Nick Barone; lost heavyweight title to Charles

March 15, 2006|Associated Press

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Nick Barone, the ''Fighting Marine" who lost a heavyweight title bout in 1950 to Ezzard Charles, died Sunday at 79.

Mr. Barone had a 47-11-1 record, mainly as a ranked contender in the light heavyweight division. But his most famous fight came as a heavyweight on Dec. 5, 1950, when he met Charles in the champion's hometown of Cincinnati. It was Charles's first defense of the title he took from Joe Louis three months earlier.

Charles was heavily favored, but Mr. Barone lasted until the 11th round when he was knocked down for the first time in his career. He got up, but the referee stopped the fight.

''He was one tough son of a gun," said Don Hamilton, a former amateur boxer and friend of Mr. Barone's, told The Post-Standard. ''He weighed about 175 pounds when he fought Charles, but he went toe-to-toe with him."

Mr. Barone fought just five times after meeting Charles and lost four of those bouts.

''Before the Charles fight, he fought Jimmy Beau in a main event at Madison Square Garden," Hamilton added. ''He won a 10-round decision, but Beau damaged his left eye. He fought Charles with one eye."

Mr. Barone hid the injury from doctors, and it wasn't the first time he hid the truth to fight.

Mr. Barone, whose real name was Carmine, had an older brother, Nick. At 16, Mr. Barone took Nick's birth certificate and enlisted in the Marines. He saw action at Iwo Jima in World War II.