Charley Riley (April 22, 1922 - May 22, 1994) is an inductee of the Boxing Hall of Fame. He was born in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

and was sometimes known as ''Chillin' Charley''.

Career

Charley Riley was a top

featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, t ...

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

contender in the 1940s and 1950s. He achieved nationwide recognition in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

with a trio of exciting fights with ex-NBA featherweight champ Phil Terranova. He lost via a one-punch body-shot knockout on February 22, 1946, but on April 30, 1947, evened the score with a 7th-round TKO of Terranova. On September 3, 1947, he scored a first-round TKO of Terranova. Reports were that the referee stopped this fight on the advice of the ring doctor because Terranova was bleeding profusely. Riley fought

Willie Pep Willy or Willie is a masculine, male given name, often a diminutive form of William or Wilhelm, and occasionally a nickname. It may refer to: People Given name or nickname * Willie Aames (born 1960), American actor, television director, and scre ...

for the featherweight championship in St Louis January 16, 1950 and was knocked out by Pep by a body punch in the fifth round. He accepted a non-title bout with reigning featherweight champion

Sandy Saddler Joseph "Sandy" Saddler (June 23, 1926 – September 18, 2001) was an American professional boxer. He was a two-time featherweight world champion, having also held the super featherweight title. Over his twelve-year career (1944–56), Saddler s ...

November 1, 1950 and lost a decision. He put pressure on Saddler in the first part of the fight but faded in the later rounds. During his career Riley also faced Glen Flanagan,

Jackie Graves Jackie Graves (September 12, 1922 – November 15, 2005), alias "The Austin Atom", was a featherweight boxer from Minnesota. Personal life Graves was a native of Austin, Minnesota. Boxing career From 1944 to 1956 Graves compiled a career record ...

Corky Gonzalez Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales (June 18, 1928 – April 12, 2005) was a Mexican-American boxer, poet, political organizer, and activist. He was one of many leaders for the Crusade for Justice in Denver, Colorado. The Crusade for Justice was an urb ...

George Araujo George Araujo (May 26, 1931 – November 21, 1997) was a lightweight professional boxer from Rhode Island. Personal life and professional career Araujo was born in the Fox Point neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island. He was of Cape Ver ...

and Redtop Davis. Riley retired in 1954 with a record of 69 wins (39 by knockout), 29 losses, and 2 draws. Although he was never a world champion, Charley Riley was inducted to '' The Ring'' magazine's Boxing Hall of Fame (disbanded in 1987). He was also known as the "Finney Avenue Fashion Plate" (an avenue in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

) for his attention to dress.

References

Boxers from Missouri 1922 births 1994 deaths American male boxers Featherweight boxers {{US-boxing-bio-stub