Boxing Biographies

Tony Zale
Contributed by Rob Snell
Thursday, 03 May 2007

Tony Zale (May 29, 1913 - March 20, 1997)

(real name Anthony Florian Zaleski)
"the man of steel" was an American boxer. Zale was born and raised in Gary, Indiana, a steel town, which gave him his
nickname. In addition, he had the reputation of being able to take fearsome punishment and still rally to win, reinforcing
that nickname. Zale was known as a strong body puncher, who punished his opponents and steadily wore them down
before knocking them out.

He was a 2-time world middleweight champion and made the Ring Magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time.
Zale is best remembered for his three bouts over a 21 month period with Rocky Graziano for the middleweight crown.
These three bouts were among the most brutal and exciting middleweight championship matches of all time. The first
match took place in Yankee Stadium, New York. Zale had served in World War II, was thirty-three years old, and had
been inactive for about four years. Graziano was on a winning knockout streak and seemed to be in his prime. In their
first match (September 27, 1946), after flooring Graziano in the first round, Zale took a savage beating from Graziano,
and was on the verge of losing the fight by TKO. However, he rallied and knocked out Graziano in the sixth round to
retain his title. The rematch, a year later in Chicago (16 July 1947), was a mirror image of their first fight. Graziano, was
battered around the ring, suffered a closed eye and appeared ready to lose by a knockout, when he rallied and knocked
Zale out in the sixth round, thereby becoming middleweight champion of the world.

Their last fight was held in New Jersey the following year (10 June, (1948). Zale regained his crown and won the match
by a knockout in the third round. The knockout combination consisted of a picture perfect left hook to the right upper
abdomen ("liver"), and in the same motion, Zale brought his hook up to Graziano's jaw. Graziano was knocked out cold.
This fight was Zale's last hurrah. His age and the many ring wars he fought seemed to catch up with him in his next fight
against European Champion Marcel Cerdan later that year, who stopped him in the eleventh round to win the
middleweight championship of the world (21 September 1948).

All three Graziano fights and the Cerdan fight were awarded Ring Magazine fights of the year.

LINKS

http://www.boxrec.com/print.php?boxer_id=009045

http://www.insideboxing.com/Featured_pieces/tony_zale_the_man_of_steel.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ecc-wJGZM5k

Nevada State Journal

29 May 1941

Tony Zale Floors Hostak Nine Times for TKO In Second

Dropped In First Tony Switches to Hard body Attack

CHICAGO, May 28th – unleashing a terrific body attack, Champion Tony Zale, the man of steel from Gary, Ind,
tonight floored Al Hosak of Seattle nine times in the second round of their scheduled 15 round bout for the National
Boxing Associations middleweight championship in 2;32 of the second round.

Floored for a nine count in the first round as the former champion roared from his corner, Zale Cleared his head and
fought cautiously throughout that round.

Punches Kidneys

Suddenly, at the start of the second, Zale switched to the tactics with which he won the title . from Hostak last summer- a
terrific round house right to Hostak’s kidneys. With the first of these blows the crowd of 15,087 sweltering in the
Chicago stadium Could sense the change and soon Hostak wilted before their eyes, He groaned audibly as the first right
sank home, then as the second sank into his ribs Hostak folded in pain and took a count of nine.

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From that moment on Hostak was a beaten fighter. As quickly as he hauled himself to his feet Zale was after him like a
cat, one hand only swinging its deadly tattoo- the right.
-
Pounds to Ribs

He drove it hard to Hostak's ribs three times in succession without a return blow and Al slipped to the floor ,but struggled
up with no count. Thereafter Zale floored him for a count of two, no count, then for a long count of eight all achieved with
that devastating blow to the ribs. As he collapsed for the eight count, Hostak's face was twisted in agony but up he came
and made his one grand bid to win the championship for the third time in his brief career.

He came up swinging both fists and blasted Zale across the ring with a terrific assault of lefts and rights to the head.
Tony moved in close, tied up Hostak and the flurry ended when Zale stepped back without warning, then buried another,
long right roundhouse into Hostak's ribs. Tony's glove bit into the flesh ,seemingly up to the cuff and down bounced
Hostak for a no count.

Sprawls In Pain

Twice more Al came off the Floor with great effort. Then, after the ninth trip to the mat, he just couldn't, make it back to
his feet. Holding his injured ribs, he sprawled there on the floor, made one effort to get up and just missed as the referee,
Johnny Behr. reeled off the last of the 10-count.

It was Zale's second defense of the title he won a year ago by knocking out Hostak in the 13th round at Seattle. For the
brutal punishment he meted out in tonight's "grudge" match he receives 35 per cent of a gross gate of $48.475. Hostak
received 20 per cent. It also was their third meeting.Zale won the first meeting, 10-round decision in a non-title fight in the
stadium ring 15 months ago.

The Mansfield News Journal

29 November 1941

Tony Zale Shows Up Wise Boys

5 to 8 Under dog Wins Title on Body Attack.

By JACK CUDDY

NEW YORK - Never in ring history has any middleweight achieved such a triumph as Tony Zale, the Indiana thunderbolt,
garnered last night in dynamiting out a lopsided 15-round decision over Georgie Abrams of the naval air corps, at
Madison Square Garden.

This victory brought to Zale the undisputed middleweight Championship of the world, making him the first universally
recognized 160-pound king since Mickey Walker gave up the crown in 1931 to campaign in heavier divisions.

He captivated the fans by rising from the floor in the first round and fighting from groggy land in the eighth to stage one of
the finest demonstrations of devastating body punching and
accurate head barraging the metropolis has witnessed In years.

In the third place, Zale was so Impressive in his first New York showing since he rose to prominence, that he captured
the fancy of Promoter Mike Jacobs, who immediately matched him for an over-the-weight 12-round bout with Billy Conn,
former light heavyweight ruler, at the Garden on Feb. 13.

Zale, already recognized as middleweight champion by the National Boxing association, crawled through the ropes an 8-
5 underdog against 23-year-oldAbrams,whose speed and boxing brilliance had enabled him to beat Billy Soose three
times in non-title matches.

The decision of Referee Billy Cavanagh and Judge George Le Cron and Charlie Draycott was unanimous. The United
Press scored 10 rounds for Zale, four for Abrams and one even.

In the first round it seemed that the smart-money boys of 49th street were right in making "Cutie" Abrams a heavy
favorite. Although a light puncher, Abrams caught Zale off balance with a straight right to the chin and sent him rolling.
Zale took a nine count on one knee, rose and weathered the round' without difficulty.

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The Berkshire Evening Eagle

17 July 1947

Rocky Wins Over Zale On Technical Kayo in 6th

Graziano Driven To One Knee In Third, Rallies to Win Before Crowd

Of 18,547

By Jack Cuddy
United press Sports Writer

Rocky Graziano, a desperate, dead end guy from the streets of New York, was middleweight champion of the world
today. His luck and his gameness turned seemingly certain defeat into a technical knockout victory in the sixth round
over gallant Tony Zale in their tumultuous return title match before 18,547 at Chicago Stadium last night.

Rocky Is Lucky

Rocky was lucky because he got the licking of his life in at least the first three rounds, after which Dr. John J. Drammis,
the boxing commission physician, came into the ring to investigate whether challenger Graziano — with the deeply
gashed left brow and nearly closed right eye—should be permitted to continue.

It seemed at the end of that third round, in which Graziano had been driven to one knee for a "one count" by a terrific
right to the chin, that he must lose on a technical kayo—must suffer his second knockout at the hands of the
champion from Gary, Ind., who had belted him out for the full count at 1:43 of the sixth round their first title brawl at New
York's Yankee Stadium last Sept. 27.

But Sheldon Clark, chairman of the Illinois Boxing Commission, received the physician's report and ordered the bout to
continue.

This gave 25-year-old Graziano a new lease on his pugilistic life in this make-or-break battle with 33-year-old Zale. It
enabled the desperate "Happy Hoodlum" to continue the battle that might win him the world's 160-pound crown and
might get back his license to fight in his home state of New York, where he had been barred last Feb. 7 because of his
failure to report three offers of $100,000 bribes.

When the muscular, square-shouldered New York Italian with the mop of unkempt brown hair entered the ring a 6 to 5
underdog last night, he knew that his career was at stake; for if he lost he had no chance of getting back his New York
license. He knew he would be washed up on the big time. And this would have been a bitter result for the glory-loving
former "golden boy of Mike Jacobs' promotions.

Graziano Rallies

Although Graziano was on the verge of "queer street" at the end of the third round, he rallied to fight back with surprising
strength in the fourth session — and to slow up Zale with body blows and head hooks, although he lost that round
by a slim margin.

Perhaps Rocky was heartened in that fourth session by the sight of the usually accurate Zale missing a punch and falling
to the floor. Anyway, Rocky came storming out in the fifth with such a barrage of heavy hooks to the head that he had the
champion staggering several times and bleeding from a gashed lower lip.

For those who had witnessed last September's bout and had seen Zale come back from an inhuman head-beating in the
fifth round to win on a knockout in the sixth, it was still anybody's fight when last night's coincidental sixth round began.

But this was a desperate, grimly determined, blood-smeared Graziano who was fighting last night. He swung his fists like
a hammer slayer on the loose as he went after "Zale for the "kill." He shook off Tony's counter punches to the body and
shook 'he champion with all-out hooks to the head that had the veteran swaying this way and that. He smashed Zale into
a neutral corner, where Tony surely would have fallen on his back, had not the helpfully angled ropes held him up when
he was slumped half-down.

Zale managed to lurch out of the corner; but Rocky was after him, Bludgeoning his head with blows that might have
felled an elephant. A succession of those punches spun Zale and sent him slithering sideways into the ropes and left him
draped over the second strand face down, while savage Graziano continued to smash away at his body.

Referee Johnny Behr of Chicago famous Golden Gloves coach stepped in to prevent a possible recurrence of fatalities
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which occurred recently at Cleveland and Los Angeles. He helped extricate Zale from the ropes and at the same time
motioned Graziano back to his corner, notifying him with frantic semaphores that the fight was over, and that he had won
the championship on a technical knockout at 2.10 of the sixth round.

Since this was Chicago's biggest betting fight since the "long count' heavyweight title battle between Gene Tunney and
Jack Dempsey in 1927, there naturally was some criticism of Behr's merciful action But the cool-headed and correct
referee explained, "I should have stopped the bout when Zale was slumped in the corner in the sixth round because his
eyes had ceased to focus. But, because he was champion, I let him continue until he was a completely helpless
target—with absolutely no hope of recuperating."

In the dressing room, the managers of the new champion and the vanquished ex-champ disclosed to reporters that there
had been a private contract between the two fighters that guaranteed Zale a rematch within 90 days, in case of Graziano
victory. No site was designated in the contract

Lincoln Journal
11th June 1948

Zale KO’s Rocky in 3rd Round

RUPPERT STADIUM,Newark, N. J. Tony Zale, a 12 to 5 under-dog consigned to the fistic crap heap before the fight,
regained his middleweight championship Thursday night by nocking out Rocky Graziano in 1:08 of the third round.

The ex-Gary, Ind., steel mill hand dropped the befuddled Rocky on his back for a ten count with a left hook to the head.
Dr. Vincent Nardiello, who looked at the beaten champion after the fight, said Graziano suffered a concussion.

"HE IS IN A dazed condition, the New York Athletic commission physician added, "and unable to recognize even me."
"His reflexes are all gone. It could be serious. I will examine him tomorrow." Later, Nardiello said he thought the former
champion would be all right after a night's rest. He ordered Graziano to bed. Nardiello has no official' status in New
Jersey.

Zale lived up to his pre-fight predictions that he would score a third round knockout.Referee Paul Cavalier tolled the fatal
ten over the prostrate ruler who made no attempt to regain his feet. His seconds dragged Graziano to his corner and
administered smelling salts. The Rock was down for three in the first round and was almost out earlier in the third when
he sunk to the canvas for a count of seven.

ZALE, a cool, polished battler thrilled the near-capacity crowd of around 25,000 with his demonstration of savage
punching power. He never gave Rock a chance although the champion, who rallied strongly in the second after taking a
three-count knockdown in the first. .

This once postponed battle, the first promotional venture of the newly organized Tournament of Champions, inc., lived up
to all advance billings. It didn't last as long as the first two slugrfests in which this pair exchanged six round knockouts.
But while it lasted it was murder.

Catching Rocky with a brain scrambling left hook to the head early -in the first, Zale floored Graziano for a three-count
and reduced the champion's attack to wild haymaker swings that too often found him running flush into counter-wallops
by the cagy veteran.

EIGHT YEARS' difference in ages didn't help Graziano when Zale started to connect. Blinking his eyes, the Rock lost his
head and started to punch wildly with both hands. This was all the stolid challenger needed.

Zale drove Rocky to the ropes with a right and climbed all over him with his fierce body attack. Tony landed two or three
blows after .the bell which apparently was not heard by Zale.The referee didn’t intervene until Zale got in his
pokes.

Thirty four year old Zale shook the Dead End Kid from New York's lower east side with a one-two to the body as
Graziano swung wildly and missed at the start of the second. Although staggered by a right to the head, Rock fought
back wildly In the closing seconds of the round when he hurt Zale with a right that started in Jersey City and wound up on
Tony's jaw,

THE THIRD was only seconds old when a left hook sagged Rocky's knees and left him swinging on the ropes. Zale cut
loose with all the power of both fists, hitting Graziano at least seven times in a row before Rocky finally went down from a
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left hook to the head and a right to the body.

Obviously badly hurt and dazed, Graziano dragged himself out of the resin dust to run into a searing left hook that put out
the lights. Cavalier could have counted a hundred over the punch frozen lad who lost his title in his first defense.

Thus the unshaven Rocky who smiled and bowed to the terrific ovation that greeted him as he -entered the ring, failed to
make good in his first and last start as 'a champion only 12 miles from home.

BECAUSE he failed to report an alleged bribe offer for a fight that never came off his New York license was lifted a year
and a half ago. At home he never has been recognized as champion. The title was ruled "in abeyance." Some months
after he ended Zale's first reign as a 160- pound champion, he was banned in other states because of a spotty war
record.

What action the New York State Athletic commission now will take is problematical but it is considered likely that Zale will
be recognized as champion.

In the dressing room, Zale said he had forgotten all talk of retirement and was willing and eager to fight anybody, "I knew
I had him all along after the first round," he said. "He never hurt me. I was sharper 'or this one than for the other two."

THERE WAS wild excitement in the Zale camp as co-managers ,Sam Pian and Art Winch celebrated the return of the
title - to their stable. As challengers they had to take the small side if the purse Thursday night which amounted to a
guarantee of $60,000 or 20 percent of the gate. Graziano was guaranteed $120,000 or 40 percent.

Before the fight the promoters talked of matching the winner with Marcel Cerdan, the French thumper ..-who recently was
upset by Cyrille Dellanoit in Brussels. If Cerdan reverses it next month, he'll probably get Zale later this summer.

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