Charley Burley’s amateur career started when he convinced local pal Ossie Harris to go with him to the Kays Boy’s Club in the Hill district.

Between 1933 and 1935 Charley engaged in a reported 49 amateur bouts – most of them while a member of the Superior AC.

Between 1936 and 1940, Charley fought most of his fights out of his home town of Pittsburgh.

Unable to make any real progress in his home town, Charley moved to Minnesota where he fought some of the better welterweights and middleweights available. Despite beating ranked fighters such as Shorty Hogue, Holman Williams, Big Boy Hogue and others, progress was still difficult and he was forced to fight out of his natural weight categorey on a regular basis.

Being based almost exclusively in California from 1942 to 1945, Charley had the most successful period of his career. However, big money fights against world champions and top contenders still eluded him.