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CHARLEY BURLEY AND THE BLACK MURDERERS' ROW : By Harry Otty

posted by Kathleen Holland on October 2, 2007, in Features

By Jim Amato

This is one of the best books I've read this year. Charley Burley was a
special fighter in a time when there was a vast surplus of good boxers. The
author Harry Otty takes you on a journey that covers much more then the life
of Charley Burley. It captures the historical existence of this whole era
and the great men who did battle inside the ring. As in the case of
professional baseball, it is a shame that so many great players spent their
careers in the Negro Leagues and never received their just due. In boxing
there are several cases where competent fighters were denied title shots due
to their color of their skin.

Mr.Otty explores the plight of the outstanding Negro boxers of the 1930's
and 1940's. Although the book centers on the life of the fabled Burley, it
also enlightens the reader to the abilities of Holman Williams, Eddie
Booker, Cocoa Kid, Lloyd Marshall, Jimmy Bivins and Jack Chase just to name
a few.

This is a fine read. I highly recommend it.

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