Evening star., 1946-07-21
MiddIeweight Battle
Seen as Throwback
10 PaImy Period
By Sid FEEDER
Associated Press Sports Writer

Associated Press Sports Writer
NEW YORK, July 20.-For the
first time since Mickey Walker de-
cided he'd rather eat than stay thin
back in 1881, the middleweight
championship goes on 'one world
basis Thursday night in Yankee
Stadium when Titleholder Tony Zale
tangles with Rocky the Rock Graz
iano.
From all accounts, this one figures
to be strictly a fancy fireworks dis
play, inasmuch as both Indiana Tony
and Rocky the Rock operate on the
theory that beak buster never
should take Is rounds to do what
he can do in less.
The book shows just how much
both believe that when you're fight
ing another guy, the best way to
have him fiat on his back. because
he can't throw punches at you that
way. Rocky the Rock, knockout
specialist who has been called the
new Stanley Ketchel" by some OF
the more overly-enthusiastic men,
bers of the Graziano Cheering and
Chowder Society, has put the lights
out for 81 of SO opponents since he
first came swinging of the streets of
New York's Lower East Side. Tony
built up pretty fair country eX-
terminator In his fist in the steel
mills of Gary, and with it has caved
the roof in for 81 of 27 ear-scram-
blers he's met since 1899.
Rush Is On At Box Office.
The prospect of high caliber can
nonading when the 32-year-old
champion and the 24-year-old black
haired challenger unwrap their Sun
day shots has Gus Fan and his
missus moving in on the box Office
in a style usually reserved only for
select heavyweight society. Pro-
motor Mike Jacobs wouldn't be at
all disappointed II as many custom
ers show up m the big Bronx ball
yard for this one as saw the Joe
uis-Billy Conn barn dance last
month-45,226. He is expecting q
gate of some s350,000, which would
make it the gaudiest gold rush two
middleweights ever have started.
This will be the first time Zale-
short for zaleski-has put the 160-
pound trinket on the line since he
whipped George Abrams back in
194l to end the longest growing
rhubarb in fistic history. Mickey
Walker won the crown in 1926 and
gave it up in 81, because keeping
his poundage down to the legal
minimum involved
steak here and a set of
eggs there, and Mickey wasn't one
to miss such things If he could
help 1t.
After that, for 10 years, the Ma
tional Boxing Association and the
New York Commission were all tied
up in dual title knot, the shape
of which would have brought tears
of pure joy to pretzel manufac-
turer's heart. 1t got so involved,
at one time, that just as the MIA
decided to accept the New York
sanctioned head man, the New York
outfit up and took its blessing away.
Zale Makes Fast Comeback.
But Tony Strengthened 1t all out
in ls41, then went into the Navy
and came out late last year to hit
the trail back. He's come up the
road again so fast that he's fiat
tened six straight opponents and
has brought his weight down to a
sharp and fit 159. What's more,
he's picking himself to cave the roof
in on the rock inside CT six rounds
positively and without fail"
However, the outpouring of ready
cash for a local larruper, plus the
fact that the ballyhoo boys have
built Rocky's punch up into a COM
bination atom bomb and high-proof
bourbon, which produces the same
results when Graziano lets it go,
have the betting shoppes quoting
the Rock as the wagering choice
Up to yesterday, they'd made Graz
lano a lopsided 5-to-12 favorite, for
some reason, but they've been bring
ing 1t down since, probably after
learning that Zale's pilots have in
vested some 5000 themselves at
that figure, and TODAY it was : tn