Marciano-La Starza 1

Below is a link to a 1955 Sports Illustrated article that explains the scoring system (and others used elsewhere at the time).

Basically, judges score each round: If one guy wins more rounds than the other guy — whether nipping those rounds or by a wide margin like say with knockdowns or it’s just one-sided — on at least two cards, he wins the fight.

Judges also, with the supplementary point system in New York at the time, award one point for winning a round, two if the judge determines that he won it convincingly, three if he won by an overwhelming margin and four if he scores one or more knockdowns. The loser of the round gets zero points on that judge’s scorecard.

The points only come into play on the card of any judge who scores it a draw.

So extrapolating here, the 9-6 judge probably had it 5-5 in rounds, with LaStarza having one round in his favor convincingly and Marciano got four extra points for the knockdown.

https://vault.si.com/vault/1955/12/05/boxing

 

If I could give you two likes, I would. This is an awesome article. Thank you so much! I've watched boxing in California since I was a little kid in 1965 and, somehow, I didn't know about the 11 point Australian rules scoring system. Fantastic info.

 

My uncles were big fans of Lastarza who was from NY and popular as a local guy, they were rooting against the Kid from Brockton MA but became big fans after the fight, both men were undefeated, Roland 37-0 and Marciano 25-0 but both of my uncles felt that with the KD over Roland and Marciano landing the harder punches he was the clear winner.

Roland was tough and when they fought the rematch, he was 53-3 and had beaten everyone who beat him except Marciano. Marciano was 44-0 but after that fight like most of Marciano's opponents Roland was never the same. Roland was beaten badly.

Rex Layne was another fighter that never recovered from the Marciano beat down. Charles on experience survived the 1st fight but was destroyed in the 2nd fight. Walcott did not want a repeat of the 1st fight and Archie an amazing man took the worst beating of his life but amazingly went on to 37-2-2 before he lost to Ali 7 years later.

Still not many fighters can take that kind of beatdown and go on the same fighter.

So, while my uncles were all rooting for their NY boy Roland Lastarza, they all felt Marciano was a clear winner.