Punchers From the Past: Zora Bell Folley

Name: Zora Bell Folley

Born: 27 March 1931 Dallas Texas, USA

Died: 7 July 1972

Career: 1953 to 1970

Record: 96 fights. 79 wins (44 by KO/TKO), 11 losses (7 by KO/TKO), 6 draws

Division: Heavyweight

Stance: Orthodox

Titles: None

Major Contests

Scored wins over: Howard King (three times), Johnny Summerlin, Roger Rischer, Nino Valdes, Wayne Bethea (twice), Pete Rademacher*, Joe Bygraves, Alex Miteff, Willi Besmanoff (twice), Alvin Williams, Alonzo Johnson, Eddie Machen*, Henry Cooper *,Mike DeJohn, Bob Cleroux (twice),Doug Jones*, George Chuvalo *, Gerhard Zech, Oscar Bonavena *, Bob Foster**,

Lost to: Henry Cooper*, Sonny Liston**, Alejandro Lavorante, Doug Jones*, Ernie Terrell * *, Muhammad Ali **, Brian London*,Oscar Bonavena *, Mac Foster

Drew with: Eddie Machen*, Karl Mildenberger *, Roger Russell, Al Jones,

**Past/ future holder of a version of a world title

* Unsuccessful challenger for a version of a world title

Zora Folley’s Story

Folley was born in Dallas Texas 27 March 1931 and moved with his family to Chandler Arizona when he was 11 years old. He grew up playing baseball and wanted to be a baseball player. His plans changed after he joined the US Army in 1948. While a serviceman, Folley earned the rank of sergeant and fought in Korea, where he earned five battles stars. It was in the army that he  learned to box and he had considerable success winning the All-Army and All-Services titles. He also won a gold medal at the Pacific Noth West championships beating future Olympian Pete Rademacher in the tournament and competed unsuccessfully at the US Trials for the 1952 Olympic Games. He won a bronze medal at the 1953 National AAU tournament losing to Rademacher in the semi-finals and turned professional. He had his first paid fight in September 1953 but was held to a draw by Calvin Chamers in his second fight. He quickly progressed to ten round level and scored 17 wins in a row,12 by KO/TKO, before losing to hard-punching Johnny Summerlin in June 1955. Folley was floored in the first and sixth rounds and retired at the end of the sixth with a suspected broken jaw although he fought again just a month later. He lost again in December 1955 against Young Jack Johnson in a fight for the Californian State title when Folley retired after five rounds due to a broken rib. He put together a run of 17 wins and then in April 1948 fought a split draw with Eddie Machen. In July 1948 he fought Pete Rademacher who had won the gold medal at the Melbourne Olympics in 1956 and in his first professional fight challenged Floyd Patterson for the World Heavyweight title but was knocked out in the sixth round. Folley was now directly in line to get a shot at Floyd Patterson for the title. He took a fight with Henry Cooper in London in October 1958. It did not look too risky as Cooper had won only 2 of his last 8 fights. Folley dropped Cooper in the third and Cooper was bleeding badly from cuts in the last two rounds but Cooper won a controversial decision. With hindsight that was probably the worst loss of Folley’s entire career. He was 27 and would have had a very good chance of beating a vulnerable Patterson but he did not get shot at the title until eight years later. Folley rebounded from the Cooper loss by scoring ten wins in a row over reasonable level opposition such as Joe Bygraves, Alex Miteff, Willi Besmanoff, Alvin Williams, Alonzo Johnson and importantly Machen. There was only one obstacle in his way to a title shot-unfortunately that was Sonny Liston who had cut a swathe through the heavyweight rankings with a run of 22 wins 18 by KO/TKO.  Folley faced Liston in July 1960 and it was over in less than ten minutes as Liston floored Folley twice in the second round and knocked him out in the third. Folley suffered a shock inside the distance loss to Argentinian Alejandro Lavorante in May 1961 but he then worked his way back to title contention with a run of nine wins knocking out Henry Cooper in two rounds and beating Mike DeJohn, Bob Cleroux and Doug Jones. His journey was derailed by losses to Jones and Ernie Terrell. He refused to let his dream die and wins against George Chuvalo, Gerhard Zech, Oscar Bonavena and Bob Foster and a draw with Karl Mildenberger saw him rise to No 2 in the ratings and earned him a shot at Muhammad Ali for the WBA and WBC titles in Madison Square Garden in March 1967. Ali had changed his name from Cassius Clay and Folley gained Ali’s respect by referring to him by his new name. The fight took place on 22 March 1967 five days before Folley’s thirty-sixth birthday and it was fight No 85 for Folley. Ali was too young and too quick for Folley and knocked him out in the seventh round. It was Ali’s last fight for three years due to his refusal to be drafted into the US Armed Forces. It was a downhill slope for Folley after that. He suffered losses against Brian London and Oscar Bonavena and after a being knocked down six times and stopped in the first round by Mac Foster in 29 September 1970 exactly seven teen years after his first pro fight he retired.

Folley, the father of nine children, worked as a car salesman in Chandler, Arizona after leaving the ring and was the first black member of the local city council.

He died in July 1972. He was visiting friends when he was found unconscious in a motel swimming pool. A police sergeant said Folley had been engaged in some friendly roughhousing when, shortly after midnight ,he fell and struck his head. He was rushed to hospital but died shortly after arrival. His death was officially ruled an accident but there was some question as a motel clerk on the scene was quoted as saying she, “found him with a large bump on his forehead, a hole on the top of his head and another wound in the back of his head” which seemed inconsistent with him hitting his head on the side or bottom of the pool but the case was closed.