Chuck Wepner

Chuck Wepner
Chuck Wepner
Born	Charles Wepner; February 26, 1939 (age 85); New York City, New York, U.S.
Nationality	American
Other names	The Bayonne Brawler a.k.a The Bayonne Bleeder
	Statistics
Weight(s)	Heavyweight
Stance	Orthodox
	Boxing record
Total fights	51
Wins	35
Wins by KO	17
Losses	14
Draws	2

Charles "Chuck" Wepner (born February 26, 1939) is a former heavyweight boxer from Bayonne, New Jersey.^[1]^[2] As a tough but journeyman boxer he went 15 rounds with world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali in a 1975 fight. Wepner is credited as the inspiration for Rocky Balboa. Wepner also appeared in the book Operation Bullpen about the $100 million fake autograph scam. The last chapters of Operation Bullpen focus on the John Olson-Chuck Wepner counterfeit scheme in which Olson forged Muhammad Ali autographs on a variety of Ali merchandise, including photographs of Ali and Wepner. Wepner sold forgeries in partnership with Olson, and in 2002 the FBI arrested them both. Each received probation for their crimes.

Career

Early career

Wepner, nicknamed "The Bayonne Bleeder," debuted as a professional boxer in 1964 and began posting many wins and some losses. He had formerly boxed while a member of the United States Marine Corps, and had worked as a bouncer before turning pro.^[3] He was the New Jersey State Heavyweight Boxing Champion and popular fighter in the Northeast's Club Boxing circuit. But after losing fights to George Foreman (by knockout in three) and Sonny Liston (by knockout in ten) many boxing fans thought that his days as a contender were numbered. After the fight with Liston, Wepner needed over 120 sutures in his face. He also lost a fight to Jose King Roman by a decision in Puerto Rico.

However, after losing to Joe Bugner by a knockout in three in England, Wepner won nine of his next eleven fights, including victories over Charlie Polite and former WBA Heavyweight champion Ernie Terrell.

Muhammad Ali fight

Then, in 1975, it was announced Wepner would challenge Muhammad Ali for the world's Heavyweight title. According to a Time magazine article, "In Stitches", Ali was guaranteed $1.5 million and Wepner signed for $100,000. This was considerably more than Wepner had ever earned and he therefore did not need any coaxing. Wepner spent eight weeks near the Catskill Mountains under the guidance of Al Braverman (manager) and Bill Prezant (trainer and noted cutman). Prezant prophesied that the fight would be a big surprise. This bout was the first time Wepner had been able to train full time.^[4] The fight was held on March 24 at the Richfield Coliseum in Richfield, Ohio south of Cleveland. Before the fight, a reporter asked Wepner if he thought he could survive in the ring with the champion, to which Wepner allegedly answered, "I've been a survivor my whole life...if I survived the Marines, I can survive Ali."^{[citation needed]}

In the ninth round Wepner knocked down Ali, though Ali later contended that Wepner had stepped on his foot. Wepner went to his corner and said to his manager, "Al, start the car. We're going to the bank. We are millionaires." To which Wepner's manager replied, "You better turn around. He's getting up and he looks pissed off."^[5]

In the remaining rounds, Ali decisively outboxed Wepner and opened up cuts above both Wepner's eyes and broke his nose. Wepner was far behind on the scorecards when Ali knocked him down with 19 seconds left in the 15th round. The referee counted to nine before calling a technical knockout.^[6] It is rumored that actor Sylvester Stallone watched the fight at home on television and was inspired to write the script for Rocky, based on Wepner's gutsy challenge, but Stallone subsequently denied that this was true.^{[citation needed]} Wepner filed a law suit which was eventually settled with Stallone for an undisclosed amount.^{[citation needed]} In 1976, Wepner fought professional wrestler André the Giant and lost by countout after Andre threw him out of the ring.^[7]^[8] It is speculated that the 1985 film Rocky III was influenced by this fight, as the movie features a match versus wrestler Hulk Hogan as "Thunderlips", who throws Rocky out of the ring. ^[9] ^[10] ^[11]

Last fight

Wepner's last fight was on May 2, 1978 for the New Jersey State Heavyweight Championship against a new rising prospect, Scott Frank, noted for a useful heavy left hook.^[12] Wepner lost the fight in a 12 round decision, but again proved durable, Ring magazine noted. He announced his retirement after the fight.^[13]

From approximately 2000 to 2010, Wepner worked for Majestic Wines and Spirits in Carlstadt, NJ.^[14]

A film about Wepner's career is set to be released in 2012, ^[15] and ESPN aired a documentary titled "The Real Rocky" on October 25, 2011. ^[16]

Professional boxing record

35 Wins (17 knockouts, 18 decisions), 14 Losses (9 knockouts, 5 decision), 2 Draws, 0 No Contest [1]
Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round	Date	Location	Notes
Loss	35-14-2	Scott Frank	PTS	12	26/09/1978	Ice World, Totowa, New Jersey, United States	Referee: Jersey Joe Walcott. Lost USA New Jersey State Heavyweight title.
Win	35-13-2	Tom Healy	KO	5 (?)	02/06/1978	Old Armory, Jersey City, New Jersey, United States
Win	34-13-2	Johnny Blaine	KO	3 (?)	07/04/1978	Embassy Hall, North Bergen, New Jersey, United States
Loss	33-13-2	Horst Geisler	TKO	10 (10)	20/05/1977	Broome County Arena, Binghamton, New York, United States	Wepner down in the 10th round.
Loss	33-12-2	Mike Schutte	PTS	10	19/02/1977	Wembley Stadium, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Loss	33-11-2	Duane Bobick	TKO	6 (10)	02/10/1976	Utica College Sports Complex, Utica, New York, United States
Win	33-10-2	Tommy Sheehan	TKO	2 (10)	06/05/1976	Kearny, New Jersey, United States
Win	32-10-2	Johnny Dolan	KO	3 (10)	19/11/1975	Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States
Win	31-10-2	Johnny Evans	TKO	4 (10)	19/11/1975	Portland, Maine, United States
Loss	30-10-2	Muhammad Ali	TKO	15 (15)	24/03/1975	Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio, United States	For WBC & WBA Heavyweight titles. Ali toyed with Wepner until the 9th, when a surprise right to the ribs knocked the champion flat on his back. In the 15th, Ali battered Wepner's bloodied face until the "Bayonne Bleeder" crumpled into the ropes. Said by Sylvester Stallone to be the inspiration for the Oscar-winning film Rocky (1976).^{[citation needed]}
Win	30-9-2	Terry Hinke	TKO	11 (12)	03/09/1974	Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States	Promoter Dick Sadler billed this as for the American Heavyweight title. Wepner had been penalized 4 points for assorted fouls. Hinke ruled down 3 times in 11th.
Win	29-9-2	Charley Polite	KO	4 (?)	23/05/1974	Embassy Hall, North Bergen, New Jersey, United States
Win	28-9-2	Randy Neumann	TKO	6 (12)	08/03/1974	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States	Retained USA New Jersey State Heavyweight title. Neumann suffered a severe gash from a clash of heads.
Win	27-9-2	Billy Williams	PTS	10	17/01/1974	Embassy Hall, North Bergen, New Jersey, United States	Retained USA New Jersey State Heavyweight title. Neumann suffered a severe gash from a clash of heads.
Win	26-9-2	Ernie Terrell	PTS	12	23/06/1973	Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	Won vacant National Americas Heavyweight Title. The decision was made by the referee alone. Terrell leaned on Wepner throughout the fight and jabbed away at cuts over his right eye and left ear. Terrell tired in the late rounds but continued to land solid punches. Unofficial The Ring (magazine) scorecard - 9-3 Terrell.
Win	25-9-2	Billy Marquart	PTS	12	15/03/1973	Embassy Hall, North Bergen, New Jersey, United States	Retained USA New Jersey State Heavyweight title.
Win	24-9-2	John Clohessy	PTS	10	07/12/1972	Bayonne, New Jersey, United States
Win	23-9-2	Randy Neumann	PTS	12	15/04/1972	Jersey City, New Jersey, United States	Won USA New Jersey State Heavyweight title.
Loss	22-9-2	Randy Neumann	PTS	12	09/12/1971	Embassy Hall, North Bergen, New Jersey, United States	Lost USA New Jersey State Heavyweight title.
Win	22-8-2	Mike Boswell	TKO	10 (10)	14/10/1971	Embassy Hall, North Bergen, New Jersey, United States
Win	21-8-2	Jesse Crown	KO	4 (?)	16/09/1971	Embassy Hall, North Bergen, New Jersey, United States
Loss	20-8-2	Jerry Judge	TKO	5 (8)	06/01/1971	Catholic Youth Center, Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States
Loss	20-7-2	Joe Bugner	RTD	3 (10)	08/09/1970	Empire Pool, Wembley, London, England, United Kingdom	In round 3 Bugner opened a gash above Wepner's right eye that almost immediately covered the side of his face with blood. Referee Harry Gibbs came over to view the cut and decided to call an end to the bout despite arguments from Wepner's corner to at least give him one more round.
Loss	20-6-2	Sonny Liston	TKO	10 (10)	29/06/1970	Armory, Jersey City, New Jersey, United States	Wepner down by body blow in the 5th round. Fight stopped by ring doctor after round 9 because of multiple cuts on Wepner's face.
Win	20-5-2	Manuel Ramos	UD	10	26/01/1970	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Win	19-5-2	Pedro Agosto	PTS	10	19/12/1969	Felt Forum, New York, New York, United States
Loss	18-5-2	George Foreman	TKO	3 (10)	18/08/1969	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States	Wepner's eye opened up slightly in the 1st round, and was bad enough by the beginning of the 3rd to give Foreman a TKO.
Loss	18-4-2	Jose Roman	PTS	10	22/06/1969	Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Win	18-3-2	Mike Bruce	PTS	8	28/04/1969	Secaucus, New Jersey, United States
Win	17-3-2	Roberto Davila	MD	10	14/03/1969	Felt Forum, New York, New York, United States	Scoring: 5-4-1, 5-5, 6-4.
Win	16-3-2	Jerry Tomasetti	TKO	1 (10)	13/12/1968	Felt Forum, New York, New York, United States
Win	15-3-2	Mert Brownfield	PTS	10	09/11/1968	Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States
Win	14-3-2	Forest Ward	TKO	7 (8)	28/09/1968	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States	Ward was down three times in the 7th round, triggering an automatic stoppage.
Win	13-3-2	Mike Bruce	PTS	8	20/05/1968	Plaza Arena, Secaucus, New Jersey, United States
Win	12-3-2	Eddie Vick	SD	10	30/04/1968	Walpole, Massachusetts, United States
Win	11-3-2	Clay Thomas	TKO	3 (?)	22/01/1968	Secaucus, New Jersey, United States
Win	10-3-2	Charlie Harris	TKO	6 (?)	27/11/1967	Secaucus, New Jersey, United States
Loss	9-3-2	Jerry Tomasetti	TKO	5 (6)	19/07/1967	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Win	9-2-2	Don McAteer	TKO	5 (6)	28/04/1967	Armory, Jersey City, New Jersey, United States	Won vacant USA New Jersey State heavyweight title. McAteer was a last minute sub.
Win	8-2-2	Dave Centi	PTS	6	21/10/1966	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Win	7-2-2	Johnny Deutsch	KO	6 (?)	03/08/1966	Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States
Win	6-2-2	Cleo Daniels	PTS	6	06/04/1966	Westchester County Center, White Plains, New York, United States
Win	5-2-2	Jerry Tomasetti	PTS	6	22/02/1966	Sunnyside Gardens, Sunnyside, Queens, New York, United States
Loss	4-2-2	Buster Mathis	TKO	3 (6)	17/01/1966	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States	Mathis floored Wepner for an eight-count in the opening round and opened a cut over his opponent's right eye later in the session. Wepner was unable to recover from the 1st round pounding and the fight was stopped by referee Al Linn at 1:58 of the 3rd round.
Loss	4-1-2	Bob Stallings	PTS	6	19/10/1965	Sunnyside Gardens, Sunnyside, Queens, New York, United States
Draw	4-0-2	Everett Copeland	PTS	6	23/03/1965	Sunnyside Gardens, Sunnyside, Queens, New York, United States
Win	4-0-1	Ray Patterson	SD	6	19/01/1965	Sunnyside Gardens, Sunnyside, Queens, New York, United States	Patterson was knocked down in the 2nd.
Win	3-0-1	Jerry Tomasetti	PTS	4	18/12/1964	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Draw	2-0-1	Everett Copeland	PTS	6	27/10/1964	Sunnyside Gardens, Sunnyside, Queens, New York, United States
Win	2–0	Rudy Pavesi	PTS	4	14/08/1964	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Win	1–0	George Cooper	KO	3 (?)	05/08/1964	City Stadium, Bayonne, New Jersey, United States