BoxRec

http://news.google.co.uk/newspapers?id= ... arza&hl=en

Newspaper article from 'The Pittsburgh Press' on the 25th March 1950 reporting on the first Marciano and Lastarza fight. Marciano reported as the best of a bad crop of new heavyweights. Goes on to say most of the boxing writers thought Lastarza won because he had such an edge over Marciano when in-fighting.

The reporter calls Marciano awkward and not a formidable contender for the world crown.

Interesting clip . . it does seem most who say the fight think LaStarza pulled it out.

The HW division after World War II went though about a 5-6 year lull until the mid 1950s as the newly passed GI Bill sent a lot of would be pugilists to college and many veterans started families.

Quite a few papers favored Rocky, one of the great crossroads fights.

dempseyfire wrote:Interesting clip . . it does seem most who say the fight think LaStarza pulled it out.

The HW division after World War II went though about a 5-6 year lull until the mid 1950s as the newly passed GI Bill sent a lot of would be pugilists to college and many veterans started families.

Perhaps LaStarza is Castillo to Marciano's Mayweather, then. A close fight, which probably should've gone to the guy who lost, but not quite an out-&-out robbery, either?

I had heard for some time that that the first Marciano/LaStarza fight had been broadcast from MSG March.24.1950 on television on the Dumont Channel,but it is now listed as a "lost" fight.
Any news as to its being found again?
BTW
any chance someone here would post the actual March.24.1950 newspaper listing that states it will be on television that particular night?

When you read the early reports about Marciano it makes you wonder how he became champ and remained undefeated. His trainer Charley Goldman was quoted at calling Marciano "totally inept" in his first 10 pro fights.

Marciano's success was down to his almost superhuman stamina, conditioning, punch power, iron chin, constant pressure and non-stop punching. People could outbox him but struggled to keep him away and eventually either crumbled or were battered into submission.

As Goldman also said "A lot of people say Rocky don't look too good in there, but the guy on the ground don't look too good either." He had a point.

Rocky Marciano's picture should be in the dictionary next to word WILL POWER.

Controversial wrote:When you read the early reports about Marciano it makes you wonder how he became champ and remained undefeated. His trainer Charley Goldman was quoted at calling Marciano "totally inept" in his first 10 pro fights.

Marciano's success was down to his almost superhuman stamina, conditioning, punch power, iron chin, constant pressure and non-stop punching. People could outbox him but struggled to keep him away and eventually either crumbled or were battered into submission.

As Goldman also said "A lot of people say Rocky don't look too good in there, but the guy on the ground don't look too good either." He had a point.

He was also partial to rough tactics, shortening opponents up with the elbow, or head.

Also the Rock had fought in a broken rhythm,hard to time.

LaStarza once said, following his rematch with Marciano, that he could make ten rounds with Marciano, but not fifteen---as Marciano kayoed LaStarza in the 11th round of their rematch. I think its a testament to how brutally honest LaStarza could be in retrospect, he could last ten hard rounds with Marciano, but that was all.

lastarza doesnt get enough plaudits on this site.

one of the hallmarks of great champions is winning against the odds.

media reports dont always tell the whole story

dont forget all the covers of Ring magazine comparing the mighty Liston favourably with all the greats....right up until Clay schooled him...a massive underdog.

the fact that some article didnt rate Marciano merely makes his career achievements more remarkable.

funso banjo baby wrote:one of the hallmarks of great champions is winning against the odds.

media reports dont always tell the whole story

dont forget all the covers of Ring magazine comparing the mighty Liston favourably with all the greats....right up until Clay schooled him...a massive underdog.

the fact that some article didnt rate Marciano merely makes his career achievements more remarkable.

Thats what I meant. His own trainer calling him inept isn't too great, yet he goes on to win the world title and retired undefeated, quite amazing really.

I do think he was lucky in as much as he fought in a fairly weak era and many of his opponents were average at best. They either had more losses than wins, on losing streaks, old and past it or near the end of their careers. As good as a career than Marciano had there's no way he would have been undefeated in the 1960's.

One of my favourites though, a true underdog and a heart as big as anyone who has ever laced gloves on.

La Starza was a very good fighter.

indeed he was

Contempory Account of LaStarza-Layne."Layne, the split-decision loser,
had different ideas. First of all,
the 24-year-old Lewiston, Utah,
laddie thought he had beaten La-
Starza. He has fought Walcott,
Marciano and Charles and holds decisions over the two ex-champs
—Walcott and Charles.
"Charles would beat LaStarza,"
said Layce. "Marciano is a better hitter. I don't know about Walcott. It's been such a long time
since I fought him. That's almost
ancient history, Nov. 24, 1950."
We Was Robbed
"We was robbed," said Layne's
manager, Marv Jenson. "1thought
Rex won at least five of the first seven and maybe six. He was
bothered from the seventh on
when vaseline got in his eye." The crowd of 7,180 that paid
$24,139 gross to see the nationally
televised bout seemed to agree
with the 2-1 decision for the New
Yorker who spent two years at
City College.
Referee Al Berl had it 6-3-1
and Judge Arthur Susskind 6-4,
both for LaStarza. Judge Harold
Barnes saw it for Layne 5-4-1 The AP card scored it even 4-4-2
It was a rugged battle."

In all honesty, I remember reading that Marciano and La Starza became friends after the bout.

I think its entirely possible that the first Marciano/LaStarza fight of 1950 was filmed on kinescope.
I had read in a 1951 newspaper article that television stations sent kinescopes to the military bases overseas esp to Korea.
Perhaps there are some kinescopes still there unoticed?In the closet of the rec room?Library?NCO Club?
If so whether they still exist is another question as I had heard that kinescopes were delicate and could only be shown a few times.

Brutu wrote:I think its entirely possible that the first Marciano/LaStarza fight of 1950 was filmed on kinescope.
I had read in a 1951 newspaper article that television stations sent kinescopes to the military bases overseas esp to Korea.
Perhaps there are some kinescopes still there unoticed?In the closet of the rec room?Library?NCO Club?
If so whether they still exist is another question as I had heard that kinescopes were delicate and could only be shown a few times.

Probably is, there is some grainy footage of Marciano and Vingo that I've seen, and that fight was before LaStarza

The 1953 title fight between the two was a different matter.
It was broadcast closed-circuit by the Theater Network Television(TNT),
to 44 theaters in 33 cities.
(but blacked out in NYC,Boston,Brockton,Lynn Mass. and Providence Rhode Island).
Those were the days when you could see a title fight on a big screen not just a theater,
but at a ball park,race track or Drive-In theater.
Instead of watching a hwy championship title fight at home alone like nowadays,no longer really a shared experiece like back then.

I wonder if any television historians have examined any of the film/tv collections of the various USA bases overseas?
I would have imagined they have done so.I wonder if they were able to find any kinescopes of any television programs
that were lost over here years ago.

LaStarza was no mug. He had a 57-9 record with 27 KOs and apart from Marciano only one fighter ever KOed him.

The biggest thing about Marciano was his heart. He would not let himself be beaten.

Here is a link to another action photo from Marciano-LaStarza I
from the TOLDEO BLADE March.25.1950.
Associated Press Wirephoto.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=69 ... 4231988&dq

Here is a much clearer reproduced action photo from Marciano vs LaStarza I
at MSG(Sept.24.1950).

http://antekprizering.com/marcianorocky2190.jpeg

If the Dumont television Network did make a kinescope copy
of Marciano vs LaStarza I(1950),then chances are that perhaps
the only known copy is (still?)lying somewhere at the bottom of the
Upper New York Bay.
Read the 1988 testimoney of Edie Adams(Mrs.Ernie Kovacs)
as to what became of the Dumont archives of kinescopes and video-tapes
during the early 1970's.

http://www.dumonthistory.tv/5.html