Decision in the Ring

This was actually the second episode filmed, after "Fear in the Desert City". You can see why it was pushed back a bit. It's not bad but not all that remarkable, either. Kimble gets a job as a cut man for a boxer and his medical training tells him that he really should quit the ring before he gets seriously hurt. But he's got a shot at the title. The boxer, played by James Edwards, one of many excellent but underused black actors from those days, always wanted to be a doctor and Kimble urges him to return to school. Meanwhile a reporter who is actually an undercover agent for the boxing commission is suspicious that Kimble might be working for criminals who want Edwards to throw the fight.

James Edwards died of a heart attack at the age of 51. He was already 45 when he played this role but doesn't look it. Edwards made a big splash in 1949 with Home of the Brave, a story of a black man and his experiences in the Army during WW2. He also played one of the boxers in Robert Wise's "The Set-up" A very handsome man, he started dating some Hollywood actresses, including Lana Turner, who he slapped during an argument in a restaurant. Ooops….