Notice that the very first boxer that Midge Kelly fights (before he even decides to become a fighter) is the same guy who played Tony Zale in "Somebody Up There Likes Me". The actor is Courtland Shephard, and he must have been a boxer in real life, because he moves very well.
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According to Boxrec.com, Courtland Shepherd had a very respectable 14-2-3 record as a pro in boxing's light heavyweight division before WWII. As an amateur, (under his real name Courtland Schultz) he managed to beat the great Archie Moore in the St Louis Golden Gloves. Shepherd was used as a boxing opponent in a number of films from the late forties through the mid fifties because he was a fine boxer who could make it very convincing without accidentally knocking out the high priced acting talent. (As the real Tony Zale -in an ill-fated attempt to have Zale play himself - did to Paul Newman during the filming of "Somebody Up There Likes Me". Enter Mr Shepherd!) However, as a former Light Heavyweight, he appears too big to box a diminutive guy like Newman or Dewey Martin (in "Tennessee Champ"). It's the only bad thing about Newman's otherwise terrific performance in "Somebody Up There Likes Me". Shepherd himself was always an excellent-opponent.
He was also Ricardo Montalban's opponent in "Right Cross", a very underrated boxing movie. He had some dialog in that movie; a racist slur against Montalban.
I'm surprised Mr. Shepard didn't progress beyond bit parts.
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