Tony Zale ( born Tony Zale ; born Anthony Florian Zaleski ( born Anthony Florian Zaleski ); May 29, 1913, Gary , USA - March 20, 1997) - American boxer of Polish origin. World champion in the middle weight class (NBA, 1940-1947; NYSAC, 1941-1947; 1948).
 Tony zale | |
|---|---|
| Tony zale | |
| general information | |
| Birth name | Anthony Florian Zaleski ( eng. Anthony Florian Zaleski ) |
| Nickname | Man of Steel |
| Citizenship |  USA |
| Date of Birth | May 29, 1913 |
| Place of Birth | Gary , Indiana , United States |
| Date of death | March 20, 1997 (83 years) |
| Place of death | |
| Accommodation | Chicago , IL , USA |
| Weight category | average |
| Rack | Right-handed |
| Growth | 171 cm |
| Arm span | 175 cm |
| Professional career | |
| First fight | June 11, 1934 |
| The last battle | September 21, 1948 |
| Number of battles | 87 |
| Number of wins | 67 |
| Wins knockout | 45 |
| Defeats | 18 |
| Draws | 2 |
In 1946, he was recognized as the β Boxer of the Year β by the version of the βRingβ magazine .
Content
Professional career
He made his debut in the professional ring on June 11, 1934, having won on points [1] .
January 29, 1940 won on points world middleweight champion Al Hostak . Judges account: 53-47, 54-46, 53-47. The title of Hostak was not at stake [2] .
Champion bout with Al Khostak
On July 19, 1940, he met Al Hostak for the second time in his career. At stake was the title of world middleweight champion according to the NBA , which belonged to Hostaku. Zale won by TKO in the 13th round and won the title. [3]
November 19, 1940 won on points former world middleweight champion Fred Apostoli . The title was not at stake [4] .
On February 21, 1941, he knocked out Steve Mamakos in the 14th round and defended his NBA title [5] .
Third fight with Al Khostak
The third battle between Zale and Khostak took place on May 28, 1941. Zale defended the title by knocking out an opponent in the 2nd round [6] .
Fight with George Abrams
November 28, 1941, met with George Abrams. In addition to the NBA title, the vacant NYSAC world title was at stake. The bout lasted all 15 rounds. The winner was announced by Tony Zale [7] .
February 13, 1942 lost on points to former light heavyweight champion Billy Conn . The title of Zale was not at stake [8] . This was Zale's last fight before heading to the front.
World War II
During the Second World War, he served in the navy [9] .
Return to the ring
The first fight after returning to the ring was held on January 7, 1946, having won by knockout in the 4th round. Titles were not at stake [10] .
Champion fight with Rocky Graciano
On September 27, 1946, Zale defended his middleweight world champion title against Rocky Graziano . Knocked out the challenger in the 6th round. The fight was voted " Battle of the Year " by the version of the magazine "Ring" [11] [12] .
Second fight with Rocky Graziano
On July 16, 1947, Zale met Rocky Graziano for the second time. Graziano won by TKO in the 6th round and took away the title from Zale. The fight was voted "Battle of the Year" by the version of the magazine "Ring" [13] [14] .
The third fight with Rocky Graziano
The third fight between boxers took place on June 10, 1948. Zale knocked out Graziano in the 3rd round and regained the champion title [15] [16] .
Fight with Marcel Serdan
September 21, 1948 defended the champion title in a battle against the French boxer Marcel Serdan . In the 11th round, Zale was greatly shocked. Between the 11th and 12th rounds, the referee stopped the fight. The winner was Cerdan. The fight was voted "Battle of the Year" by the version of the magazine "Ring" [17] . After that, Tony Zale left boxing.
Death
He suffered from Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease . He passed away on March 20, 1997 [18] .
Recognition
- In 1991, included in the International Boxing Hall of Fame .
- Included in the World Boxing Hall of Fame .
- In 1975, Ring Magazine ranked Zale to 6th place on the list of Greatest Boxers in Middleweight History.
- In 2001 and 2004, Ring Magazine ranked Zale to 12th place on the list of Greatest Boxers in Middleweight History.
Notes
- β Tony Zale vs. Eddie Allen .
- β Al Hostak vs. Tony Zale (1st meeting) .
- β Al Hostak vs. Tony Zale (2nd meeting) .
- β Tony Zale vs. Fred Apostoli .
- β Tony Zale vs. Steve Mamakos (2nd meeting) .
- β Fight: 22782 Undefeated .
- β Tony Zale vs. Georgie Abrams .
- β Billy Conn vs Tony Zale .
- β Tony Zale .
- β Tony Zale vs Bobby Giles .
- β Tony Zale vs. Rocky Graziano (1st meeting) .
- β The Deseret News - Sep 27, 1946 .
- β Tony Zale vs. Rocky Graziano (2nd meeting) .
- β St. The Petersburg Times - Jul 17, 1947 .
- β Rocky Graziano vs. Tony Zale (3rd meeting) .
- β The Evening Independent - Jun 11, 1948 .
- β Tony Zale vs. Marcel Cerdan .
- β Tony Zale, 83, Middleweight Boxing Champion in the 1940's .