Philadelphia Mourns Loss of Charlie ‘Choo Choo’ Brown
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Philadelphia, PA (October 1st, 2026)– On September 20, 2016, it was reported that Charlie ‘Choo Choo’ Brown, 68, had passed away. Brown fought between 1979 and 1993, compiling a professional record of 26-16-2 with 18 knockouts. On January 30, 1984, Brown won the newly created International Boxing Federation World Lightweight title at The Sands Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, coming off the canvas in the 15th and final round to win a 15-round split decision, back in the day when world title bouts were 15 rounds. Brown won 145-140 and 145-141 on two scorecards, including 145-141 on noted judge Harold Lederman’s scorecard. The referee was Larry Hazard.
In March 1984, Brown lost the IBF World Lightweight title by 14th-round stoppage to Harry Arroyo at The Sands Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. After winning a first-round knockout comeback over Ezzard Charles Adams in August 1984 at The Sands, Brown was stopped in the third round by former world super lightweight world champion Cornelius Boza Edwards at Kings Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
In 1985, his last significant boxing year, Brown drew in Philadelphia over eight rounds with 3-21 noted veteran ringer Jorge Nina, indicating his boxing skills had significantly faded. Nina won a 10-round split-decision over hard-punching Gaetan Hart in his previous bout in Quebec. After knocking out Pat Legise in three rounds and decisioning Nick Parker over eight rounds in Sydney, Australia, Brown was reduced to journeyman trial horse status.
Choo Choo Brown lost all eleven consecutive comeback bout attempts between 1986 and 1993, getting stopped or knocked out eight times. These included notable losses to Loreto Garza, Jose Luis Ramirez, and Johnny Bizzarro (February 1993). It should be noted that Johnny Bizzarro won the vacant IBO welterweight title later in August 1993 by 12-round decision over Charlie ‘White Lightning’ Brown, a different world-class lightweight fighter with the same name but a different nickname. White Lightning Brown challenged for the IBF World Lightweight title against Harry Arroyo in September 1984 but lost. A second-round knockout loss by Choo Choo Brown to Sammy Fuentes in July 1993 ended the career of Charlie ‘Choo Choo’ Brown for good, as the train ran out of steam.
In a telephone interview, noted boxing trainer Barry Stumpf of the Finefrock & Stumpf Golden Gloves Center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, remembered his student Charlie ‘Choo Choo’ Brown.
“Charlie came to me in Lancaster. He had a great sense of humor. He was with me for a year, getting his life back together. He stayed at the mission, and I brought him in. I figured it would be healthy for me to bring him up to the boxing gym. He did well (in the ring) when he was a kid. He was a world champion past his prime. His famous saying in the gym was “‘If you’re scared say you’re scared, say I’m scared if you’re sparring with the champ’. According to Charlie later on, he was moving a refrigerator coming down a stair step when the refrigerator fell on and injured his right foot. It ended his career, and he became dependent on painkillers. Charlie was a natural with natural ability. He had great movement. He had a great trainer at ABC Recreation, Freddy Jenkins. Later, we presented him with a custom embroidered jacket that read Charlie Choo Choo Brown the champ.”
English