Nobody knew exactly what to expect from Tony Zale, the 32-year-old middlweight champion from Gary, Ind. He had not defended his title since joining the Navy in 1942. But Rocky Graziano, the 24-year-old challenger from Manhattan's lower East Side, was a known quantity: he was rough & tough.
Right at the start of last week's title bout in half-filled Yankee Stadium (crowd: 39,827), Tony showed that he was going to slug it out Rocky's way. Midway in the first round he lashed a right uppercut and a left hook to the challenger's jaw. Rocky went down for a count of four. In...
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