# Tony Zale

Anthony Florian Zaleski (May 29, 1913 – March 20, 1997), known professionally as Tony Zale, was an American boxer. Zale was born and raised in Gary, Indiana, a steel town, which gave him his nickname, "Man of Steel", reinforced by his reputation of being able to take fearsome punishment and still rally to win. Zale, who held the world middleweight title multiple times, was known as a crafty boxer and punishing body puncher who wore his opponents down before knocking them out. In 1990, Zale was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by President George. H. W. Bush.

## World middleweight title

Zale met Georgie Abrams in Madison Square Garden in a world middleweight championship match on November 28, 1941, before a crowd of nearly 10,000. Despite knocking Zale down in the first round, a poke in the eye from Zale's glove left him with pain and blurred vision. From the fourth round on, Abrams fought with his left eye nearly closed. Blood from a cut opened above his right eye in the third from an accidental head butt from Zale caused additional vision problems from blood that dripped from the wound. Despite fighting half blind, Abrams fought courageously for fifteen rounds. Abrams lost in a close match, due to the incessant body attacks of Zale in the late rounds, particularly the ninth where he received a severe two handed attack to the midsection. The Associated Press judged Abrams the winner with eight rounds to Zale's seven.

## Bouts against Rocky Graziano, 1946–48

Zale was a two-time world middleweight champion and made The Ring'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 City. 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 (July 16, 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, then rallied and knocked Zale out in the sixth round, becoming middleweight champion of the world.
Their last fight was held in New Jersey the following year (June 10, 1948). Zale regained his crown, winning the match by a knockout in the third round. The knockout blows consisted of a perfect combination of a right to Graziano's body, then a left hook to Graziano's jaw. Graziano was knocked unconscious. 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 (September 21, 1948). Graziano commented that years later he would wake up in a cold sweat having had the recurring nightmare of being back in the ring with Zale, who he said really was a man of steel.
Edith Piaf, who at the time was having an affair with Cerdan, was in the audience, praying to Saint Therese for his victory. Two of the three Graziano fights and the Cerdan fight were named The Ring magazine Fight of the Year.
Zale was a 1991 inductee to the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF). In November 2015, his championship belts were stolen from the IBHOF. The belts were on loan from Zale's family, and have yet to be returned.
Zale was originally cast to play himself in the movie Somebody Up There Likes Me. According to director Robert Wise, Paul Newman (playing Graziano) was hesitant to fully engage Zale during rehearsal, fearing that Zale might reflexively knock him out if Newman inadvertently hit him too hard. As Newman had to appear aggressive against Zale in the film, Wise felt it was necessary to replace Zale with actor Courtland Shepard for the final fight scene.

## Professional boxing record

| 87 fights | 67 wins | 18 losses |
| By knockout | 45 | 5 |
| By decision | 22 | 13 |
| Draws | 2 | 2 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round | Date | Location | Notes |
| 87 | Loss | 67–18–2 | Marcel Cerdan | RTD | 11 (15) | Sep 21, 1948 | Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. | Lost NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring middleweight titles |
| 86 | Win | 67–17–2 | Rocky Graziano | KO | 3 (15) | Jun 10, 1948 | Ruppert Stadium, Newark, New Jersey, U.S. | Won NBA and The Ring middleweight titles |
| 85 | Win | 66–17–2 | Lou Woods | KO | 3 (10) | Mar 19, 1948 | Arena, Toledo, Ohio, U.S. | |
| 84 | Win | 65–17–2 | Bobby Claus | TKO | 4 (10) | Mar 8, 1948 | Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. | |
| 83 | Win | 64–17–2 | Al Turner | KO | 5 (10) | Jan 23, 1948 | Armory, Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S. | |
| 82 | Loss | 63–17–2 | Rocky Graziano | TKO | 6 (15) | Jul 16, 1947 | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Lost NBA and The Ring middleweight titles |
| 81 | Win | 63–16–2 | Cliff Beckett | TKO | 6 (10) | May 8, 1947 | Arena, Youngstown, Ohio, U.S. | |
| 80 | Win | 62–16–2 | Al Timmons | TKO | 5 (10) | Apr 1, 1947 | Memorial Hall, Kansas City, Kansas, U.S. | |
| 79 | Win | 61–16–2 | Tommy Charles | KO | 4 (10) | Mar 20, 1947 | Auditorium, Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. | |
| 78 | Win | 60–16–2 | Len Wadsworth | KO | 3 (10) | Feb 12, 1947 | Forum, Wichita, Kansas, U.S. | |
| 77 | Win | 59–16–2 | Deacon Logan | TKO | 6 (10) | Feb 3, 1947 | Auditorium, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. | |
| 76 | Win | 58–16–2 | Rocky Graziano | KO | 6 (15) | Sep 27, 1946 | Yankee Stadium, New York City, New York, U.S. | Retained NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring middleweight titles |
| 75 | Win | 57–16–2 | Eddie Rossi | KO | 4 (10) | May 2, 1946 | Auditorium, Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. | |
| 74 | Win | 56–16–2 | Ira Hughes | KO | 2 (10) | Apr 12, 1946 | City Auditorium, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. | |
| 73 | Win | 55–16–2 | Bobby Claus | KO | 4 (10) | Feb 26, 1946 | Houston, Texas, U.S. | |
| 72 | Win | 54–16–2 | Oscar Boyd | KO | 3 (10) | Feb 7, 1946 | Coliseum, Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. | |
| 71 | Win | 53–16–2 | Tony Gillo | KO | 5 (10) | Jan 17, 1946 | Municipal Auditorium, Norfolk, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| 70 | Win | 52–16–2 | Bobby Giles | KO | 4 (10) | Jan 7, 1946 | Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, U.S. | |
| 69 | Loss | 51–16–2 | Billy Conn | UD | 12 | Feb 13, 1942 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 68 | Win | 51–15–2 | Georgie Abrams | UD | 15 | Nov 28, 1941 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | Retained NBA middleweight title; Won vacant NYSAC, and The Ring middleweight titles |
| 67 | Win | 50–15–2 | Billy Pryor | KO | 9 (10) | Aug 16, 1941 | Juneau Park, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. | |
| 66 | Win | 49–15–2 | Ossie Harris | KO | 1 (10) | Jul 23, 1941 | Chicago Stadium Outdoor Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 65 | Win | 48–15–2 | Al Hostak | KO | 2 (15) | May 28, 1941 | Chicago Stadium Outdoor Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Retained NBA middleweight title |
| 64 | Win | 47–15–2 | Steve Mamakos | KO | 14 (15) | Feb 21, 1941 | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Retained NBA middleweight title |
| 63 | Win | 46–15–2 | Steve Mamakos | PTS | 10 | Jan 10, 1941 | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 62 | Win | 45–15–2 | Tony Martin | TKO | 7 (10) | Jan 1, 1941 | Auditorium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. | |
| 61 | Win | 44–15–2 | Fred Apostoli | PTS | 10 | Nov 19, 1940 | Civic Auditorium, Seattle, Washington, U.S. | |
| 60 | Loss | 43–15–2 | Billy Soose | UD | 10 | Aug 21, 1940 | Civic Stadium, Seattle, Washington, U.S. | |
| 59 | Win | 43–14–2 | Al Hostak | TKO | 13 (15) | Jul 19, 1940 | Civic Stadium, Seattle, Washington, U.S. | Won NBA middleweight title |
| 58 | Win | 42–14–2 | Baby Kid Chocolate | KO | 4 (10) | Jun 12, 1940 | Idora Park, Youngstown, Ohio, U.S. | |
| 57 | Win | 41–14–2 | Ben Brown | KO | 3 (10) | Mar 29, 1940 | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 56 | Win | 40–14–2 | Enzo Iannozzi | KO | 4 (10) | Feb 29, 1940 | Rayen-Wood Auditorium, Youngstown, Ohio, U.S. | |
| 55 | Win | 39–14–2 | Al Hostak | UD | 10 | Jan 29, 1940 | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 54 | Win | 38–14–2 | Babe Orgovan | KO | 3 (8) | Dec 8, 1939 | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 53 | Win | 37–14–2 | Eddie Meleski | TKO | 1 (10) | Nov 13, 1939 | Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 52 | Win | 36–14–2 | Al Wardlow | KO | 3 (10) | Oct 31, 1939 | Rayen-Wood Auditorium, Youngstown, Ohio, U.S. | |
| 51 | Win | 35–14–2 | Sherman Edwards | TKO | 3 (6) | Oct 6, 1939 | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 50 | Win | 34–14–2 | Milton Shivers | KO | 3 (10) | Aug 14, 1939 | Marigold Gardens Outdoor Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 49 | Win | 33–14–2 | Babe Orgovan | PTS | 6 | May 23, 1939 | Madison Square Garden, New York, U.S. | |
| 48 | Win | 32–14–2 | Johnny Shaw | KO | 5 (8) | May 1, 1939 | Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 47 | Loss | 31–14–2 | Nate Bolden | PTS | 10 | Jan 2, 1939 | Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 46 | Win | 31–13–2 | Enzo Innazzi | PTS | 6 | Nov 18, 1938 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 45 | Win | 30–13–2 | Jimmy Clark | KO | 2 (8) | Oct 31, 1938 | Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 44 | Win | 29–13–2 | Tony Cisco | UD | 10 | Oct 10, 1938 | Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 43 | Loss | 28–13–2 | Billy Celebron | PTS | 10 | Aug 22, 1938 | Marigold Gardens Outdoor Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 42 | Draw | 28–12–2 | Billy Celebron | PTS | 10 | Jul 18, 1938 | Marigold Gardens Outdoor Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 41 | Win | 28–12–1 | Jimmy Clark | TKO | 8 (8) | Jun 13, 1938 | Marigold Gardens Outdoor Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 40 | Win | 27–12–1 | Bobby LaMonte | TKO | 5 (8) | May 16, 1938 | Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 39 | Win | 26–12–1 | King Wyatt | PTS | 8 | Mar 28, 1938 | Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 38 | Loss | 25–12–1 | Jimmy Clark | KO | 1 (8) | Feb 21, 1938 | Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 37 | Win | 25–11–1 | Henry Schaft | PTS | 8 | Jan 24, 1938 | Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 36 | Win | 24–11–1 | Nate Bolden | SD | 8 | Jan 3, 1938 | Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 35 | Win | 23–11–1 | Nate Bolden | PTS | 5 | Nov 22, 1937 | Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 34 | Win | 22–11–1 | Leon Jackson | PTS | 6 | Nov 10, 1937 | Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 33 | Loss | 21–11–1 | Nate Bolden | PTS | 5 | Nov 1, 1937 | Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 32 | Win | 21–10–1 | Bobby Gerry | KO | 2 (4) | Oct 18, 1937 | Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 31 | Win | 20–10–1 | Billy Brown | KO | 1 (4) | Oct 11, 1937 | Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 30 | Win | 19–10–1 | Elby Johnson | TKO | 3 (4) | Sep 17, 1937 | White City Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 29 | Loss | 18–10–1 | Manuel Davila | PTS | 4 | Aug 16, 1937 | Marigold Gardens Outdoor Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 28 | Win | 18–9–1 | Elby Johnson | PTS | 4 | Jul 26, 1937 | Marigold Gardens Outdoor Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 27 | Draw | 17–9–1 | Jack Moran | PTS | 5 | Apr 13, 1936 | Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 26 | Loss | 17–9 | Dave Clark | PTS | 5 | Jul 2, 1935 | Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 25 | Loss | 17–8 | Johnny Phagan | KO | 6 (8) | May 6, 1935 | Midway Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 24 | Loss | 17–7 | Roughhouse Glover | TKO | 9 (10) | Mar 27, 1935 | Music Hall Arena, Cincinnati, U.S. | |
| 23 | Win | 17–6 | Max Elling | PTS | 8 | Mar 11, 1935 | Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 22 | Win | 16–6 | Young Jack Blackburn | PTS | 6 | Feb 25, 1935 | Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 21 | Loss | 15–6 | Joey Bazzone | PTS | 6 | Dec 28, 1934 | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 20 | Loss | 15–5 | Jack Gibbons | PTS | 10 | Dec 17, 1934 | Midway Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 19 | Loss | 15–4 | Kid Leonard | PTS | 10 | Nov 26, 1934 | Peoria, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 18 | Win | 15–3 | Jack Charvez | PTS | 8 | Nov 5, 1934 | Midway Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 17 | Win | 14–3 | Jack Schwartz | TKO | 4 (8) | Oct 29, 1934 | Auditorium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. | |
| 16 | Win | 13–3 | Frankie Misko | KO | 6 (8) | Oct 22, 1934 | Midway Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 15 | Win | 12–3 | Young Jack Blackburn | PTS | 8 | Oct 8, 1934 | Midway Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 14 | Win | 11–3 | Mickey Misko | KO | 4 (8) | Sep 17, 1934 | White City Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 13 | Loss | 10–3 | Mickey Misko | PTS | 8 | Sep 3, 1934 | White City Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 12 | Win | 10–2 | Wilbur Stokes | PTS | 8 | Aug 27, 1934 | White City Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 11 | Loss | 9–2 | George Black | PTS | 6 | Aug 15, 1934 | Auditorium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. | |
| 10 | Loss | 9–1 | Billy Hood | PTS | 6 | Aug 13, 1934 | White City Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Bruce Wade | KO | 3 (4) | Aug 7, 1934 | Peoria, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Bobby Millsap | PTS | 4 | Jul 30, 1934 | White City Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Einar Hedquist | TKO | 4 (4) | Jul 16, 1934 | White City Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Lou Bartell | PTS | 4 | Jul 9, 1934 | White City Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Ossie Jefferson | KO | 3 (4) | Jul 2, 1934 | White City Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Johnny Liston | KO | 3 (4) | Jun 25, 1934 | White City Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Bobby Millsap | KO | 1 (4) | Jun 21, 1934 | Bacon's Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Johnny Simpson | PTS | 4 | Jun 15, 1934 | Northwest Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Eddie Allen | PTS | 4 | Jun 11, 1934 | Marigold Gardens Outdoor Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |

## Titles in boxing
### Major world titles

* NYSAC middleweight champion (160 lbs) (2×)
* NBA (WBA) middleweight champion (160 lbs) (2×)

### The Ring magazine titles

* The Ring middleweight champion (160 lbs) (2×)

### Undisputed titles

* Undisputed middleweight champion (2×)