Whoever it was that came up with the often-used adage, ‘life begins at 40,’ did not, indeed, could not have known how heavyweight contender Eddie Machen’s often mysterious and largely forgotten life would end. It was at the age of the suggested new beginning, or full bloom, that Machen – a truly gifted boxer who was afraid of nothing and of nobody, only of the inner demons he likely carried for almost all of his adult life – sadly passed away.
The Tragic Mystery of Eddie Machen’s Final Days
And to this day, some 53 years later, nobody is altogether certain how Edward Mills Machen met his end.
We do know that Machen had a most honourable ring career. Born in Redding, California, in June of 1932, Machen went pro in March of 1955, at age 23. Winning his first 24 bouts as he did, Machen soon proved how good he was, the slim, fast, and clever boxer being described by one writer as a “highly-skilled, beautifully-moving” heavyweight. Settling in San Francisco, Machen was so talented that people in the industry felt he could revive boxing in San Fran in a big way.
Fix or Fluke? The Night in Sweden Still Debated
After boxing to a draw with Zora Folley (yet another vastly underappreciated heavyweight), this in April of ’58, Machen was shockingly KO’d in a round by Ingemar Johansson that September. At this time, Machen was deserving of a shot at heavyweight champ Floyd Patterson, but Floyd was far from keen to take the fight. So, Machen took the Johansson fight instead. To this day, so many people think the fix was in, that Machen, who was often bitter about how he was not paid the money he had earned from fighting, throughout his career, took a dive in Sweden (a quite nasty one as things transpired) so as to pick up a bundle.
The Decline: Lost Opportunities and Inner Demons
And as has been both pointed out and questioned: how could Machen defeat the likes of Nino Valdes, Joey Maxim, and later go all 12 rounds with the fearsome Sonny Liston, and yet be iced in a round by Ingo? Machen, as the footage of the fight shows, doesn’t really try to mount an attack of his own, much less defend himself effectively when he gets back up after Johansson decks him with an admittedly hefty right hand. Decked again and on his back, Machen, his mind who knows where, then takes a nasty, prolonged hammering as he is stuck in a corner, the ropes holding him up. The “referee” stands with even less emotion than Machen displayed at the start of the fight, as the third man allows Ingo to blast away in almost criminal fashion. Machen could have been killed.
Machen did manage to bounce back, but the Patterson shot continued to elude him. Machen, by now 31-1-1, picked up a win over Willi Besmanoff, but he was then decisioned by Folley in a return. In September of 1960, Machen frustrated a prime Liston for all 12 rounds, with Sonny being unable to put a dent in him. This was a quite notable performance from Machen when we look back, but at the time it was just another loss, Machen’s third.
Machen wanted a rematch with Liston after Liston crushed Patterson to win the world title, but no sequel happened. Instead, Machen began a slow downward spiral into a serious mental health war. Machen – who would likely have been diagnosed with schizophrenia today – was in a bad way by the end of 1962, his behaviour becoming really strange some time after his July draw with Cleveland Williams.
Arrests, Breakdown, and Electric Treatments
Driving to Redding, Machen had a gun in his car, and he was later arrested after a bystander had reported how he had seen the unidentified “large black man” shooting his gun into the ground as he stood at the side of the road. A cop showed up, just as Machen was writing a suicide note to his wife. “I’m thinking of killing myself,” a distraught Machen told the officer. In a “very confused state of mind” at the time, according to his doctor, Machen was administered electric treatment in the hospital he had been taken to, this after “trying to escape,” with the fighter laying out two attendants.
Truly amazingly, Machen’s career was resumed after his mental breakdown, with the now 31-year-old picking up wins over Alonzo Johnson and Duke Sabedong, before losing on points to Patterson (now a former champ, of course) and to Ernie Terrell, this in a WBA heavyweight title fight.
From this point on, Machen would go 3-5-1, with him losing to Karl Mildenberger and Joe Frazier, but with Eddie picking up a win over Jerry Quarry. Machen’s final fight came in May of ’67, when he was stopped by Boone Kirkman. Machen’s final numbers read 50-11-3(29).
But then came Eddie’s mysterious and sad death.
Death Below the Balcony – Suicide, Sleepwalk, or Murder?
Officially bankrupt now and divorced, the retired Machen was often arrested for driving under the influence. Finding work as a barman and as a longshoreman, Machen, now aged 40, would meet a grizzly end in August of 1972. To this day, the full facts are not known and never will be. Machen’s lifeless body was found below his second-floor apartment. Dressed in pyjamas, Machen had come to rest between a car and a post on the driveway below his apartment. A seven-foot trail of blood was found, from the middle of the driveway to where Eddie’s body was located.
There are theories that say Eddie was sleepwalking and that he went over the balcony of his apartment, while others say it was suicide, even murder. The autopsy confirmed that Machen died due to blood loss and shock.
Either way, it was an undignified ending to a dignified fighting man’s life.
