Evening star., 1953-05-15

~~~~~>~@~~~->>--~~-- ~---->---------~~-~>~-~
Sharkey, Max Baer and Brad
dock we're the others.
1t seemed entirely possible
today that a new indoor gate
record for a fight might be set.
The record is $422, ,918, set at the
Tony zale-Rocky Graziano bout
in 1947. Even so, Chicago wasn't
much excited. Many fans. scared
away by the $50 tops, were Or
ganizing motor and rail trips to
some Indiana towns, in order to
watch on television.
The magnet here is Marciano,
not Walcott. The old pappy guy
played Chicago back in 1949,
fighting Ezzard Charles when the
title presumably had been vacat-
ed by Joe Louis. He didn t do
well, losing to Charles in a dull
15-round affair
Rocky Something New.
Marciano with his unmarried
record and his 38 knockouts is
something new here and is re-
Sponsible for what enthusiasm
there is among the ticket buyers.
And yet there is lot of senti-
ment for the superbly muscled.
If aged, Walcott.
Cab drivers-people on the
street-say: I'D like to see the
old guy do it. Why? I dunno
He just seems to be a nice guy
and the other fellow . we'll, he's
got lot of time"
This isn't precisely accurate.
Marciano himself is going on
29. The fact that he's fighting
Walcott, who may be 80 or as,
makes him seem very young.
Joe Louis won the title at %,
five years younger than Mar
ciano.
Until he came out of hiding
to weigh in after leaving his Hol-
land (MichD training camp,
Rocky has been a bit of an
enigma. He was supposed to
have a suspect nose, due to dam
age in a workout. That hap
pened early in April. Since
then, Marciano'S worn a protec-
tive nose guard to end all nose
guards No sparring partner
possibly could hit him on the
nose, even by way of testing it.
Nose May Be Factor.
Last night at a party tossed
by Jim Norris. president of the
International Boxing Club. WAL
colts manager was talking.
wait until Rocky takes that
gadget off his nose and gets
belted once" Felix Bocchicchio
was saying. ITS been a long
time - since last September -
that Rocky's nose got a bood
belt.
Know what think? I think
my guy is going to bump this
fellow and early"
There's where Braddock comes
in. again
"Rocky'S crude" the ex-cham-
pion was saying. Hes perfect
shot for a right and I still don't
know how Walcott failed to
drop him for keeps in Philadel-
phia. And I'm not shilling for
anybody.
IT know how it iS-or was
when I fought Max Baer and
was a 10-to-1 underdog. My wife
wouldn't even come to see her old
man fight for the heavyweight
championship. We lived in an
apartment in those days and she
wouldn't even turn on the radio
because one youngSter was only
four and the other was three and
well, you know how it is.
My wife didn't have the radio
on, but we live in a court and
everybody else has radio going
and she can't help but hear. So
I win this thing.
Just One wrong move.
About the fourth round, I
think. I says to myself. I've got
this guy in my pocket. I can beat
him with my left jab. which I
did. Oh, happy day for the Brad
docks.
$50 I'm a world heavyweight
champion, but then Louis catches
up with me. Then I'm not champ
any more. I got knocked out.
But what's the difference? A
move this way or that way and
you're a hero or a bum.
Believe me. I like Walcott. !
don't think he'll move the wrong
way this time"