Zale Bypassed Lamotta & Took Graziano

I think prime for prime, it would be a terribly close fight, and Zale had a chance of winning.Interesting scenario if Zale fought and lost to LaMotta, however.

 

Zale wanted no part of LaMotta. Graziano was an easier pick for Zale at that point than several guys.

 

Graziano was the better choice because of styles, LaMotta compact and busy and his solid chin negated Zale type power and i think Tony gets outworked in a wide UD. Rocky was a banger but also left himself open

 

I remember those days and I remember Teddy Brenner a great promoter of those days. Tony Zale who didn't fight for FOUR years while he was in the Navy, and a faded fighter of his pre 1942 days was 33 years old and chose the best ring attraction of his day Rocky Graziano over the bigger threat Jake LaMotta. Plain and simple...The 3 wars with Graziano took everything out of the old Tony Zale and Rocky Graziano at just 26 years old went downhill
fast...Tony Zale in his pre-war prime against Jake LaMotta would have been a WAR . Yessir....

 

Correct me if Im wrong but wasn`t Rocky Graziano a bigger draw at the time than LaMotta? Rocky was an electrifying Knockout puncher.

 

ETM,as I posted above, after Rocky Graziano as an 8-1 underdog kod a new sensational puncher from Philly Billy Arnold in a fight I saw along with Vice President Harry Truma, Graziano became the best boxing draw in the USA...I saw him from the early prelims and up to the first Tony Zale fight, and though not a great fighter, fought every bout like he was in a street fight...No one
I ever saw was as electrifying as Thomas Rocco Barbella !

 

Would have been great to see a LaMotta-Zale match. But Graziano was a great drawing card and Zale wanted the money. Can't say I blame him as the three battles against Rocky were his best pay days as a pro.

If I recall correctly from my past readings, Zale also avoided Charley Burley as did the Raging Bull.

 

The fact that Tony was officially past his best, Graziano sold like hot cakes at the time and he was the slight favourite gives Zale a free pass on the LaMotta front.

 

It was definitely a factor, though such was Graziano's 'scrape myself off the canvas and keep swinging' mentality that it's difficult to picture him getting wiped out. There was so much fight in that dog that you can't discount the possibility of a Hail Mary.

The young Bronx Bull may have been too much, even for version one of Zale, but all the same, I would like to have seen how Jakes' gut would have suffered his tummy torpedoes before yielding to common opinion.

 

I love this period in middleweight history. Zale has always been a fave of mine, and today Graziano would be a hell of a drawcard. Then there is Cerdan as well, another fave of mine.

 

Zale made the sensible match, and it paid off for him with a classic post war trilogy. Zale-LaMotta wouldn't have been nearly as exciting or bankable.

Head to head, Tony likely would have bypassed Jake's chin to go for the body, but LaMotta was extremely strong physically, and may very well be able to successfully absorb post war Zale's gut checks.

Bottom line is that Tony had a successful defense against Rocky, then reclaimed the title from Graziano.

Rocky was really a modern LMW, while Jake was an amateur LHW.

Ultimately, what was the more lucrative move for Zale, three bouts with Graziano followed by the final defense against Cerdan, or a possible single defense and loss to the much bigger, stronger and more durable LaMotta? In hindsight, he did what was best for him, garnering four money makers against a possible one.