MIDDLEWEIGHT division
CHARLEY BURLEY
RetiredBorn CHARLES DUANE BURLEY
Born 1917-09-06, BESSEMER, PA. (died aged 75)· Died 1992-10-16· USA
Residence: PITTSBURGH, PA.· Stance: orthodox· Height: 175 cm (5'9")
IBHOF · Class of 1992Debut: 1936-09-29· Career: 1936–1950 (15 years)
Wins
83
Losses
12
Draws
2
NC
0
Rated Fights
97
EARLY LIFE*
He was born Charles Duane Burley in Bessemer, Pennsylvania on September 6, 1917 to a mixed-race couple: his father (Charley Burley, Sr.) was a black coal miner and his mother, Angelene O'Brien, a white Irish immigrant from County Cork.
Raised in Bessemer, the only son of seven children, the family moved to Pittsburgh when his father was killed in an industrial accident in 1925 when he was eight years old.
AMATEUR CAREER
He began boxing at the age of 12 at Kays Boys Club and, as a lightweight, won city, state and national junior boxing titles and a Golden Gloves junior title.
As a welterweight, he won a Golden Gloves Senior and lost the 1936 National Senior Championship finals. That same year, he refused an invitation to participate in the Olympic trials due to his objection to the Nazi regime. He did accept an invitation to attend a scheduled 'Workers Games' to be held in Republican Spain as a protest to the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics, but the games were cancelled by the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.
Burley had also excelled at baseball. He reportedly was offered a contract by the Homestead Grays, the local Negro leagues franchise.
LIFE AFTER BOXING
DEATH
Head-to-Head Comparison
Compare CHARLEY BURLEY's career against any other fighter on record — records, ratings, common opponents, and any direct bouts.
Title Reigns — 2
1942-08-14 → 1942-10-16 · 2m 2d · 0 defences
Lost to HOLMAN WILLIAMS · Wu
Complete Record — 97 Bouts
| Date | Result | Opponent | Rds | Div. | Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🔒 22 JUL 1950 | DEC | PILAR BASTIDAS | 10 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 02 MAR 1950 | KO | BUDDY HODNETT | 6 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 02 FEB 1950 | KO | CHUCK HIGGINS | 1 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 25 JUL 1949 | DEC | WILLIE WRIGHT | 8 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 03 APR 1949 | LOSS | CHARLEY DOC WILLIAMS | 10 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 24 MAR 1948 | KO | BATTLING BLACKJACK | 3 | LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 08 AUG 1947 | TKO | LARRY CARTWRIGHT | 8 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 17 FEB 1947 | LOSS | BERT LYTELL | 10 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 05 AUG 1946 | DEC | BERT LYTELL | 10 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 16 JUL 1946 | DEC | CHARLEY BANKS | 10 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 24 APR 1946 | DEC | OAKLAND BILLY SMITH | 10 | LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 08 APR 1946 | TKO | PAULIE PETERS | 2 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 14 MAR 1946 | TKO | CHARLEY DODSON | 3 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 08 OCT 1945 | DEC | OAKLAND BILLY SMITH | 10 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 28 SEP 1945 | KO | SPEEDY DUVALL | 4 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 04 SEP 1945 | KO | DAVE CLARK | 1 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 20 AUG 1945 | UD | AARON WADE | 10 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 26 JUL 1945 | KO | OSCAR BOYD | 2 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 11 JUL 1945 | LOSS | HOLMAN WILLIAMS | 12 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 12 MAR 1945 | UD | JOE CARTER | 10 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 11 SEP 1944 | KO | JACK CHASE | 10 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 28 AUG 1944 | TKO | YOUNG GENE BUFFALO | 5 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 23 JUN 1944 | TKO | FRANKIE NELSON | 7 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 12 MAY 1944 | TKO | AL GILBERT | 4 | LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 21 APR 1944 | DEC | ARCHIE MOORE | 10 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 06 APR 1944 | KO | JACK CHASE | 9 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 24 MAR 1944 | UD | AARON WADE | 10 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 03 MAR 1944 | KO | BOBBY BERGER | 5 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 26 JUN 1943 | DEC | BOBBY BIRCH | 10 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 19 APR 1943 | DRAW | COCOA KID | 10 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 03 MAR 1943 | DEC | AARON WADE | 10 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 19 FEB 1943 | UD | JACK CHASE | 10 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 03 FEB 1943 | TKO | HARVEY MASSEY | 9 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 11 DEC 1942 | LOSS | LLOYD MARSHALL | 10 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 13 NOV 1942 | TKO | CECILIO LOZADA | 2 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 16 OCT 1942 | LOSS | HOLMAN WILLIAMS | 15 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | TITLE |
| 🔒 14 AUG 1942 | TKO | HOLMAN WILLIAMS | 9 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | TITLE |
| 🔒 29 JUN 1942 | LOSS | EZZARD CHARLES | 10 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 23 JUN 1942 | DEC | HOLMAN WILLIAMS | 10 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 25 MAY 1942 | LOSS | EZZARD CHARLES | 10 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 30 APR 1942 | KO | SAMMY WILSON | 2 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 24 APR 1942 | KO | JOE SUTKA | 4 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 20 APR 1942 | KO | PHIL MCQUILLAN | 1 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 09 APR 1942 | KO | CLEO MCNEAL | 5 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 13 MAR 1942 | TKO | JAY D TURNER | 6 | HEAVYWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 26 FEB 1942 | UD | HOLMAN WILLIAMS | 10 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 13 FEB 1942 | TKO | BIG BOY HOGUE | 6 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 06 FEB 1942 | TKO | MILO THEODORESCU | 4 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 23 JAN 1942 | TKO | JACKIE BURKE | 5 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 09 JAN 1942 | TKO | SHORTY HOGUE | 10 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 23 DEC 1941 | KO | JERRY HAYES | 4 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 12 DEC 1941 | TKO | TED MORRISON | 2 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 25 SEP 1941 | DEC | ANTONIO FERNANDEZ | 10 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 25 AUG 1941 | DEC | OTTO BLACKWELL | 8 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 14 JUL 1941 | TKO | YOUNG GENE BUFFALO | 5 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 02 JUN 1941 | TKO | OSSIE HARRIS | 9 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 18 APR 1941 | TKO | EDDIE ELLIS | 5 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 31 MAR 1941 | TKO | BABE SYNNOTT | 5 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 11 NOV 1940 | DEC | VINCE PIMPINELLA | 10 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 17 OCT 1940 | DEC | EDDIE PEIRCE | 10 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 03 SEP 1940 | LOSS | JIMMY BIVINS | 10 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 19 AUG 1940 | UD | KENNY LASALLE | 10 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 29 JUL 1940 | DRAW | GEORGIE ABRAMS | 10 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 17 JUN 1940 | DEC | CARL DELL | 10 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 26 APR 1940 | KO | SAM EDWARDS | 2 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 12 APR 1940 | TKO | BABY KID CHOCOLATE | 5 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 12 FEB 1940 | DEC | NATE BOLDEN | 10 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 01 DEC 1939 | LOSS | HOLMAN WILLIAMS | 15 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 23 OCT 1939 | KO | MICKEY MAKAR | 1 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 28 AUG 1939 | DEC | JIMMY LETO | 10 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 17 JUL 1939 | DEC | FRITZIE ZIVIC | 10 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 20 JUN 1939 | LOSS | JIMMY LETO | 10 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 10 JAN 1939 | TKO | SONNY JONES | 7 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 21 NOV 1938 | UD | BILLY SOOSE | 10 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 03 NOV 1938 | KO | WERTHER ARCELLI | 1 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 22 AUG 1938 | UD | COCOA KID | 15 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | TITLE |
| 🔒 02 AUG 1938 | TKO | LEON ZORRITA | 6 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 13 JUN 1938 | DEC | FRITZIE ZIVIC | 10 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 01 JUN 1938 | TKO | MIKE BARTO | 4 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 21 MAR 1938 | LOSS | FRITZIE ZIVIC | 10 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 03 MAR 1938 | KO | ART TATE | 2 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 10 FEB 1938 | UD | CARL TURNER | 4 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 03 FEB 1938 | DEC | JOHNNY FOLIO | 4 | MIDDLEWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 27 JAN 1938 | KO | TIGER JACKSON | 2 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 09 SEP 1937 | LOSS | EDDIE DOLAN | 8 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 16 AUG 1937 | TKO | SAMMY GRIPPE | 6 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 09 AUG 1937 | TKO | REMO FERNANDEZ | 7 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 24 JUN 1937 | DEC | MICKEY O'BRIEN | 10 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 27 MAY 1937 | TKO | KEITH GOODBALLET | 2 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 03 MAY 1937 | DEC | SAMMY GRIPPE | 6 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 19 APR 1937 | DEC | RAY GRAY | 6 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 15 APR 1937 | TKO | JOHNNY FOLIO | 5 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 08 FEB 1937 | TKO | RAY COLLINS | 5 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 22 JAN 1937 | KO | RALPH GIZZY | 2 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 09 NOV 1936 | TKO | EDDIE WIRKO | 5 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 22 OCT 1936 | DEC | RALPH GIZZY | 6 | WELTERWEIGHT | — | |
| 🔒 29 SEP 1936 | KO | GEORGE LIGGINS | 4 | WELTERWEIGHT | — |
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