Since he won the heavyweight championship in 1949, Ezzard Charles has knocked out five of the six challengers for his title without convincing fight fans that he is a worthy successor to Joe Louis. In Madison Square Garden last week, against reformed Playboy Lee Oma, 34, Charles tried again.
Challenger Oma made the demonstration as hard as possible. Though he appeared to be walking duck-footed into the champion's best punches, Oma never seemed to get hurt. In his flailing eagerness to please, Charles inadvertently struck low blows in the fifth and eighth rounds, and the crowd booed him. Even the fouls didn't...
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