[5] Charles started his career as a featherweight in the amateurs, where he had a near perfect record (at one point 42-0 until a 1939 loss to Daniel Warren Eby).

Charles made three title defenses, all ending in knockout (including one over Lesnevich), before facing his idol and former heavyweight champion, Joe Louis, on September 27, 1950.

Louis was quickly forced out of retirement due to troubles with the IRS, and at this stage in his career proved no match for the younger Charles, who dominated the fight and won a wide unanimous decision.

Four more successful title defenses would follow against Nick Barone, Walcott, Lee Oma, and the new light heavyweight champion Joey Maxim.

Having been defeated twice before, Walcott was a 9:1 underdog, but scored a major upset, knocking out Charles with a perfect left hook to the jaw in the seventh round.

Charles fought a rematch with Walcott the following year, but lost a controversial decision in their fourth and final bout.

Remaining a top contender with wins over Rex Layne, Tommy Harrison and Coley Wallace, Charles scored a second-round knockout over Bob Satterfield in a heavyweight title eliminator bout on January 13, 1954.

Age and damage sustained during his career caused Charles to begin a sharp decline following his title fights.

He could seamlessly blend between defence and offense and adapt on the fly.Charles fought side on, leaning slightly to the right to take his head off the centre from the line of attack.

On the outside range, Charles would stalk his prey, circling leftwards and utilising his lightning-quick probing jab to attack both the head and body to properly gauge the opponent's distance.

However, some would note that after Sam Baroudi died of injuries during their 1948 fight, Charles is alleged to have become less aggressive and more cautious, although this theory is hotly debated.

[12] After his title fights, Charles became very close with Rocky Marciano and later was a neighbor and friend of Muhammad Ali when they both lived on 85th Street in Chicago (later in life when Charles suffered from financial difficulties and illness, both men along with other boxing celebrities hosted a fundraiser on his behalf).

In 2006, Ezzard Charles was named the 11th greatest fighter of all time by the IBRO (International Boxing Research Organisation).

Against top rate opposition like Archie Moore, Charley Burley, Lloyd Marshall, Jimmy Bivins, and Joey Maxim he was an impressive 16-2 combined.

Two thirds of voters had him inside the top 20.Muhammad Ali said in his own autobiography: "Ezzard Charles was a truly great fighter and champion.

"[20] In 2007, ESPN online ranks Ezzard Charles as the 27th greatest boxer of all time, ahead of such notable fighters as Mike Tyson, Larry Holmes and Jake LaMotta.

[21] In 2009, Boxing magazine listed Ezzard Charles as the greatest Light Heavyweight fighter ever, ahead of the likes of Archie Moore, Bob Foster, Michael Spinks and Gene Tunney.

[22] In 2022, a statue honoring Ezzard Charles was unveiled in the former Laurel Park in the West End neighborhood of Cincinnati.

[23] Prominent boxing historian Bert Sugar listed Charles as the seventh greatest Heavyweight of all time.