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Boxing’s Greatest Weapons Vol. 1: Tony Zale’s Body Attack

graziano_zale3-530x317By Ian Murphy

Long before former Middleweight Champion Mike McCallum was known as the “Body Snatcher”, there was the great Tony “Man of Steel” Zale. He was a real life Rocky Balboa, a working class slugger who’s body attack was so ferocious that Bert Sugar once said (in reference to Zale’s third fight with Rocky Graziano) “he finished Graziano with a body shot up to his elbow”. This was a man that Sugar Ray Robinson was leery of fighting. Clear examples of his organ busting body blows were in Zale’s thrilling trilogy of championship bouts with NYC Bad Boy Rocky Graziano.

Example 1: Zale vs Graziano 1, September 1946

Following World War Two, an inactive, 33 year old Tony Zale was matched up with exciting young brawler Rocky Graziano in defense of his Middleweight crown. He was a heavy underdog, as the swashbuckling and swaggering Graziano had been on a streak of KO’s against top middleweights. At first, a surprised Graziano got caught with a big left in the first round and was dropped. An angry Rocky then erupted and opened fire on the “Man of Steel” over the next 4 rounds, and by the end of the fifth stanza, Zale was ready to fall. Then suddenly in the sixth round, Zale dug deep and embedded his right hand under Graziano’s heart and dropped the Rock, who arose on shaky legs. Tony then finished a hurt Graziano with another big left hook. This is the danger of getting overconfident against a fighter who really knows how to go to the body. One hard shot to a vulnerable spot and the fight just gets beaten out of you. Zale would lose his title to Graziano a year later in a similar fashion, as the Rock was on the brink of defeat and KO’d the “Man of Steel” in 6 rounds. However, it was the third fight of this trilogy that best illustrates the vicious, will sapping body attack of Tony Zale…

Example 2: Zale vs Graziano 3, June 1948

In this rubber match, the now 35 year old Zale was once again a heavy underdog. This fight, unlike the others was not nearly as closely contested as the other two. Zale dominated from the start, putting the Rock down early in the first round, feinting a straight to the body and coming over the top with a leaping left hook, a clear precursor to Joe Frazier’s big left that felled Muhammad Ali 25 years later. Graziano showed his huge heart and got up, but was hurt and on the defensive. Zale then stalked his prey around the ring, countering Graziano’s pawing jab by slipping outside and burying a right shovel hooks to the body, bringing Rocky’s hands down to protect himself low. Anytime Graziano’s hands moved up to reset, Zale’s right hand was slamming into his body. Zale was setting up these rights by double jabbing and backing up Graziano so he had both the range and momentum to land his debilitating body shots. Graziano made an attempt to comeback in the second round, rocking Zale with his “Sunday Punch” (big right to the head), but the round ended with both men on their feet.

In the third round of this classic match, the ‘Man of Steel” really showed how a master body puncher can use this underutilized skill to finish an opponent. Zale again stalked a weary Graziano and continued to set him up for a big finish with rights to the body and lefts to the head. Midway through the round, a wobbled Graziano was met with Zale’s patented right to the body/left hook to the head. This combo landed flush and the Rock was out before he hit the canvas. Graziano’s heart and will to continue was nearly as incredible as Zale’s body attack was, but in the end, the Man of Steel cracked the Rock as much with his right hand hammer to the body as the left hook finisher.

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