# Zora Folley

Zora "Bell" Folley (May 27, 1931 – July 7, 1972) was an American heavyweight boxer who was a top 10 contender for eleven years in a row from 1956 to 1966 and a nine-time top 5 contender throughout his career, reaching a peak as number 1 contender in 1959. He beat top contenders such as Eddie Machen, George Chuvalo, Oscar Bonavena, Henry Cooper, Bob Foster, Nino Valdez, Doug Jones, Johnny Summerlin, Bob Cleroux and drew (tied) against Karl Mildenberger.
Folley fought once for the world heavyweight title, losing to Muhammad Ali.

## Early life

Born in Dallas, Texas, on 27 May 1931, Folley moved with his family to Chandler, Arizona in 1942, where he grew up playing baseball. Upon joining the U.S. Army in 1948, he began boxing and won the 6th Army Championship within a year, going on to win the All-Army and All-Service titles. He saw active service during the Korean War, earning five battle stars, and was discharged from the U.S. Army with the rank of Sergeant in 1953.

## Boxing career

In the mid-1950s Folley signed a professional boxing contract, winning his first pro-fight against Jimmy Ingram, then after a draw, won seventeen straight victories until losing to Johnny Summerlin in six rounds with a suspected broken jaw after being knocked down three times. Despite being considered a top contender, Folley never faced heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson. This was partly due to his points loss to Henry Cooper in England, in September 1958 (which was later avenged in December 1961 by a two-round knockout).

### Major Bouts

Folley beat contenders Eddie Machen, George Chuvalo, Bob Cleroux (twice), Oscar Bonavena (the first match was one sided with Bonavena being decked but Bonavena won the rematch three years later) and Doug Jones. He also had draws with Karl Mildenberger and Eddie Machen (their first fight), and defeated Mike De John, Alex Miteff, Pete Rademacher and Willi Besmanoff. Between 1960 and 1962 Folley was knocked out by Sonny Liston, Alejandro Lavorante,Doug Jones (in the rematch) and outpointed by Brian London.

### Title Shot

It was not until March 22, 1967, aged 36, that he faced world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali. Before their fight, Ali joked that Folley was such a nice man that it posed a real problem because he could not possibly get mad at him. Folley was one of the first to call the champion by his Muslim name instead of Cassius Clay. Ali stated he respected Folley and was nervous before the match. Folley was the last man to face Ali before Ali's three-year exile from boxing in 1967. Folley was knocked out in the 7th round. Folley fought for three more years afterward before being knocked out by Mac Foster in 1970.

## Personal life

Folley served as a member of the Chandler City Council, and raised a family of nine children with his wife Joella (1933–2011).
In mysterious circumstances, Folley suffered severe head injuries in a motel swimming pool while visiting a friend in Tucson, Arizona on July 8, 1972, and died at the age of 41 in a local hospital shortly afterwards. The death was officially ruled to be accidental. Folley's body was buried in the City of Mesa Cemetery, Mesa, Arizona.
The city of Chandler dedicated Zora Folley Memorial Park in his honor.

## Professional boxing record

79 Wins (44 knockouts, 35 decisions), 11 Losses (7 knockouts, 4 decisions), 6 Draws :
| Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round | Date | Location | Notes |
| Loss | 79–11–6 | Mac Foster | KO | 1 | 29/09/1970 | Selland Arena, Fresno, California | Folley knocked out at 3:04 of the first round. |
| Win | 79–10–6 | Billy Joiner | UD | 10 | 05/11/1969 | Silver Slipper, Las Vegas, Nevada | |
| Win | 78–10–6 | Tommy Sims | KO | 1 | 16/06/1969 | Phoenix Municipal Stadium, Phoenix, Arizona | Sims knocked out at 2:19 of the first round. |
| Win | 77–10–6 | Sonny Moore | TKO | 4 | 30/01/1969 | Silver Slipper, Las Vegas, Nevada | Referee stopped the bout at 2:54 of the fourth round. |
| Loss | 76–10–6 | Oscar Bonavena | MD | 10 | 06/07/1968 | Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires | |
| Draw | 76–9–6 | Al Jones | SD | 10 | 14/05/1968 | Miami Beach Convention Hall, Miami Beach, Florida | |
| Draw | 76–9–5 | Roger Russell | SD | 10 | 11/03/1968 | Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia | |
| Loss | 76–9–4 | Brian London | PTS | 10 | 13/11/1967 | Liverpool Stadium, Liverpool, Merseyside | |
| Win | 76–8–4 | Nick Sosa | KO | 2 | 04/10/1967 | Madison Square Garden, Phoenix, Arizona | |
| Win | 75–8–4 | Wayne Kindred | TKO | 8 | 18/09/1967 | Silver Slipper, Las Vegas, Nevada | |
| Loss | 74–8–4 | Muhammad Ali | KO | 7 | 22/03/1967 | Madison Square Garden, New York City | For WBC, WBA, The Ring, and lineal heavyweight titles |
| Win | 74–7–4 | Floyd Joyner | KO | 1 | 17/01/1967 | Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas | |
| Win | 73–7–4 | Jefferson Davis | UD | 10 | 13/12/1966 | Houston, Texas | |
| Win | 72–7–4 | Henry Clark | UD | 10 | 25/10/1966 | Sacramento Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California | |
| Win | 71–7–4 | Jefferson Davis | KO | 8 | 28/06/1966 | Centennial Coliseum, Reno, Nevada | |
| Win | 70–7–4 | Bob Foster | UD | 10 | 06/12/1965 | New Orleans Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans, Louisiana | |
| Win | 69–7–4 | Oscar Bonavena | UD | 10 | 26/02/1965 | Madison Square Garden, New York City | |
| Win | 68–7–4 | Gerhard Zech | KO | 4 | 14/11/1964 | Westfalenhallen, Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia | |
| Draw | 67–7–4 | Karl Mildenberger | PTS | 10 | 17/04/1964 | Festhalle Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Hesse | |
| Win | 67–7–3 | Tod Herring | TKO | 7 | 17/03/1964 | Houston, Texas | Referee stopped the bout at 1:34 of the seventh round. |
| Win | 66–7–3 | George Chuvalo | UD | 10 | 17/01/1964 | Cleveland Arena, Cleveland, Ohio | |
| Win | 65–7–3 | Billy Daniels | UD | 10 | 17/10/1963 | Paul Sauve Arena, Montreal, Quebec | |
| Win | 64–7–3 | Tiger Lynch | KO | 5 | 19/09/1963 | Boise, Idaho | Lynch knocked out at 1:49 of the fifth round. |
| Loss | 63–7–3 | Ernie Terrell | UD | 10 | 27/07/1963 | Madison Square Garden, New York City | |
| Win | 63–6–3 | Bob Cleroux | UD | 10 | 23/05/1963 | Paul Sauve Arena, Montreal, Quebec | |
| Draw | 62–6–3 | Dean Bogany | TD | 5 | 02/04/1963 | Bakersfield Civic Auditorium, Bakersfield, California | Fight stopped due to an accidental headbut. |
| Loss | 62–6–2 | Doug Jones | KO | 7 | 15/12/1962 | Madison Square Garden, New York City | Folley knocked out at 1:58 of the seventh round. |
| Win | 62–5–2 | Dave Furch | UD | 10 | 19/11/1962 | Tucson, Arizona | |
| Win | 61–5–2 | Al Gonzalez | KO | 5 | 29/08/1962 | Madison Square Garden, Phoenix, Arizona | Al knocked out at 1:55 of the fifth round. |
| Win | 60–5–2 | Doug Jones | UD | 10 | 01/08/1962 | Denver Auditorium Arena, Denver, Colorado | |
| Win | 59–5–2 | Paul Andrews | TKO | 7 | 12/06/1962 | Sacramento, California | Referee stopped the bout at 2:00 of the seventh round. |
| Win | 58–5–2 | Bob Cleroux | UD | 10 | 18/04/1962 | San Francisco Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, California | |
| Win | 57–5–2 | Mike DeJohn | KO | 3 | 15/02/1962 | Denver Auditorium Arena, Denver, Colorado | DeJohn knocked out at 2:24 of the third round. |
| Win | 56–5–2 | Henry Cooper | KO | 2 | 05/12/1961 | Empire Pool, Wembley, London | Cooper knocked out at 1:06 of the second round. |
| Win | 55–5–2 | Sonny Moore | UD | 10 | 28/09/1961 | El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas | |
| Win | 54–5–2 | "Big" Ben Marshall | KO | 2 | 30/08/1961 | Madison Square Garden, Phoenix, Arizona | Marshall knocked out at 2:41 of the second round. |
| Loss | 53–5–2 | Alejandro Lavorante | KO | 7 | 11/05/1961 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles | Folley knocked out at 0:35 of the seventh round. |
| Win | 53–4–2 | Norman Letcher | TKO | 5 | 10/02/1961 | Madison Square Garden, Phoenix, Arizona | Referee stopped the bout at 1:12 of the fifth round. |
| Win | 52–4–2 | Willi Besmanoff | UD | 10 | 16/09/1960 | SW Washington Fairgrounds, Centralia, Washington | |
| Loss | 51–4–2 | Sonny Liston | KO | 3 | 18/07/1960 | Denver Coliseum, Denver, Colorado | Folley knocked out at 0:28 of the third round. |
| Win | 51–3–2 | Clarence Williams | UD | 10 | 05/04/1960 | Sacramento, California | |
| Win | 50–3–2 | Eddie Machen | UD | 12 | 18/01/1960 | Cow Palace, Daly City, California | |
| Win | 49–3–2 | Alonzo Johnson | UD | 10 | 18/11/1959 | Caravan Inn East, Phoenix, Arizona | |
| Win | 48–3–2 | Monroe Ratliff | TKO | 2 | 02/10/1959 | San Diego Arena, San Diego, California | Referee stopped the bout at 1:58 of the second round. |
| Win | 47–3–2 | Howard King | MD | 10 | 04/08/1959 | Sacramento, California | |
| Win | 46–3–2 | Alvin Williams | KO | 4 | 07/07/1959 | Fresno Memorial Auditorium, Fresno, California | |
| Win | 45–3–2 | Willi Besmanoff | UD | 10 | 07/04/1959 | Denver, Colorado | |
| Win | 44–3–2 | Hank Thurman | UD | 10 | 10/03/1959 | Madison Square Garden, Phoenix, Arizona | |
| Win | 43–3–2 | Alex Miteff | UD | 10 | 29/01/1959 | Denver Auditorium Arena, Denver, Colorado | |
| Win | 42–3–2 | Joe Bygraves | TKO | 9 | 24/11/1958 | Granby Halls, Leicester, Leicestershire | Referee stopped the bout at 2:59 of the ninth round. |
| Loss | 41–3–2 | Henry Cooper | PTS | 10 | 14/10/1958 | Empire Pool, Wembley, London | |
| Win | 41–2–2 | Pete Rademacher | KO | 4 | 25/07/1958 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles | Pete knocked out at 1:15 of the fourth round. |
| Win | 40–2–2 | Art Swiden | UD | 10 | 19/05/1958 | Las Vegas, Nevada | |
| Draw | 39–2–2 | Eddie Machen | SD | 12 | 09/04/1958 | Cow Palace, Daly City, California | |
| Win | 39–2–1 | Garvin Sawyer | UD | 10 | 01/01/1958 | Capitol Arena, Washington, D.C. | |
| Win | 38–2–1 | Edgardo Romero | TKO | 4 | 04/12/1957 | Albuquerque Civic Auditorium, Albuquerque, New Mexico | Referee stopped the bout at 2:35 of the fourth round. |
| Win | 37–2–1 | Duke Sabedong | KO | 4 | 21/11/1957 | Phoenix, Arizona | |
| Win | 36–2–1 | Monroe Ratliff | UD | 10 | 10/09/1957 | Madison Square Garden, Phoenix, Arizona | |
| Win | 35–2–1 | Edgardo Romero | TKO | 6 | 05/08/1957 | Dallas Memorial Auditorium, Dallas, Texas | |
| Win | 34–2–1 | Jeff Dyer | UD | 10 | 09/07/1957 | Phoenix Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona | |
| Win | 33–2–1 | Julius Griffin | TKO | 4 | 18/06/1957 | Madison Square Garden, Phoenix, Arizona | Referee stopped the bout at 2:59 of the fourth round. |
| Win | 32–2–1 | Jimmy Wood | KO | 2 | 20/05/1957 | Sports Center, Tucson, Arizona | Wood knocked out at 1:20 of the second round. |
| Win | 31–2–1 | JD Harvey | KO | 4 | 18/04/1957 | Sports Arena, Yuma, Arizona | Harvey knocked out at 2:46 of the fourth round. |
| Win | 30–2–1 | Johnny Hollins | KO | 2 | 12/03/1957 | Madison Square Garden, Phoenix, Arizona | Hollins knocked out at 1:29 of the second round. |
| Win | 29–2–1 | Howie Turner | UD | 10 | 11/02/1957 | St. Nicholas Arena, New York City | |
| Win | 28–2–1 | Wayne Bethea | SD | 10 | 09/01/1957 | Syracuse War Memorial Arena, Syracuse, New York | |
| Win | 27–2–1 | Wayne Bethea | SD | 10 | 03/12/1956 | St. Nicholas Arena, New York City | |
| Win | 26–2–1 | Nino Valdes | UD | 10 | 25/09/1956 | Softball Park, Phoenix, Arizona | |
| Win | 25–2–1 | Roger Rischer | UD | 12 | 15/08/1956 | Madison Square Garden, Phoenix, Arizona | Southwestern Heavyweight Title. |
| Win | 24–2–1 | Rocky Robinson | KO | 8 | 28/05/1956 | Sports Center, Tucson, Arizona | Robinson knocked out at 1:40 of the eighth round. |
| Win | 23–2–1 | Ponce DeLeon Taylor | KO | 7 | 08/05/1956 | Phoenix Municipal Stadium, Phoenix, Arizona | de Leon knocked out at 0:03 of the seventh round. |
| Win | 22–2–1 | Alex Watson Jones | KO | 3 | 28/02/1956 | Phoenix, Arizona | Jones knocked out at 2:01 of the third round. |
| Loss | 21–2–1 | Young Jack Johnson | RTD | 5 | 01/12/1955 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles | California Heavyweight Title. Folley did not come out for the sixth round due to a broken rib. |
| Win | 21–1–1 | Reuben Wilson | KO | 8 | 24/09/1955 | Clifton, Arizona | |
| Win | 20–1–1 | Ted Calaman | TKO | 4 | 08/09/1955 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles | Referee stopped the bout at 1:54 of the fourth round. |
| Win | 19–1–1 | Jack Jarrod | TKO | 7 | 28/07/1955 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles | Referee stopped the bout at 1:20 of the seventh round. |
| Loss | 18–1–1 | Johnny Summerlin | RTD | 6 | 23/06/1955 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles | Folley did not come out for the seventh round due to a broken jaw. |
| Win | 18–0–1 | Howard King | TKO | 1 | 16/05/1955 | Kezar Stadium, San Francisco, California | Referee stopped the bout at 2:57 of the first round. |
| Win | 17–0–1 | Calvin Brad | TKO | 7 | 07/04/1955 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles | Referee stopped the bout at 2:50 of the seventh round. |
| Win | 16–0–1 | Kirby Seals | TKO | 5 | 24/02/1955 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles | Referee stopped the bout at 2:48 of the fifth round. |
| Win | 15–0–1 | JD Reed | TKO | 8 | 20/01/1955 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles | Referee stopped the bout at 1:10 of the eighth round. |
| Win | 14–0–1 | Kid Zanzibar | KO | 7 | 18/12/1954 | Clifton, Arizona | |
| Win | 13–0–1 | Jimmy Ingram | PTS | 10 | 26/11/1954 | Madison Square Garden, Phoenix, Arizona | |
| Win | 12–0–1 | Georgie Woods | PTS | 10 | 23/10/1954 | Madison Square Garden, Phoenix, Arizona | |
| Win | 11–0–1 | Sandy McPherson | UD | 8 | 01/10/1954 | Edmonton Gardens, Edmonton, Alberta | |
| Win | 10–0–1 | Kid Percy | KO | N/A | 28/08/1954 | Clifton, Arizona | |
| Win | 9–0–1 | Kirby Seals | UD | 10 | 13/08/1954 | San Diego Coliseum, San Diego, California | |
| Win | 8–0–1 | Frank Buford | UD | 10 | 12/07/1954 | Tucson, Arizona | |
| Win | 7–0–1 | Johnny Rebel | KO | 1 | 10/06/1954 | Phoenix, Arizona | |
| Win | 6–0–1 | Joe Sandell | TKO | 3 | 13/04/1954 | Softball Park, Phoenix, Arizona | |
| Win | 5–0–1 | Battling Blackjack | KO | 1 | 26/03/1954 | Clifton, Arizona | |
| Win | 4–0–1 | Howard King | TKO | 7 | 26/01/1954 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles | Referee stopped the bout at 2:35 of the seventh round. |
| Win | 3–0–1 | Lonnie Malone | TKO | 2 | 07/12/1953 | Arena, South Gate, California | |
| Win | 2–0–1 | Joe Louis Brown | KO | 8 | 17/11/1953 | Phoenix, Arizona | |
| Draw | 1–0–1 | Calvin Chambers | PTS | 4 | 29/09/1953 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles | |
| Win | 1–0 | Jimmy Ingram | PTS | 4 | 22/09/1953 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles | |

## Family

Robert Folley, son of Zora Folley, was fighting in the light heavyweight division making his pro debut at the Felt Forum, on June 19, 1986.