I mentioned here that I bought some old Ring's from E Bay,well I bought some more second hand mags KO,Boxing World ,and a couple of Rings this week in a charity shop. One of the Ring's is the Nov1990 issue with an interview with Roland Lastarza about the two Marciano fights. About their 1st fight Rollie said.that Rocky was unusually cautious in the early rounds. "I wondered what he was up to,I'd thought he would come at me ,bombing away.When I saw him jabbing and trying to box,I didn't know whether it was a trap or not.So I just stood back and did what I'd planned to do, jab and move". Marciano turned up the volume at the start of the 4th rd and reverted to his brawling aggressive style flooring Lastarza for a count of 4 with an overhand right ,Lastarza was also cut in this round. Lastarza was staggered by a right in the 8th rd but won the round because Marciano was penalized for a low blow,the close decision went to Marciano 5-4-1 4-5-1 the ref scored draw but in points gave Rocky 6 to Lastarza's 4. The AP had it 5-4-1 for Lastarza. Lastarza recalled,"I knew how close the fight was,everyone did.It just depended on what the judges and referee saw as most important,my jabs and counterpunching,or his constant attacks.But overall I'm sure as income taxes that I outscored him.I honestly feel I was the winner.Almost every reporter gave me the decision.They said I was robbed". They met again 3 years later, Rocky had remained unbeaten whilst Lastarza had won 16 of 18 fights. Lastarza revealed that he and his management turned down offers to fight; Louis,Walcott,Charles,and Bob Murphy, fights that came under Weill as matchmaker at MSG Lastarza's team felt there was an attempt to sideline him ,get him licked so he could be avoided. " Before the first fight Al Weill promised us a return immediately if the fight was a close thing,I guess he meant if Rocky lost it and it was close! The next day he said ,We don't want to go back"..After that he avoided us like the plague and the thing just sort of died a natural death.I did get frustrated here was Marciano ,making a bundle while I was fighting for peanuts". Lastarza discounted the stories about the damage Marciano supposedly inflicted on his arms in their second fight."There was a rumor after the fight that he hurt my shoulders and arms a lot,but the truth was that I had weak elbows from the fight before,and they were giving me trouble." "They really went bad during the training before the Marciano fight. With the state of my elbows I really could not give a good account of myself.During the fight I was under the influence of pain-killers and I really needed them." Marciano was warned 5 times for low blows in the first 5 rds and the 6th rd was given to Lastarza for fouls. Lastarza was floored in the 11th by a right to the chin up at 5 he continued but was rescued by the referee in that round. Lastarza made a point of emphasizing the difference between the Marciano of the first fight and the 2nd. " You know the difference in Rocky between the 1st fight and the 2nd was fantastic;it was much more difficult to land a punch on him.I would have to say that Marciano was about the toughest fighter I ever met.I've been hit harder but never more often.he had tremendous stamina,that man could keep going all night,.he had such a desire to be champion. He was also a genuinely nice guy and after the first fight we became very good friends,though we did had a little flap at one stage about me saying,something . I said,he gets hit a lot ,and if he gets hit a lot he'll go punchy".But Weill had told me to say it,just to stir up interest in the fight.Believe me,I didn't think Marciano got hit too much.In fact he improved lot in that respect later on.So I didn't mean to denigrate his fighting,or his abili to duck punches ,or anything like that,it was just something to say.We were just two guys who were going to fight and we wanted to build up interest.Some people don't understand this but Rocky knew what it was all about." Even so there have been several articles,even a book has been written-talking about me saying that because I said Marciano got hit a lot, he punched me around in that second fight,[Weill said after the fight that Marciano was mad at the guy]."Marciano couldn't hit me on the behind for the first five rounds.Then in the sixth I got a shot on my bad elbow,the strength went out of me,and I just stood there from then on.I couldn't move,I took if for five more rounds.They claimed he was punishing me instead of kayoing me,but he was doing his damndest to knock me out,and he couldn't do it for those five rounds because I took a good punch.I was still standing when they stopped the fight." "We Italians have a saying,"the best way to get praise is to die. But you could say Rocky literally had the best of both worlds,a living legend first and immortal in death". It is strange how in sport your life can be so inexorably linked to that of another person.They used to say once someone fought Marciano they were never the same again,that certainly applied to Don Cokkell,and though there were extenuating circumstances it was also true in my case,I was never the same ." Lastarza was interviewed by James Dusgate.
