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NEW YORK DAILY NEWS FEBRUARY 27, 1994

CHAMP: Jersey Joe Walcott in 1947

JERSEY JOE WALCOTT DIES

THE CHAMPION! Jersey Joe Wallcott (inset) floors Ezzard Charles on his way to the heavyweight championship.

Former champion Walcott dead at 80

"You could sum up Walcott by saying one thing: He knew how to fight." - Teddy Brenner

By MICHAEL KATZ Daily News Sports Writer _ Jersey Joe Walcott, who died in his sleep Friday night at age 80, could sum up the heavyweight division. The oldest man to win the heavyweight title had links to much of its history. _ The legendary Jack Johnson, whom he saw as a schoolboy named Arnold Cream, inspired Walcott to become a boxer. He was good enough to beat legendary Joe Louis one night in 1947, or at least that's what the world thought before the deci- sion was announced. _ He avenged two earlier losses to finally win the title from the great Ezzard Charles with one of the best left hooks in his- tory. He was 37, and films of his fights with Charles could be primers for courses in Advanced Boxing. _He lost the title to Rocky Marciano. He was ahead after 12 rounds before getting caught with one of the great right hands in boxing history. _He got his biggest payday for the Marciano rematch, Bren- ner said. _"Joe wanted to retire, but he was told, 'don't worry, you're not going to get hurt, just stay down when your hit,' said Brenner. _Walcott landed a beautiful left hook, Marciano didn't blink, and the fight was over in the first round. Walcott never fought again. He became a referee, not a very good one. He was the third man in the ring in Lewiston, Maine, for Muhammad Ali's

Ex-champ Jersey Joe Wallcott dead at 80

"phantom" first-round knock- out of Sonny Liston. _Liston had gotton up and Walcott had allowed the fight to resume when Nat Fleischer, publisher of Ring magazine, hollered that his count had gone beyond 10. Walcott forgot that only the referee's count is official and stopped the bout. _He was later the chairman of the New Jersey boxing commission. Though limping badly because of diabetes, he added stately dignity to hun- dreds of ringsides. Walcott had the moves _It was inside the ring, though, that he will be re- membered. Ali unabashedly based his Ali Shuffle on the Walcott Shuffle. Then there was the walk-a-way, in which Walcott would take a step or two away from his opponent, then pivot quickly to land a hard left hook. _"He knew how to fight and they wouldn't let him fight," Brenner said. "He lost to Abe Simon in six. He could've made mincemeat of Abe Si- mon." _Racism was even worse back then. In 1930's, there was even a "Great White Hope" heavyweight tourna-

ment held openly in Coney Is- land. The idea was to find a worthy opponent for the great champion, Louis. There was a late scratch and Wal- cott filled in, somehow win- ning a "great white hope" tournament. _He had to work for a living, often doing temporary labor. he would join dozens of oth- er young men hoping to be picked for a day's pay. Once he got an assignment to spar with Louis. He knocked down the great champion. His fel- low workers laughed at him when he told them, but he said one day he would show them he could beat Joe Louis. _In 1947, he did. Before the decision was announced, a dejected Louis headed out of the ring, thinking he had lost. Brenner remembers Sugar Ray Robinson going by, open- ly crying. _"What's the matter, Ray," Brenner asked. _"He lost, the Champ lost," Robinson replied. _Said Drenner yesterday: "Then the decision was an- nounced and Ray immediate- ly cheered up. _"The rematch was rained out for four days, and Louis knocked him out." _"But Walcott, he could fight."

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