Zora Folley
| Zora Folley | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Zora Folley |
| Nickname(s) | Bell |
| Rated at | Heavyweight |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Nationality | American |
| Born |
May 27, 1931 Dallas, Texas, USA |
| Died | July 7, 1972 (aged 41) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 96 |
| Wins | 79 |
| Wins by KO | 44 |
| Losses | 11 |
| Draws | 6 |
Zora Folley (May 27, 1931 – July 7, 1972) was an American heavyweight boxer. He was well skilled with a good defence and also a punch to go with it.
Born in Dallas, Texas, he moved with his family to Chandler, Arizona in 1942, where he grew up playing baseball. Upon joining the U.S. Army in 1948, he entered the boxing ring, and won the 6th Army championship within a year, eventually earning the All-Army and All-Service titles. He fought in the Korean War, earning five battle stars, and was discharged in 1953.
He then signed a professional boxing contract, winning his first pro fight against Jimmy Ingram, then after a draw, won seventeen straight victories until losing to Johnny Summerlin in 6 rounds with a suspected broken jaw after being decked three times. Despite being considered a top contender, Folley never faced heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson. This was partly due to his highly controversial points loss to Henry Cooper in England, in September 1958 (which was later avenged in December 1961 by a two-round knockout.).
Folley beat such contenders as Eddie Machen, George Chuvalo, Bob Cleroux (twice), Oscar Bonavena the first match was one sided with Bonavena being decked but Oscar got the rematch 3 years later, and Doug Jones. He also had draws with Karl Mildenberger and Eddie Machen (their first fight). Between 1960 and 1962 Folley was knocked out by Sonny Liston, Alejandro Lavorante, and Doug Jones (in the rematch).
It wasn't until March 22, 1967, aged 34, that he faced the world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali. Folley was knocked out in the 7th round being somewhat past his best. Folley fought for three more years afterward before being knocked out by Mac Foster in 1970.
Folley served as a member of the Chandler City Council, and raising a family of nine children with his wife Joella. Before their fight, Ali joked that Folley was such a nice man that it posed a real problem because he couldn't possibly get mad at him.[1] Folley was one of the first to call the controversial champion by his Muslim name instead of Cassius Clay. Ali stated he'd respected Folley and was nervous before the match. Folley was the last man to face Ali before Ali's three-year exile from boxing in 1967.
In mysterious circumstances, Folley suffered severe head injuries in a motel swimming pool while visiting a friend in Tucson, Arizona on July 8, 1972, and died at a Tucson hospital within hours. The death was officially ruled to be accidental, but conspiracy theories regarding his death persist.
The city of Chandler dedicated Zora Folley Memorial Park in his honor.
Professional boxing record
| 79 Wins (44 knockouts, 35 decisions), 11 Losses (7 knockouts, 4 decisions), 6 Draws [2] | |||||||
| Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round | Date | Location | Notes |
| Loss | 24-1 |  Mac Foster |
KO | 1 | 29/09/1970 | Selland Arena, Fresno, California |
Folley knocked out at 3:04 of the first round. |
| Win | 10-5-3 | Billy Joiner |
UD | 10 | 05/11/1969 | Silver Slipper, Las Vegas, Nevada |
|
| Win | 35-33-4 | Tommy "Hurricane" Sims |
KO | 1 | 16/06/1969 | Phoenix Municipal Stadium, Phoenix, Arizona |
Sims knocked out at 2:19 of the first round. |
| Win | 20-29-2 | Sonny "Policeman" Moore |
TKO | 4 | 30/01/1969 | Silver Slipper, Las Vegas, Nevada |
Referee stopped the bout at 2:54 of the fourth round. |
| Loss | 35-4 |  Oscar Bonavena |
MD | 10 | 06/07/1968 | Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires |
|
| Draw | 23-1 | Al "Goulds Terror" Jones |
PTS | 10 | 14/05/1968 | Miami Beach Convention Hall, Miami Beach, Florida |
47-47, 44-46, 46-44. |
| Draw | 11-1-1 | Roger Russell |
PTS | 10 | 11/03/1968 | Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia |
49-48, 43-47, 48-48. |
| Loss | 36-15 |  Brian London |
PTS | 10 | 13/11/1967 | Liverpool Stadium, Liverpool, Merseyside |
48.75-49.75. |
| Win | 1-0 | Nick Sosa |
KO | 2 | 04/10/1967 | Madison Square Garden, Phoenix, Arizona |
Sosa knocked out at 1:34 of the second round. |
| Win | 5-1 | Wayne Kindred |
TKO | 8 | 18/09/1967 | Silver Slipper, Las Vegas, Nevada |
Referee stopped the bout at 2:50 of the eighth round. |
| Loss | 28-0 | Muhammad Ali |
KO | 7 | 22/03/1967 | Madison Square Garden, New York City |
WBA World Heavyweight Title. Folley knocked out at 1:48 of the seventh round. |
| Win | 22-11-3 | Floyd Joyner |
KO | 1 | 17/01/1967 | Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas |
Joyner knocked out at 1:40 of the first round. |
| Win | 28-10-1 | Jefferson Davis |
UD | 10 | 13/12/1966 | Houston, Texas |
98-93, 99-91, 98-92. |
| Win | 8-2-2 | Henry Clark |
UD | 10 | 25/10/1966 | Sacramento Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California |
|
| Win | 28-8-1 | Jefferson Davis |
KO | 8 | 28/06/1966 | Centennial Coliseum, Reno, Nevada |
|
| Win | 21-3 | Bob Foster |
UD | 10 | 06/12/1965 | New Orleans Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans, Louisiana |
9-0, 6-3, 8-1. |
| Win | 8-0 | Oscar Bonavena |
UD | 10 | 26/02/1965 | Madison Square Garden, New York City |
9-1, 9-1, 10-0. |
| Win | 28-2-1 |  Gerhard Zech |
KO | 4 | 14/11/1964 | Westfalenhallen, Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia |
|
| Draw | 40-2-1 | Karl Mildenberger |
PTS | 10 | 17/04/1964 | Festhalle Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Hesse |
|
| Win | 24-2 | Tod Herring |
TKO | 7 | 17/03/1964 | Houston, Texas |
Referee stopped the bout at 1:34 of the seventh round. |
| Win | 25-7-2 |  George Chuvalo |
UD | 10 | 17/01/1964 | Cleveland Arena, Cleveland, Ohio |
50-45, 49-42, 47-44. |
| Win | 18-3 | Billy "The Barber" Daniels |
UD | 10 | 17/10/1963 | Paul Sauve Arena, Montreal, Quebec |
49-44, 48-38, 47-43. |
| Win | 5-4 | Tiger Lynch |
KO | 5 | 19/09/1963 | Boise, Idaho |
Lynch knocked out at 1:49 of the fifth round. |
| Loss | 31-4 | Ernie Terrell |
UD | 10 | 27/07/1963 | Madison Square Garden, New York City |
2-7, 1-7, 3-7. |
| Win | 39-4-1 | Bob Cleroux |
UD | 10 | 23/05/1963 | Paul Sauve Arena, Montreal, Quebec |
50-36, 50-39, 49-39. |
| Draw | 25-9-2 | Dean Bogany |
TD | 5 | 02/04/1963 | Bakersfield Civic Auditorium, Bakersfield, California |
Fight stopped due to an accidental headbut. |
| Loss | 20-3-1 | Doug Jones |
KO | 7 | 15/12/1962 | Madison Square Garden, New York City |
Folley knocked out at 1:58 of the seventh round. |
| Win | 8-9-3 | Dave Furch |
UD | 10 | 19/11/1962 | Tucson, Arizona |
100-91, 100-91, 100-90. |
| Win | 13-1 | Al Gonzalez |
KO | 5 | 29/08/1962 | Madison Square Garden, Phoenix, Arizona |
Al knocked out at 1:55 of the fifth round. |
| Win | 19-2 | Doug Jones |
UD | 10 | 01/08/1962 | Denver Auditorium Arena, Denver, Colorado |
47-45, 47-45, 47-46. |
| Win | 37-9 | Paul Andrews |
TKO | 7 | 12/06/1962 | Sacramento, California |
Referee stopped the bout at 2:00 of the seventh round. |
| Win | 31-2-1 | Bob Cleroux |
UD | 10 | 18/04/1962 | San Francisco Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, California |
10-0, 9-1, 9-0. |
| Win | 41-9-1 | Mike DeJohn |
KO | 3 | 15/02/1962 | Denver Auditorium Arena, Denver, Colorado |
DeJohn knocked out at 2:24 of the third round. |
| Win | 23-7-1 | Henry Cooper |
KO | 2 | 05/12/1961 | Empire Pool, Wembley, London |
Cooper knocked out at 1:06 of the second round. |
| Win | 12-14-2 | Sonny "Policeman" Moore |
UD | 10 | 28/09/1961 | El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas |
|
| Win | 5-5 | "Big" Ben Marshall |
KO | 2 | 30/08/1961 | Madison Square Garden, Phoenix, Arizona |
Marshall knocked out at 2:41 of the second round. |
| Loss | 12-1 | Alejandro Lavorante |
KO | 7 | 11/05/1961 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles |
Folley knocked out at 0:35 of the seventh round. |
| Win | 8-2 | Norman Letcher |
TKO | 5 | 10/02/1961 | Madison Square Garden, Phoenix, Arizona |
Referee stopped the bout at 1:12 of the fifth round. |
| Win | 42-22-7 | Willi Besmanoff |
UD | 10 | 16/09/1960 | SW Washington Fairgrounds, Centralia, Washington |
99-94, 98-96, 98-96. |
| Loss | 29-1 | Sonny Liston |
KO | 3 | 18/07/1960 | Denver Coliseum, Denver, Colorado |
Folley knocked out at 0:28 of the third round. |
| Win | 6-13-1 | Clarence Williams |
UD | 10 | 05/04/1960 | Sacramento, California |
|
| Win | 31-1-1 | Eddie Machen |
UD | 12 | 18/01/1960 | Cow Palace, Daly City, California |
118-113, 117-114, 119-114. |
| Win | 16-3 | Alonzo Johnson |
UD | 10 | 18/11/1959 | Caravan Inn East, Phoenix, Arizona |
99-96, 99-93, 98-94. |
| Win | 16-12-4 | Monroe Ratliff |
TKO | 2 | 02/10/1959 | San Diego Arena, San Diego, California |
Referee stopped the bout at 1:58 of the second round. |
| Win | 35-16-7 | Howard "Honeyboy" King |
MD | 10 | 04/08/1959 | Sacramento, California |
97-93, 95-95, 98-92. |
| Win | 53-25-6 | "Chief" Alvin Williams |
KO | 4 | 07/07/1959 | Fresno Memorial Auditorium, Fresno, California |
|
| Win | 39-15-7 | Willi Besmanoff |
UD | 10 | 07/04/1959 | Denver, Colorado |
|
| Win | 32-18-3 | Hank Thurman |
UD | 10 | 10/03/1959 | Madison Square Garden, Phoenix, Arizona |
100-81, 100-81, 100-86. |
| Win | 16-2-1 | Alex Miteff |
UD | 10 | 29/01/1959 | Denver Auditorium Arena, Denver, Colorado |
|
| Win | 37-12-1 |  Joe Bygraves |
TKO | 9 | 24/11/1958 | Granby Halls, Leicester, Leicestershire |
Referee stopped the bout at 2:59 of the ninth round. |
| Loss | 16-7-1 | Henry Cooper |
PTS | 10 | 14/10/1958 | Empire Pool, Wembley, London |
|
| Win | 0-1 | Pete Rademacher |
KO | 4 | 25/07/1958 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles |
Pete knocked out at 1:15 of the fourth round. |
| Win | 28-12-1 | Art Swiden |
UD | 10 | 19/05/1958 | Las Vegas, Nevada |
50-43, 46-40, 49-45. |
| Draw | 24-0 | Eddie Machen |
PTS | 12 | 09/04/1958 | Cow Palace, Daly City, California |
116-117, 115-115, 117-115. |
| Win | 13-4 | Garvin Sawyer |
UD | 10 | 01/01/1958 | Capitol Arena, Washington, District of Columbia |
100-77, 100-76, 100-76. |
| Win | 8-8 | Edgardo Romero |
TKO | 4 | 04/12/1957 | Albuquerque Civic Auditorium, Albuquerque, New Mexico |
Referee stopped the bout at 2:35 of the fourth round. |
| Win | 13-5-1 | Duke Sabedong |
KO | 4 | 21/11/1957 | Phoenix, Arizona |
|
| Win | 9-7-4 | Monroe Ratliff |
UD | 10 | 10/09/1957 | Madison Square Garden, Phoenix, Arizona |
|
| Win | 8-6 | Edgardo Romero |
TKO | 6 | 05/08/1957 | Dallas Memorial Auditorium, Dallas, Texas |
|
| Win | 18-8-1 | Jeff Dyer |
UD | 10 | 09/07/1957 | Phoenix Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona |
|
| Win | 6-3 | Julius Griffin |
TKO | 4 | 18/06/1957 | Madison Square Garden, Phoenix, Arizona |
Referee stopped the bout at 2:59 of the fourth round. |
| Win | -- | "Irish" Jimmy Wood |
KO | 2 | 20/05/1957 | Sports Center, Tucson, Arizona |
Wood knocked out at 1:20 of the second round. |
| Win | 10-19 | JD Harvey |
KO | 4 | 18/04/1957 | Sports Arena, Yuma, Arizona |
Harvey knocked out at 2:46 of the fourth round. |
| Win | 9-10-1 | Johnny Hollins |
KO | 2 | 12/03/1957 | Madison Square Garden, Phoenix, Arizona |
Hollins knocked out at 1:29 of the second round. |
| Win | 20-4-5 | Howie Turner |
UD | 10 | 11/02/1957 | St. Nicholas Arena, New York City |
6-2, 6-3, 7-3. |
| Win | 13-5-2 | Wayne Bethea |
SD | 10 | 09/01/1957 | Syracuse War Memorial Arena, Syracuse, New York |
5-4, 5-4, 4-5. |
| Win | 13-4-2 | Wayne Bethea |
SD | 10 | 03/12/1956 | St. Nicholas Arena, New York City |
4-6, 6-5, 6-3. |
| Win | 34-13-3 |  Nino Valdes |
UD | 10 | 25/09/1956 | Softball Park, Phoenix, Arizona |
|
| Win | 14-4-2 | Roger Rischer |
UD | 12 | 15/08/1956 | Madison Square Garden, Phoenix, Arizona |
Southwestern Heavyweight Title. |
| Win | 13-3 | Rocky Robinson |
KO | 8 | 28/05/1956 | Sports Center, Tucson, Arizona |
Robinson knocked out at 1:40 of the eighth round. |
| Win | 12-25-4 | Ponce DeLeon Taylor |
KO | 7 | 08/05/1956 | Phoenix Municipal Stadium, Phoenix, Arizona |
de Leon knocked out at 0:03 of the seventh round. |
| Win | 50-32-8 | Alex Watson Jones |
KO | 3 | 28/02/1956 | Phoenix, Arizona |
Jones knocked out at 2:01 of the third round. |
| Loss | 10-5-1 | Young Jack Johnson |
RTD | 5 | 01/12/1955 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles |
California Heavyweight Title. Folley did not come out for the sixth round due to a broken rib. |
| Win | 6-5-1 | Reuben Wilson |
KO | 8 | 24/09/1955 | Clifton, Arizona |
|
| Win | 27-5-1 | Ted Calaman |
TKO | 4 | 08/09/1955 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles |
Referee stopped the bout at 1:54 of the fourth round. |
| Win | 7-3-2 | Jack Jarrod |
TKO | 7 | 28/07/1955 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles |
Referee stopped the bout at 1:20 of the seventh round. |
| Loss | 24-4-2 | Johnny Summerlin |
RTD | 6 | 23/06/1955 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles |
Folley did not come out for the seventh round due to a broken jaw. |
| Win | 22-4-4 | Howard "Honeyboy" King |
TKO | 1 | 16/05/1955 | Kezar Stadium, San Francisco, California |
Referee stopped the bout at 2:57 of the first round. |
| Win | 7-4-1 | Calvin Brad |
TKO | 7 | 07/04/1955 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles |
Referee stopped the bout at 2:50 of the seventh round. |
| Win | 7-6-1 | Kirby Seals |
TKO | 5 | 24/02/1955 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles |
Referee stopped the bout at 2:48 of the fifth round. |
| Win | 4-2-1 | JD Reed |
TKO | 8 | 20/01/1955 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles |
Referee stopped the bout at 1:10 of the eighth round. |
| Win | -- | Kid Zanzibar | KO | 7 | 18/12/1954 | Clifton, Arizona |
|
| Win | 13-12-1 | Jimmy Ingram |
PTS | 10 | 26/11/1954 | Madison Square Garden, Phoenix, Arizona |
|
| Win | 4-0-1 | Georgie Woods |
PTS | 10 | 23/10/1954 | Madison Square Garden, Phoenix, Arizona |
|
| Win | 20-28-4 | Sandy McPherson |
UD | 8 | 01/10/1954 | Edmonton Gardens, Edmonton, Alberta |
|
| Win | 3-0 | Kid Percy |
KO | ?? | 28/08/1954 | Clifton, Arizona |
|
| Win | 7-2 | Kirby Seals |
UD | 10 | 13/08/1954 | San Diego Coliseum, San Diego, California |
56.5-53.5, 57.5-52.5, 58-52. |
| Win | 22-25-7 | Frank Buford |
UD | 10 | 12/07/1954 | Tucson, Arizona |
54-53, 60-50, 54-53. |
| Win | -- | Johnny Rebel |
KO | 1 | 10/06/1954 | Phoenix, Arizona |
|
| Win | 12-8-3 | Joe Sandell |
TKO | 3 | 13/04/1954 | Softball Park, Phoenix, Arizona |
|
| Win | 26-14 | Battling Blackjack |
KO | 1 | 26/03/1954 | Clifton, Arizona |
|
| Win | 14-2-3 | Howard "Honeyboy" King |
TKO | 7 | 26/01/1954 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles |
Referee stopped the bout at 2:35 of the seventh round. |
| Win | 23-11-3 | Lonnie Malone |
TKO | 2 | 07/12/1953 | Arena, South Gate, California |
|
| Win | 0-6-1 | Joe Louis Brown |
KO | 8 | 17/11/1953 | Phoenix, Arizona |
|
| Draw | 3-2-1 | Calvin Chambers |
PTS | 4 | 29/09/1953 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles |
|
| Win | 7-8 | Jimmy Ingram |
PTS | 4 | 22/09/1953 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles |
|
References
- ↑ Dundee, Angelo; Bert Sugar (2009). My View from the Corner: A Life in Boxing. New York: McGraw Hill Books. p. 125. ISBN 978-0-07-162847-1. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
- ↑ http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=9384&cat=boxer
External links
- Professional boxing record for Zora Folley from BoxRec Retrieved on February 5, 2008
- The Rise and Fall of Zora Folley The Sweet Science, September 9, 2005
- After Muhammad, a Graveyard Sports Illustrated, April 3, 1967
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