Murderers' Row refers to a group of middleweight boxing contenders in the United States competing in the 1940s, primarily of a Black American background. Renowned for their toughness and great boxing ability, they were feared throughout the boxing world and never received a shot[clarification needed] at the world title. According to boxing pundit Jim Murray, they were “the most exclusive men’s club the ring has ever known. They were so good and so feared that they had to have their own tournament”.[1]
Fighters recognized under the Murderers’ Row banner include Charley Burley, Lloyd Marshall, Holman Williams, Herbert "Cocoa Kid" Lewis Hardwick, Jack Chase, Eddie Booker, Aaron Wade, and Bert Lytell. Avoided by many of the famous names of the day, the eight Murderers’ Row fighters faced each other a total of 62 times, the fights often classics and grueling contests.[2]
The expression "murderers' row" had been used previously to describe the batting line-up of the New York Yankees baseball team in the late 1920s.[3] The phrase as used in boxing was originally coined by writer Budd Schulberg.[4]