Born Nicholas Charles Nickeas in Chicago, IL on June 30, 1946.
After graduating from Columbia College-Chicago with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism, he began his career in Springfield, IL in 1970 before moving to Baltimore and Washington, D.C. On June 1, 1980, Charles debuted on the new 24-hour news channel CNN and quickly rose to national prominence as co-host of Sports Tonight, earning three Cable Ace Awards. He remained at CNN until 2001 when he was tabbed by Showtime to be its blow-by-blow voice of the new series ShoBox: the New Generation. With unabashed enthusiasm and ability to tell boxers' stories, he called action for nearly a decade before stepping back in 2009 due to a bladder cancer diagnosis. He returned behind the mic and called his last ShoBox fight on April 30, 2010 to focus on treatment. The resilient broadcaster called two more bouts - featuring Humberto Soto and Mikey Garcia - in December 2010 on HBO, where he had hosted pay-per-view broadcasts in the early 1990s. During his career he covered all-time greats including Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvelous Marvin Hager and Mike Tyson.
Charles, who was awarded the BWAA Sam Taub Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism in 2007, passed away on June 25, 2011 following a brave battle with cancer.
Born: June 30, 1946
Died: June 25, 2011
Induction: 2024
Nick Charles
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