Evening star., 1953-09-25
FightveryC|ose
For Six Rounds,
Then Roof Falls
Gallant Challenger
Goes Down in 18th
Under Brutal Attack
By Gayle ToIbo!t
Associated Press Sports Writer

~ 0UytS IOlDOt
Associated Press Sports Writer
NEW YORK, Sept. 25.-Roland
LaStarza had the heart, but
Rocky Marciano had the guns
and so the human block of gran
ite from Brockton, Mass, still
holds the heavyweight champion
ship.
Few fighters in the annals of
the cruel sport have taken more
brutal beating than the ex-col-
legian from the Bronx absorbed
last night before Referee Ruby
Goldstein stepped in midway of
the 18th round at the Polo
Grounds and cried enough. Al
most defenseless for the final
four rounds, LaStarza had done
all that could have been asked of
him.
Today. just a year and two
days after he pulverized Jersey
Joe Walcott at Philadelphia to
win the title, Marciano stands in
a class by himself. With La
Starza's star set, probably for
good as a serious contender, The
Rock has no rival of real stature.
He must be accepted as one of
the great champions.
CI0co FDu C;x DnIz
Rocky proved last night be-
fore an awe-struck crowd of a.
562 that there is nothing to hold
him off once he starts moving
forward and throwing those
oaken arms of his. LaStarza
tried. He fought back as long
as it was physically possible and
he tried every stratagem he knew.
He made it close for six rounds.
Then the roof began caving in
'on him.
Early in the 11th and fatal
round, Marciano rushed his
bleeding rival against the ropes
and, with a lethal succession of
left-right-left swings to the jaw.
slammed LaStarza to the can
vas for the first knockdown of
the fight. LaStarza rose on his
trembling legs well before the
count of nine, but as Referee
Goldstein wiped his gloves clean
and sent him forth again, it. was
evident that the challenger had
made his bid and failed.
Again Rocky barreled in,
throwing both fists with all he
had, apparently as fresh and re-
lentiess as he had been in the
opening round. When it was
evident that LaStarza could not
defend against the furious attack,
Goldstein leaped to save him.
The beaten man stared duly,
blood frothing on his lips, and
made no dissent.
First Real Damage in Seventh.
For nearly four full rounds
before that, the crowding, re-
lentless champion had been in
full charge. He first had hurt
LaStarza seriously in the sew
enth when he slugged him into
the ropes and for the last two
minutes pounded the hapless
challenger all over the ring al
most without a return. Only
LaStarza's fighting spirit en-
abled him to weather the pun
ishment.
The eighth. ninth and tenth
rounds followed much the same
pattern. LaStarza was bleed
ing profusely from a cut at the
corner of his right eye which had
been opened in the second round,
and a cut on his nose added to
the carnage. Roland fought back
Spasmodically and occasionally
landed flush on Rocky's chops,
but he might as we'll have been
using a pea-Shooter for all the
effect it had on the champion.
So anxious was Marciano to
complete the kill that he missed
a wild swing in the 10th and
fell in LaStarza's corner. His
handlers were in an uproar
through the concluding rounds,
yelling to the champion to keep
him there" and hit him in the
belly, Rocky" Marciano needed
no advice. He had the answer
in his two mighty fists.
Crowd Got Moneys Worth.
For all that, LaStarza will go
into the big book only as a game
boy who thought he could lick
Marciano and learned that the
job was beyond him. But he
gave the surprisingly large
crowd, which paid $435,817.98,
a few thrills before he was
tagged. He was as unfrightened
as he had promised he would be.
He fought and he never did run,
even when he must have realized
he had had it.
On this score card, they were
dead level for the first six
rounds-two for LaStarza. two
for Marciano and two even.
Referee Goldstein had it even,
too. and the two judges gave the
challenger an edge to that point.