Ezzard Charles, known as the “Cincinnati Cobra”, was a two-time World Heavyweight Champion, jazz musician and widely respected citizen of Cincinnati.
Born in Georgia in 1921, Charles came to Cincinnati at the age of nine to live with his grandmother and great-grandmother in the West End. He began boxing as a teenager and quickly ascended the world of prize fighting, culminating with a heavyweight title against Jersey Joe Walcott in 1949, followed by an undisputed title over the legendary Joe Louis in 1950. He largely avoided the limelight of his profession, and worked quietly all
his life to promote education and community responsibility.
He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990.
This mural, completed in August 2015, marks ArtWorks’ 100th mural completed since the program launch in 2007.
Allison Smith, Robin Carnes
William Condon, Jayla Curtis, Hannah Donovan, Gine Erardi, Mileek Williams, Graham Baker, Malik-Mykle Perkins, Jessy Jenkins, Andrew Kuprionis, Shamia Mills, Suniti Nelson
Bair Properties, City of Cincinnati, The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile Jr. – US Bank Foundation, George & Margaret McLane Foundation, The Maxwell C. Weaver Foundation – U.S. Bank Trustee, 3CDC, American Scaffolding, Inc., Sheila Elsbrock, Charles H. Dater Foundation, Heidi Mechley-Felton, power2give Project Contributors, Dianne & J. David Rosenberg, Jacob G. Schmidlapp Trusts, Fifth Third Bank, Trustee, The John A. Schroth Family Charitable Trust, PNC Bank, Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, The Wohlgemuth Herschede Foundation, ArtWorks 100th Mural Contributors, 2015 Adopt-an-Apprentice Campaign Contributors, ArtWorks Board of Trustees
The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation
National Endowment for the Arts
ArtsWave
The City of Cincinnati
Ohio Arts Council
P&G
Jacob G. Schmidlapp Trusts, Fifth Third Bank Trustee
