Crazy Eddie Machen, 1960s Heavyweight Contender of Mystery
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
He was known as “The Black Gene Tunney” as his fighting style most closely resembled the undefeated legendary world heavyweight champion Gene Tunney, who beat Jack Dempsey twice. “Crazy’ Eddie Machen, the 1960s heavyweight champion of mystery, probably ranks second only to the late Charles “Sonny” Liston in terms of historical intrigue. Both Machen and Listen died under mysterious circumstances around the same time in this era.
Ironically, it was Eddie Machen who looked Sonny Liston in the eyes in the ring and said to Liston “I’m not afraid of you.” Machen then accomplished an unprecedented ring feat, as yet unequaled. “Crazy” Eddie Machen took the fight toe to toe to Liston with his nitty gritty fearless give and take fighting style, and took the dangerous Sonny Liston on a confusing ten-round trip through living hell. Machen’s best career knockouts included Johnny Holman, Howard King, and Hurricane Tommy Jackson.
Machen began his career with a first-round stoppage of Rall Flores in Sacramento, California, on March 22, 1955. Machen opened his career at 124-0, including beating Bob Baker, beat Nino Valdes twice, and beating former World Light Heavyweight champion Joey Maxim twice. After a 12 round split decision draw with Zona Foley, Machen was knocked down three times and knocked out in the first round by hard hitting future World Heavyweight champion Ingemar Johansson in November 1958, in Sweden on the road.
Machen then rebounded to win seven fights in a row, including stopping highly regard Cleveland Williams in the ninth round, and knocked out Pat McMurtry in the first round (who had previously decisioned former World Heavyweight champion Ezzard Charles) in Portland, Oregon, in October 1959, to win the vacant Pacific Northwest Heavyweight title after knocking down McMurtry three times.
After losing a 12 round decision to Zora Folley in a rematch, Machen won his next three bouts, including 10 round decision wins over highly regarded heavyweights Alex Miteff and Alonzo Johnson. Telling Sonny Liston to his face as the referee gave instructions in the ring “Sonny, I’m not afraid of you,”, with Liston responding “You will be!” Machen then lost a controversial 12 round decision to Sonny Liston marked by erroneous scoring. Liston lost two points for low blows. Despite this, one judge had it 119-112 for Liston. The other two judges scored the bout 118-116 and 118-114 for Liston. The bout, which appears in color on YouTube, proves Machen won at least two or three or four rounds, many of which appeared somewhat close. This being the case, Machen should have won on two of the three scorecards. The bout could be considered somewhat drawish by today’s standards. Liston, a popular fighter at the time, won every round on the three scorecards, but the bout still appears to be a much different story, far from the way it was scored.
Machen then won three more bouts, including decision wins over heavyweight veterans Wayne Bethea and Mike DeJohn. In July 1961, Machen then lost a 10 rounder to Harold Johnson at Convention Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, who went on in his career after defeating Machen from that point forward as a light heavyweight, and won the World Light Heavyweight title.
Machen then won eleven fights in a row including decisioning world-ranked Doug Jones over ten rounds, and stopping world-ranked Brian London in five rounds, with one draw in a ten-round rematch with Cleveland Williams. Machen, who went the 12 round distance with Sonny Liston, then lost a 12 round decision in July 1964 to former World Heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson, who Liston stopped in the first round twice. The result did not figure, but styles make fights. Including the Patterson loss, Machen went 0-4-1 in his next five bouts.
Machen lost a 15 round decision at International Amphitheater in Chicago to Ernie Terrell for the vacant World Boxing Association World Heavyweight title in Match 1965. After fighting to a ten-round split draw with Elmer Rush in San Francisco, California, Machen then lost ten-round decisions to highly regarded Karl Mildenberger and Manuel Ramos. Machen’s career seemed to be over.
Machen then rebounded to win three fights in a row, including a surprising ten-round decision win over highly regarded 17-0-3 rising contender Jerry Quarry in July 1966 at Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. After getting stopped by future World Heavyweight champion Joe Frazier, and Boone Kirkland, and losing a 12 round decision to Henry Clark for the USA California State Heavyweight title, Machen would never appear in the ring again.
A bowling pinsetter and newspaper delivery boy, Machen served three years for armed robbery in 1952. A street fighter known for local brawls, Eddie Machen’s first teacher was his famous uncle. Machen’s uncle and first boxing teacher was Dave Mills, a former South American Heavyweight champion who had once defeated the legendary Angel Luis Firpo (known for his world title bout with Jack Dempsey). Machen had gone to jail, though, and later trained with Christie Louis and Lee Hughes.
Despite his impressive 64 bout boxing career, Machen was taken to the Napa State Hospital in 1963 after threatening suicide with a gun. It would not be the first time in his life he had threatened to do so. Machen filed for bankruptcy in 1966. His career ended a year later, and he worked as a longshoreman in subsequent years. In 1968, Machen was arrested for the second time, for fighting with a policeman.
Machen, who was married, announced his retirement in July 1967 from the ring at age 35, despite having a scheduled bout with Dave Zyglewicz, who went on to decision Levi Forte in June 1968 in Houston (Forte went the distance with George Foreman) in 1968, but would last less a round against Joe Frazier in 1969 in Houston in an attempt to win the NYSAC World Heavyweight title. Machen probably could have beaten Zyglewicz. He gave up.
The final professional ring record of Edward Mills “Eddie” Machen was 50-11-3, with 27 knockouts. It might have been interesting to see Machen fight Oscar Bonavena, Bob Foster, Alejandro Lavorante, Archie Moore, Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Henry Cooper, Chuck Wepner, or rematches with Liston, Patterson, Johnson or Mildenberger. In any case, Machen was found dead in San Francisco, California, on August 8, 1972, the result of a fall from a second story apartment window. Machen was only 40 years old.
Machen’s death was equally as mysterious as the death of his rival Sonny Liston in Las Vegas two years prior in January 1971. Was the cause of death accident, or murder, or suicide? The worst could be presumed, even without an official cause of death. Boxing fans and the world will never know. On a good day, Eddie Machen could have been the Heavyweight champion of the world. He got one chance, and comported himself well. Many fighters cannot say the same.
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