1958-01-11 — Page 5

DURING the past few months they've ZANIES

THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, JANUARY 11,· 1958.

OF THE RING -

And he hadn't ship.

been showing another fight film-but this one is different. Usually they set out restriction only to be swept the middleweight champion- to try to prove how dirty the glove game can into another.

even realized there was a war Ġraziano's special brand of be. Script-writers are allowed to let their on. imaginations run riot. But this film shows Never having known how boxing came to the rescue of a Newcipline how could they expect rain. They rost to him as he York slum kid and saved him—from himself!

It has the descriptive title of "Somebody Up There Likes Me" and is. based on the life of Rocky Grazlane, one of the enost destructive pushers of (1) timie, who WDS world's middleweight champion less

1

than 10 years ago.

The ring has provided procession of colourful person- alities, but no cre quite like Rocky,

the penalty for being caught, Being tough and entirely un- scrupulous, Jie wed his thats when in a tight corner. Soon he had gained the reputation of being the local terror with no respect whatsoever for law and order. Next 11

din-

make a soldier of him? He slugged out a corporal

ring savagery thrilled the fans, They flocked in to see him pound opponents into the

sent thom Aying with his

the cops

n

crushing flats, who ordered him to plele Up à

Now he was proud to be a cigarrite stub, then handed the legitimate" guy. Ho had rame treatment to the captain money honestly come by, Ho who was about

punish him. had no need to run for his life

knocking someone. Before any higher authority after could fry taming him Rocky Even

gave blo He went back to welcoming not. ran away. the East Side and, for the first time in his He, he was lonely. But he still wanted to keep his promise to his mother and make some honest money. He knew that some guys Kot big trked to get him back into anything dough for, belting out

the Rank

He was respectable ke ather people.

Bank Star

I was the and locky's fery dats con mat

the leader. He and made hi ไปต buddies proudly bonsled that they

stale beginning with an “A”. pisca of fruit.

Rocco Ils real Barbella. He was born in a draughty

the tenement flal,

meme" was

thing

other

A watch, Auys. Well, he could do tital,

He was a senation!

firth child of Impoverished pai; of shoes. A bicycle.. Any- Italian parents, but only the μουσική tre live for months.

1 married a Brooklyn girl, and "What d'yu know?-I'm u father''. He moved out of the East Side

when his old, hug

to

His tight with Tony Zale for One the championship at the Yankee look at the way h knocked Studlum brought nearly 40,000 few When he Was 131 prion out a iriat opponent and they fans through the turnstiles

serving a long term for office decided here Win a stle see the greatest slugging match breaking his mother visited goldmine. Rocky was amazed in living memory. him. He was shocked at her worn out appearance and grief,

Is father had been a third- vale lighter and was rarely in

The Barbejin a Job.

family. lived mainly on plain macaroni, the kids were always hungry.

leutned 10 Rocky steal food at about the same time

he learned to walk. He developed his thieving at hool, stealing peneits and Then he another Ind

the milk money. tromed

tip with

through

Momma

H'S

Is thought to cheer her up by bragging that he had just come out of "salitnry" for knocking out a warder. she burst into tears.

BUL

There was

how simple it was, He Just stormed into his

rivals, and knocked them Apark out.

It ringeraft.. was as easy as that.

"Even in gaol you're bad," and they systematically robbed she cried. "This is the last Torrien passing

the time I'm coming to see you. If East Side, serambling on the you go to gaol again I'll disa ing a superior officer, moving vehicles and throwing you."

IT erates of merchandise

Fagin.

I

heart more

Those words broke through which they sult to the heal the hard core around Rocky's

than all the beat "He had reached the oder Infs they had given him

I uge of 12 when first arrested. prbon.

141 1 He and his pal were applying

straight after is, nerewdrivers tu the stot Momina, I promise you," he machines in the Underground, told her. And he meant what and a plain-clothes policeman he eught them red-handed.

up

was made

no

the

A

13

• cut on the nose, bores In to kill,

By Gilbert: Odd

Now!

"What are the Athletic

but no more. He thought Graziano WAR danger of Commissions thinking about to being killed.

allow such a character to win a boxing title?" he demanded.

So one by one the States deprived him of his licence ance

Rocky left his corner with the fixed Intention of selling his fe dearly. He fought in mist of his own blood, with one SC completely closed and his body so wracked with pain that He down and

on

no colence, They stood toe-to- toe and Hlammed, and

ROCKY

But it couldn't last.

roared To crowd

encouragement. GRAZIANO vold discovery he had The cliamplon

of bleeding from changed bis nuine to Rocky Rocky from knocking tim fat nicel, but that didn't prevent Graziano, but someone

gave im

away. It was in the in the second round. dressing-room, waiting to go

But Zale wouldn't slay down. 10 He

cotch the got an, when the M.'s took him. He was sentenced to a year in

smashes beneath the ribs. prison for desertion and strik oncoming Rock with sickening But by the sixth round the for the But Rocky

was ready was changing, challenger During those few pro, bouts he "kill". had won a first-round victory

And then sensation, over himself-his lawless inner being.

In the military prison Whirling left hook exploded like a bomb on Graziano's chin, he had time to think it over.

and he had been knocked out When he was dishonourably for the first time in his life.

Of course, there had to be a sleep. discharged from the Army he

Yet he knew he dare not could felt certain that if he was to return fight, but before, it could stop punching. He must force said. But the rest of the world escape the electric chair his be brought off Rocky found won't prepared to let him ret salvation would be the roped himself in trouble again.

The those flagging arms to hook

"What's the good of being off so lightly, No sooner had square,

Boxing

accused and swing before they stopped Commission

the fight.

champion if you can't fight he served his

he Fortunately found in him of failing to report a bribe

anybody?" He would ask ali was free to start u now life Irving Colien a manager who offer and Graziano, completely

Suddenly he felt sharp and sundry. "I fought my when he was called up for the understood

him, In three innocent of the charge, made a

slap acrosa his face and way to the top and I want to Army.

years he ran up an amazing hush of his defence.

focussing his sound eye, found go on fighting. I've gotta wife Hocky couldn't believe tt. record and established himself Of course he had been

he was fighting his trainer. 1 and two kids to keep." was He had escaped one

the leading contender for approached to throw

was all over. Zale was being what fighter hadn't? Guy picked off the ropes, a battered, Finally Irving Cohen had a were always hanging round a unconselous hulk. Rocky was bright idea. Не offered

ym hoping to earn a fast buck champion of the world,

Graziano'o services for a pro- that way.

posed tournament that Was being staged in Washington for the benefit of polio victims. The champion's purse would be' ONE DOLLAR!

From then on he graduated through every category of re- school, the measurn of emreclium nerasing as his ster1- ing nelivifig grew more emer- prising.

he learned All

from the Rojourns in confinement

senterice and

form of a

Rocky Graziano begins his comeback with a second round win over Claus (right)

hanging over ropas at the end of the contest.

"Coleridge said it

fights,

he wanted

11

But he never took this If peturned to the East Side particular bribe because he 113 a hero They ned the idn't go through with the roads, banners were flying. fight. He'd hurt bis back and men, women and children were pulled out.

Blood-mist

cheering. He sat in an open

car,

his wife by his side, n strip plaster over one eye

n'grin a mile wide, He had come up the hard

become

ngain, until Graziano couldn't get fight anywhere, Powerful contacts pleaded his behalf, but no one would budge. Months went by wilk- out Rocky going near gymnasium.

that The organisers knew with Rocky on

the the bill show was on, assured suCCLES, Cohen kucw that his fighter THEY weren't satisded and way and at the age of 23, had would have to be granted a took away his licence to box de it. From an outlow he licence for the occasion and In New York State.

Most of hod

respectable that would break the ffe. citizen. He had beaten Rocco So after nine months OF the other Boxing Commissions followed suit.

Bartella, the thief, thug and inactivity Graziano went back The return match with Zale poolbird, with his two daming Horne, whom he'd outpointed a

the ring

Sonny his wife and couple of years earlier on

cloudless sky, way up. The fans rolled up I always say, expecting.a Breworks display.

Ring rusty as he was Rocky up a blood-tingiing show.

ista. seemed lost. Graziano was steeped in despair. Ho just Turning to couldn't live down the past it pointing to the

he said: "AB Norma.

scomed.

into

his

there Somebody up Ben put Then his guardian angel ilkes me. Somebody appointed But much of the devil" was prompted u Chicago promoter a screwball angel to be my Inte action and Rocky got his special lookout. That's the second opportunity to win the way it figures from the dad of life I was born into and what They lifted his suspension in has happened to me since.” Illinois specially for the

title.

occasion.

His grandmother was taking

no chances. Immediately after

One Buck

the weigh-in she grabbed Rocky's tenure of the

newspaper

In the night defence was once again flung to the winds and Zale gave his rip-roaring rival such a hammering that, at the was an ex-convict and of the third round, the been dishonourably referee decided that Rocky from the Army when could go

again, was a war on,

missing and at the end of ten exciting rounds Home was still on his feet to receive a great hand from the crowd.

On the way back Rocky's trainer said: "You know some- thing? Tonight you fought the cleanest fight of your life. You never fouled that Hama once. You went the rules from start to

nish

"Guers I must be slipping." answered Rocky, and he had mun to admit to hims

himself that

the

had

Rocky from the fight mols and Bworld title was destined to 100k him into a nearby church. be short-less than a year, in Together they knelt and prayed

fact. His relgu us champion for victory.

was anything but happy.

A smart spread the story that the new old urge to pound an opponent world middleweight champion into on Insensible pulp

had been missing that night. dlacharged But the champion's action in there taking only a dollar from the charity paved the way for the lifting of his suspension in other Slates. Almost Im- mediately came a New Jeramy offer for him to meet Zale for the third time in a litle fight.

up just once

NATIONAL BOAT SHOW SPEED BOATS FLORTING FLATS

Yea, slimy things did crawl with legs Upon the slimy

· ANTI-

FOULING

BARNACLE REMOVER

Pay Off

ALAS, all the "killer" instinct

had gone out of Graziano for good. The rubber match with Zale started off with all the ferocity of its predecessors, with both slugeing thelr hardest in the hopes of landing |a pay-off punch.

It was Zale who got there Arsi. In the third round ho

cracked the rushing

with a loft hook that

Rocky

almost

tore the champ's head from his shoulders.

Once again the lights blazed

for Graziano, but this time ho

W

was the only one who them. For the second time thu stock-fisted Zalc Immocked him cold.

had

His hack

But Rocky was rich. earnings from the night been $120,000, something Uko £40,000. More important, however, was the fact that finally he had left fla old shameful life behind,

He boxed for another four

што years, until.

Robinson Ray blasted his ideas of making a comeback by stopping him in threo rounds, and then, thanks to actress Martha Raye, "ho became a television star:

She wanted a stooge for her show, and Rocky was just the typo for the job, He fitted Into

the comle role as if he hud. boen måde, for stila - striking contrast to the savage killer who had thrilled the fans with His explosive punching and won his way to the top by shtor strength and fury,

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