Chuck Wepner

Chuck Wepner
Wepner (left) and former light heavyweight champion Mike Rossman in 2012
Statistics
Real name	Charles Wepner
Nickname(s)	The Real "Rocky" The Bayonne Bleeder
Rated at	Heavyweight
Height	1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)
Nationality	American
Born	(1939-02-26) February 26, 1939 (age 77) New York City
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 an American former professional boxer who fought at heavyweight. As a world ranked contender he almost went fifteen rounds with world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali in a 1975 title fight. Wepner also scored notable wins over Randy Neumann and Ernie Terrell.

Charles Wepner was born February 26, 1939 in New York City, New York, the son of Dolores (Hrynko) and Charles William Wepner. He is of German, Ukrainian, and Belorussian descent.

Wepner learned to fight on the streets of Bayonne, New Jersey, saying, "This was a tough town with a lot of people from the docks and the naval base and you had to fight to survive". Wepner was about a year old when he moved in with his grandmother on 28th Street near Hudson Avenue (now Kennedy Boulevard). He was raised by his mother and grandparents, living in a room that was a converted coal shed until he was 13. He was always an avid player of sports in his youth, playing basketball for the Police Athletic League when he was very young. With limited options for his future that included working as a longshoreman on the waterfront or joining the military, Wepner opted for the latter, joining the U.S. Marines, where he became a member of the boxing team, developing a reputation for being able to withstand other boxers' punches, and becoming a military champion at one of the airbases.

Wepner turned professional in 1964 and became a popular fighter on the Northeast's Club Boxing circuit, fighting throughout the county, including arenas close to his boyhood home such as North Bergen and Secaucus. Nicknamed "The Bayonne Bleeder," he 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. 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 72 stitches in his face.