Edward Mills "Eddie" Machen (June 15, 1932 – August 8, 1972) was an American

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...

. He was one of six children of a rural mail carrier. Machen dropped out of high school and became an amateur boxer. However, after just three bouts he was arrested and convicted of armed robbery. After his release, he became a professional boxer, determined never to return to prison again. His 64-bout career began on March 22, 1955, and he went on to win his first 24 bouts. He was highly rated and fought most of the big names of his era and he defeated many of the important names of his period such as Bob Baker,

Jerry Quarry Jerry Quarry (May 15, 1945 – January 3, 1999), nicknamed "Irish" or "The Bellflower Bomber", was an American professional boxer. During the peak of his career from 1968 to 1971, Quarry was a popular figure in boxing, featured on the cover ' ...

, Niño Valdés, Joey Maxim, Willi Besmanoff, Tommy Jackson, Brian London, Howard King and Doug Jones (boxer)

Professional career

Early career

Machen often fought at Civic Auditorium or the Cow Palace in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. His first bout was with fellow first-timer Raul Flores, whom he knocked out in the first round. He had eleven fights in 1955 and the six-foot, 195-pounder won them all, ten by knockout or

technical knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

. He had eight more wins in 1956 against better competition. In 1957, he won all five fights he had, including two over former

light heavyweight Light heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight. The light heavyweight class has ...

champion Joey Maxim. The Maxim wins made him a ranked contender. In April 1958, he met highly ranked Zora Folley and fought to a draw over 12 rounds. But he was then knocked out in one round by undefeated future heavyweight champion

Ingemar Johansson Jens Ingemar "Ingo" Johansson (; 22 September 1932 – 30 January 2009) was a Swedish professional boxer who competed from 1952 to 1963. He held the world heavyweight title from 1959 to 1960, and was the fifth heavyweight champion born outside ...

, in September. After being caught flush by a big right hand Machen was floored three times, the last for some minutes. On the comeback trail in 1959, Machen posted seven straight wins to return him to contention. In January 1960, he lost a decision to Folley at the Cow Palace. Later that year he met top contender and future champion,

Sonny Liston Charles L. "Sonny" Liston ( – December 30, 1970), nicknamed "the Big Bear", was an American professional boxer who competed from 1953 to 1970. A dominant contender of his era, he became the undisputed world heavyweight champion in 1962 after k ...

, and although he lost by a clear 12-round unanimous decision, fought a sharp hit and move match that many believed was later studied by heavyweight champion

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...

. Liston was penalized three times for low blows in that match. 1961 began with two wins, then a very controversial loss to Harold Johnson by decision. Again, he came back with three very good wins, including a decision over undefeated Doug Jones. In 1962, Machen had two more wins before he had a draw with high-ranked big hitter Cleveland Williams in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

in July 1962. In 1963 he resumed fighting and scored four straight knockouts to finish the year. He fought just twice in 1964, battling his personal issues. One was a win, the other a close 12-round loss to another former heavyweight champion,

Floyd Patterson Floyd Patterson (January 4, 1935 – May 11, 2006) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1952 to 1972, and twice reigned as the world heavyweight champion between 1956 and 1962. At the age of 21, he became the youngest boxer in his ...

in Sweden in July 1964.

Title shot and late career

In 1965, Machen received his first world title shot when he and 6' 6" Ernie Terrell met for the vacated

World Boxing Association The World Boxing Association (WBA), formerly known as the National Boxing Association (NBA), is an international professional boxing organization based in Panama. The WBA awards its world championship title at the professional level. Founded ...

title that had been stripped from

. Terrell won the 15-round decision. In 1966 he lost a decision to German southpaw Karl Mildenberger in Germany, then lost a close split-decision to powerful slugger Manuel Ramos. But he closed that year with two wins, one particularly notable over future contender

, which was Quarry's first defeat

Versus Joe Frazier

In late 1966, Machen fought young future heavyweight champion

Joe Frazier Joseph William Frazier (January 12, 1944November 7, 2011) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981. Nicknamed "Smokin' Joe", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. He was known for ...

and lost in a tenth-round technical knockout. Downed in the first round, Machen continued to try to out-slug rather than out-box the relentless Frazier.

Retirement

Machen retired in 1967 at age 35 following consecutive losses to

Henry Clark Henry Clark may refer to: Politicians *Henry Toole Clark (1808–1874), Governor of North Carolina, 1861–1862 *Henry Selby Clark (1809–1869), U.S. Representative from North Carolina *Henry A. Clark (New York politician) (1818–1906), New Yor ...

, Boone Kirkman and Joe Frazier.

Health and death

Machen was admitted to the Napa State Hospital in the fall of 1962 after threatening to commit

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

. Biographies state he suffered from clinical depression. He later filed for

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...

in 1966 and retired from boxing in 1967. His final record was 50-11-3, with 27 KOs. Eddie Machen was found dead in

on August 8, 1972, apparently the result of a fall from a second story apartment window. He was 40 years old. It is not known if the cause of death was suicide, accident, or murder.

Professional boxing record

, - , align="center" colspan=8, 50 Wins (29 knockouts, 21 decisions), 11 Losses (3 knockouts, 8 decisions), 3 Draws''

, - , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Result , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Record , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Opponent , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Type , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Round , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Date , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Location , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Notes , -align=center , Loss , 50–11–3 , align=left, Boone Kirkman , TKO , 3 , 26/05/1967 , align=left, Seattle Center Coliseum,

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

, align=left, , - , Loss , 50–10–3 , align=left, Henry Clark , PTS , 12 , 28/03/1967 , align=left, Sacramento Memorial Auditorium,

Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

, align=left, , - , Loss , 50–9–3 , align=left,

, TKO , 10 , 21/11/1966 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium,

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 50–8–3 , align=left, George "Scrap Iron" Johnson , UD , 10 , 29/09/1966 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium,

, align=left, , - , Win , 49–8–3 , align=left,

, UD , 10 , 14/07/1966 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium,

, align=left, , - , Win , 48–8–3 , align=left, Joey Orbillo , SD , 10 , 23/06/1966 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium,

, align=left, , - , Loss , 47–8–3 , align=left, Manuel "Pulgarcito" Ramos , SD , 10 , 03/06/1966 , align=left, Los Angeles Sports Arena,

, align=left, , - , Loss , 47—7—3 , align=left, Karl Mildenberger , PTS , 10 , 03/02/1966 , align=left, Festhalle Frankfurt,

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

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, align=left, , - , Draw , 47-6-3 , align=left, Elmer Rush , PTS , 10 , 10/05/1965 , align=left, San Francisco Civic Auditorium,

San Francisco, California San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, align=left, , - , Loss , 47–6–2 , align=left, Ernie Terrell , UD , 15 , 05/03/1965 , align=left, International Amphitheatre,

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, align=left, , - , Loss , 47–5–2 , align=left,

, PTS , 12 , 05/07/1964 , align=left, Rasunda,

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, align=left, , - , Win , 47–4–2 , align=left, Duke Sabedong , KO , 1 , 17/02/1964 , align=left, Kezar Pavilion,

, align=left, , - , Win , 46–4–2 , align=left, Dave E. Bailey , KO , 8 , 30/11/1963 , align=left,

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, align=left, , - , Win , 45–4–2 , align=left, Bill McMurray , KO , 7 , 05/11/1963 , align=left, Sacramento Memorial Auditorium,

, align=left, , - , Win , 44–4–2 , align=left, Alonzo Johnson , KO , 9 , 12/10/1963 , align=left, Santa Monica Civic Auditorium,

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 43–4–2 , align=left, Ollie Wilson , KO , 6 , 16/09/1963 , align=left, Santa Monica Civic Auditorium,

, align=left, , - , Draw , 42-4-2 , align=left, Cleveland Williams , PTS , 10 , 10/07/1962 , align=left, Sam Houston Coliseum,

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 42–4–1 , align=left, Roger Rischer , UD , 10 , 28/05/1962 , align=left, San Francisco Civic Auditorium,

, align=left, , - , Win , 41–4—1 , align=left, Bert Whitehurst , TKO , 6 , 23/04/1962 , align=left, Los Angeles Sports Arena,

, align=left, , - , Win , 40–4–1 , align=left, Doug Jones , UD , 10 , 02/12/1961 , align=left,

Miami Beach Convention Center The Miami Beach Convention Center (originally the Miami Beach Exhibition Hall) is a convention center located in Miami Beach, Florida. Originally opened in 1958, the venue was renovated from 2015 to 2020 for $640 million. The re-imagined and enha ...

Miami Beach, Florida Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The municipality is located on natural and human-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 39–4–1 , align=left, Brian London , RTD , 5 , 17/10/1961 , align=left, Empire Pool, Wembley, London , align=left, , - , Win , 38–4–1 , align=left, Mike DeJohn , TKO , 9 , 16/09/1961 , align=left, Syracuse War Memorial Arena,

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, align=left, , - , Loss , 37–4–1 , align=left, Harold Johnson , PTS , 10 , 01/07/1961 , align=left, Boardwalk Hall,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 37–3–1 , align=left, Mike DeJohn , UD , 10 , 10/04/1961 , align=left, Cow Palace,

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, align=left, , - , Win , 36–3–1 , align=left, Garvin Sawyer , KO , 5 , 22/02/1961 , align=left,

Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. It is the most populous city in the county, the List of municipal ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 35–3–1 , align=left, Wayne Bethea , UD , 10 , 19/12/1960 , align=left,

Auditorium An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoriums can be found in entertainment venues, community halls, and t ...

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, align=left, , - , Loss , 34-3–1 , align=left,

, UD , 12 , 07/09/1960 , align=left, Sick's Stadium,

, align=left, , - , Win , 34–2–1 , align=left, Alonzo Johnson , UD , 10 , 08/06/1960 , align=left,

Chicago Stadium Chicago Stadium was an indoor arena in Chicago from 1929 to 1995. When it was built, it was the largest indoor arena in the world with a maximum seating capacity of 26,000. It was the home of the National Hockey League's Chicago Blackhawks and ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 33–2–1 , align=left, Alex Miteff , UD , 10 , 20/05/1960 , align=left,

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 32–2–1 , align=left, Billy H. Hunter , TKO , 9 , 26/02/1960 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Loss , 31–2–1 , align=left, Zora Folley , UD , 12 , 18/01/1960 , align=left, Cow Palace,

, align=left, , - , Win , 31–1–1 , align=left, Pat McMurtry , KO , 1 , 27/10/1959 , align=left, Pacific Livestock Pavilion,

, align=left, , - , Win , 30–1–1 , align=left, Willi Besmanoff , UD , 10 , 16/09/1959 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 29–1–1 , align=left, Garvin Sawyer , PTS , 10 , 11/08/1959 , align=left, Memorial Auditorium,

Fresno, California Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 28–1–1 , align=left, Reuben Vargas , TKO , 6 , 22/07/1959 , align=left, Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center,

, align=left, , - , Win , 27–1–1 , align=left, Reuben Vargas , UD , 10 , 20/05/1959 , align=left, Cow Palace,

, align=left, , - , Win , 26–1–1 , align=left, Clarence Williams , TKO , 9 , 31/03/1959 , align=left, Sacramento Memorial Auditorium,

, align=left, , - , Win , 25–1–1 , align=left, Young Jack Johnson , UD , 10 , 05/03/1959 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Loss , 24–1–1 , align=left,

, KO , 1 , 14/09/1958 , align=left, Nya Ullevi,

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, align=left, , - , Draw , 24–0–1 , align=left, Zora Folley , PTS , 12 , 09/04/1958 , align=left, Cow Palace,

, align=left, , - , Win , 24–0 , align=left, Tommy Hurricane Jackson , RTD , 10 , 13/11/1957 , align=left, Cow Palace,

, align=left, , - , Win , 23–0 , align=left, Edgardo Romero , KO , 5 , 18/09/1957 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 22–0 , align=left, Bob Baker , UD , 10 , 24/07/1957 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 21–0 , align=left, Joey Maxim , UD , 10 , 03/05/1957 , align=left, Kentucky Exposition Center,

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, align=left, , - , Win , 20–0 , align=left, Joey Maxim , UD , 10 , 25/01/1957 , align=left, Miami Beach Auditorium,

, align=left, , - , Win , 19–0 , align=left, Johnny Summerlin , UD , 10 , 05/12/1956 , align=left, Syracuse War Memorial Arena,

, align=left, , - , Win , 18–0 , align=left, John Holman , KO , 7 , 24/10/1956 , align=left, Portland Armory,

, align=left, , - , Win , 17–0 , align=left, Julio Mederos , UD , 10 , 04/09/1956 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 16–0 , align=left, Walter Hafer , TKO , 4 , 16/08/1956 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 15–0 , align=left, Nino Valdes , KO , 8 , 11/07/1956 , align=left, Miami Beach Auditorium,

, align=left, , - , Win , 14–0 , align=left, Matt Jackson , TKO , 4 , 18/06/1956 , align=left, San Francisco Botanical Garden,

, align=left, , - , Win , 13–0 , align=left, Nino Valdes , UD , 10 , 16/04/1956 , align=left, Cow Palace,

, align=left, , - , Win , 12–0 , align=left, Julio Mederos , UD , 10 , 22/02/1956 , align=left, San Francisco Botanical Garden,

, align=left, , - , Win , 11–0 , align=left, Ben Wise , UD , 10 , 12/12/1955 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 10–0 , align=left, Max Chris , KO , 1 , 22/11/1955 , align=left,

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, align=left, , - , Win , 9–0 , align=left, Howard "Honeyboy" King , TKO , 10 , 27/09/1955 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 8–0 , align=left, Bill Davis , KO , 1 , 13/09/1955 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 7–0 , align=left, Frank Buford , TKO , 8 , 26/08/1955 , align=left, Cow Palace,

, align=left, , - , Win , 6–0 , align=left, Shamus Jones , KO , 2 , 08/08/1955 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 5–0 , align=left, Artie Lucido , KO , 1 , 22/06/1955 , align=left,

Polo Grounds The Polo Grounds was the name of three stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used mainly for professional baseball and American football from 1880 to 1963. The original Polo Grounds, opened in 1876 and demolished in 1889, was built for the ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 4–0 , align=left, Clarence Williams , KO , 3 , 14/05/1955 , align=left,

Redding, California Redding is a city in and the county seat of Shasta County, California, and the economic and cultural capital of the Shasta Cascade region of Northern California. Redding lies along the Sacramento River, north of Sacramento, California, Sacrame ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 3–0 , align=left, George Kennedy , KO , 1 , 13/04/1955 , align=left, Cow Palace,

, align=left, , - , Win , 2–0 , align=left, Ed Robertson , TKO , 1 , 29/03/1955 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 1–0 , align=left, Raul Flores , KO , 1 , 22/03/1955 , align=left,

, align=left,

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Machen, Eddie 1932 births 1972 deaths Sportspeople from Redding, California Boxers from California Heavyweight boxers American male boxers 20th-century American sportsmen