The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-01-08
FRED APOSTOLI 'UNCROW WNED'
 CHAMP OF RING
Steele Stopped By Over- weight Challenger; Title
 Bout Set
By LESLIE AVERY


 United Press Staff CorreSpondent)
 New York, Jan. 5-(UP)-A pound and a half of fiesh-the excess weight Fred Apostoli was forced by contract to carry into the ring-was all that held Freddie SteePs middle weight crown teetering uncertainty on his battered brow today.
 Because the San Francisco Italian scaled 161 1-2, conforming to the overweight" contract by l 1-2 pounds, his nine round technical knockout over Steele in Madison Square Garden last night doesn't count" officially. But to the fight fans, he is the uncrowned cham pion of the division. He kayoed the only other claimant to the title, Marcel Thil of France, last summer.
 Short Ender Wins
 Apostoli, a 13 to underdog at ringside, battered Steele almost into insensibility before Referee Artie Donovan considered the game cham pion incapable of defe nding himself after 54 seconds of the ninth. No man ever took worse beating with out losing his feet.
 Apostoli's manager, Larry White. who pursued Stele relentlesSly for more than two years before he land- ed the "non-title" match, was jubi- lant.
 Well claim the title from hell to breakfast" he shouted to sports writers. If Steele wants 8 return match he'll have to take the chal- lenger's cut. His claim to the crown isn't worth 8 plugged nickel after tonight"
 The handsome Italian praised Steele's gameness, but did not believe the blow which caused the cham pion to double up with pain in the seventh, was low. Referee Donovan allowed Steele nearly a minute to recover and then awarded the round to Steele on foul. Under New York boxing rules a match cannot be won on foul
 In Steele's dressing room his man. ager Ed Miller blamed this blow foI his boys defeat, but said he did moi believe ApoStoli struck low inten- tionally. Steele lay speeches. on a rubbing table with nice pack on his groin while doctor mended his nacerated face. Miller refused to say whether he would match Steele with Apostoli again, but admitted a title defense already had been ar ranged.
 T am not at liberty yet to di- vulge the other man." he said.
 Steele won the first round by a slight margin, but Apostoli gave no- tice he had the answer to the cham pion's sharpshooting when he set the Tacoma lad up with four rapid left jabs, then crashed right hook to the jaw. Fred, in marvellous con- dition, often took everything Steele had just to get in close where he could shoot those devastating hooks with both hands. He staggered Steele with 6 left hook in the second then battered him across the ring, bringing blood from the champions nose
 Apostoli continued his vicious as- Sault in the third, rocking Steele to the heels with short right and left hooks to the jaw. Even that early most of the spectators expected Steele to go down.
 Low Punch
 The first cries of Stop it" were heard in the seventh when both men leaped from their corners and collided in mid-ring. Steele was bowled over backwards. He got up, and it was there that Apostoli land- ed the disputed low blow. It jack knifed Steele, and after Donovan had warned him to continue fighting or lose the fight immediately on 8 technical knockout, he limped about the ring for few moments and signaled his willingness to continue
 But he seemed as helpless as & kitten from then on Apostoli, fired his heaviest guns but he couldn't get the champion off his feet. Steele'S eyes were fishy. In the ninth blood Streamed from an inch and a half gash under his right eye, his mouth and nose. He didn't try to punch, and apparently could not see well enough to dodge Apostoli's blows. A deafening roar to Stop it" swept the arena, and Donovan stepped between the men.