Evening star., 1953-05-16

CHICAGO, May Is (P).-FactS
and figures of last nights Rocky
Joe Walcott
heavyweight title bout at Chi
cago Stadium:
Attendance-16,03 034
Paid Attendance-13.26 266.
Net eatew$25346 49,.
Television radio fee-S3O0.O0O
Walcott's share-$25O, 900 (guaran-
Marciano's share-S166. .O3S $50 per
cent Of net and TV).
Result-Marciano by knockout in 2:25
OF the first round.
the self confessed 39-year-old
veteran likes to breathe he'd
better rack up. Old Rockin'
Chair-and probably a one-two
combination thrown at him last
September-have got him. Marci-
ano nearly killed Walcott that
time.
A Classic FiascO.
Old Joe is washed up after
what must stand as the worst
fiasco in boxing history. Less
than two and a half minutes
after he began jousting with
Heavyweight Champion Rocky
Marciano in Chicago Stadium
the old gent went down.
Perhaps the vast television
audience clearly saw the punch.
Few at the ringside saw it. In
his dressing room, a scene Of
wild confusion and even vio-
lence, Walcott issued a brief
statement via a public address
system. 1T was a left hook and
a push that put me down." he
said. Felix (Bocchicchio) sig
nailed for me to stay down. The
referee took care of the rest"
They rig microphones in
dressing rooms these days but
reporters and photographers still
get slugged by so-called law en-
forcers and it took a while to
restore a semblance of order in
Joe's dressing room.
Manager Calls it Outrage.
Finally. with Publicist Harry
Mendal acting as master OF
ceremonies, he introduced Boo
chicchio. who said:
Il was robbed in New York in
1948 when we beat Joe Louis.
What happened tonight was an
outrage. The referee couldn't
wait to count Walcott out.
"I started the count at one.
At four I signaled Joe to get up.
The referee (Frank) Sikora)
pushed him back with both hands.
All of a sudden he yelled ten
and out"
That wasn't the way ring
siders saw it.
They saw Walcott hit-sliced
perhaps, is the better worldly
a left. Then, without warning.
he reclined on the canvas. If he
was watching Bocchicchio's sig
nails then Felix must have been
plastered on the roof. That's
where Jersey Joe's eyes were
focused.
Walcott happened to recline in
close territory. Plainly. the ref
eree's count could be heard. Duti-
fully he said. "one two
three etc. but Joe just sat
there. He wasn't face down, nor
did he show any signs attributed
to stricken warrior. He simply
sat down and when Sikora
counted ten and out" he arose
and walked to his corner with
what appeared to be unconcern.
Misses Short Bout Record.
Seconds later he protested to
the referee but it was a desultory
gesture at best and. meanwhile.
the fans, paying up to $50, were
booing. Unstrung ring officials
first announced the time of the
knockout as 1:25 and many Of
the 500-odd chroniclers. equally
startled by the turn of events.
wrote that it was the shortest
fight in heavyweight history.
Actually it was the sixth
shortest. Last nights time was
2:25. Joe Louis. when he de-
stroyed Max Schmeling in 1893.
did the quickest job in two min
utes and four seconds.
But these fights were vastly
different. On his greatest night.
Louis was incompatible. Mar
ciano, on the other hand. did
next to nothing last night. There
was none of the savagery Of
Louis, who fought and really dis
liked Schmeling. A couple OF
times Rocky was hit in the body
by Walcott but otherwise he was
unharmed.
In Walcott's dressing room a
Camden lawyer named Angelo
Mandandra, or something, tried
to steal the scene. Wildly point