadow of the hero Joe Louis. They fought and a new champ was crowned.
In 1950, Joe Louis returned to the ring and had a showdown with the reigning shadow champion. It was very telling toward where both men stood in the current landscape of the division. The next year, the champion engaged a rival in two bouts and they split wins. The second of their bouts is home to what may be the nastiest, coldest walk-in left hook in boxing history. In that same year, Joe Louis engaged another rival and had his career ended in devastating fashion, though it hasn’t done much to alter his legacy.
In 1952, the championship saw a fourth entry in a certain rivalry that served to even the playing field between the two warriors. Later in the year, arguably the best fight of the entire Four Man Saga unfolded and culminated in a standoff akin to an old western drawing of guns. The first to draw and fire wins and that’s just what happened.
Then came 1953, and all we were left with was one lone round of definitive truth. There was no doubt who the champ was. 1954 arrived, and the Saga of Rivalries ended in the same manner it began: a duology to behold. The champion had to deal with a man who wasn’t washed and was looking to lunge into the driverseat with all his remaining relevance. What history was left with was one competitive match that went the distance and another that hinged on one man’s nose nearly being knocked off! You read that right.
You’ve noticed I’ve not revealed some of the names in the listed fights on the off chance you’ve never watched any of these fights or are unaware of this rivalry. You’ve got to experience it for the first time and soak it in. Or maybe you’re someone who knows this history already. In that event, you’re still going to love this condensed trip down memory lane! Of course, I’d recommend you watch these fights in full if you haven’t. You can even use my video as a watch order guide.
Alright, that’s enough teasing. It’s time for you to experience one of heavyweight history’s must-see sagas. These four men closed out the “Black & White Age” in the best possible way. Fans couldn’t have asked for a better series of all time classic matchups. I guess there’s only one question that could be posed: what if ARCHIE MOORE were in the mix earlier and joined this rivalry? Moore fought Ezzard Charles at light heavyweight and would give Rocky Marciano his last fight after all…
This is the story of the “Four Heavyweight Kings Rivalries” by TheCharlesJackson, author of the Boxing Encyclopedia; from my heart to yours. A preview “A Timeline of the 1950s Heavyweight Boxing Division,” of which you can lookout for another article from me in another 3 weeks or so. Enjoy and God bless.
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