Arnold Cream's Last Hurrah

The great Jersey Joe Walcott (née Arnold Cream) made his only successful defense of the heavyweight championship on this day in 1952 when he outpointed Ezzard Charles over fifteen rounds at Municipal Stadium in Philadelphia.

It was the fourth and final fight between Walcott and Charles in one of heavyweight boxing's greatest and most under-appreciated rivalries. Their first bout came in 1949 after the retirement of Joe Louis - Charles won that one by unanimous decision. Their second fight came almost two years later, after Charles had become the universally recognized heavyweight king by beating Louis after the Bomber came out of retirement in 1950. For the second time, Charles convincingly defeated Walcott, putting him on the canvas in the ninth round and winning another UD.

The third time was the charm for ole Jersey Joe, however, as he knocked out Charles in the 7th round of their fight in 1951 to become, at that point, the oldest heavyweight champion in history at the age of 37. The fourth Walcott/Charles bout, 55 years ago today, was the least interesting of the four, a fight perhaps more notable for the ref than the action inside the ring - that night Zach Clayton became the first African-American to referee a heavyweight title fight (Clayton is today probably most famous for reffing the Rumble in the Jungle).

Walcott won the fight by unanimous decision and held on to his hard-won belt, but not for long. Three short months later, ahead on points in the 13th round, he stepped into the brick wall of Rocky Marciano's right hand, and the next era of heavyweight dominance had begun.