Hayes Edward "Big Ed" Sanders (March 24, 1930 – December 12, 1954) was an American heavyweight boxer who won an Olympic gold medal in 1952.

Sanders and his younger brother, Donald, collected coffee cans, filled them with cement and connected two of them with a steel bar to make a weight set for exercising.

As "Big Ed" grew bigger, faster and stronger, Sanders excelled in football and track and field at Jordan High School.

On May 26, 2012, Sanders' son Russell presided over his posthumous induction into the Compton Community College Athletics Hall of Fame, under the category of boxing.

[2] He subsequently toured Europe, winning the Golden Gloves Tournament in Berlin, Germany, which enhanced his reputation as a dominant heavyweight.

In the Mid-West Regional in Omaha, Nebraska, Sanders was defeated by Army Corporal Lloyd Willis, but still advanced to the finals because of his prior victory over Navy Champion Seals.

Sanders and Willis met again in a bout in Kansas City, Missouri that decided the last spot on the Olympic boxing team.

The 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki turned out not to be much of a challenge for Sanders, as he knocked out his first three opponents and reached the final against Swede Ingemar Johansson.

Sanders later stood atop the prize dais with the place for the silver medalist vacant and a Swedish flag in its unfurled knot.

Johansson maintained he was not fleeing Sanders, but rather was trying to tire his huge opponent for a planned third round onslaught but he was not awarded his silver medal for another 30 years.

The combination of his tenacious fighting style, deep sense of assurance and humble demeanor attracted constant media attention.

The City of Los Angeles named a day in his honor, and he was inundated with requests for his attendance at athletic, social and religious events.

Additionally, Sanders, now living near a Naval base in Boston, lacked a consistent trainer and heavyweight sparring partners.

Sanders, famous and holding a prized Olympic gold medal, faced immense pressure to turn pro from the boxing world and media.

Earlier that same day, Sanders attended a game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Boston Braves and witnessed Jackie Robinson hit two home runs.

In private correspondence to Detty, a shocked and saddened Sanders confided that he felt he lacked adequate trades and sparring partners other than highly regarded local heavyweight Willie James.

Sanders won a May 22, 1954, bout against Jack Flood and then avenged his earlier loss to Willie Wilson later that summer in August 1954, winning an eight-round decision.