Roland La Starza vs. Dan Bucceroni (1st meeting)
Roland LaStarza 187 lbs lost to Dan Bucceroni 181 lbs by UD in round 10 of 10
- Date: 1951-12-21
- Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, USA
- Referee: Al Berl 3-6
- Judge: Artie Aidala 4-6
- Judge: Joe Agnello 4-6
"Dan Bucceroni from Philadelphia, made the 3-1 odds against him look silly last night as he handed the highly-ranked Roland La Starza his second pro loss in 49 fights. Sluggish and over-cautious after a long layoff and a bout with the flu, La Starza gave a poor performance in his first MSG start in 21 months. After a good first round, La Starza was wobbled by a right hand early in the 2nd. He wavered on the verge of a knockdown for several seconds as Bucceroni banged away with both hands. While La Starza tried to pick his spots, Bucceroni peppered him at will from long range from the 3rd through the 7th. When Rollie decided to go inside and slug it out in the 8th it was too late. He won the last three rounds but lost the decision without any argument." -Associated Press
- Unofficial AP scorecard - 6-4 Bucceroni
- Bucceroni injured a knuckle on his right hand in the 5th round.
- This bout had been postponed from its original date of November 9th due to La Starza suffering the flu.
- Attendance - 3,556
- Gate - $11,387
Post fight comments
- "That was when I began to con him. I yelled, 'come on let's go' and said, 'is that the best you can do, Rollie?' Every round I stood up in my corner waiting for the bell, trying to con him that I felt great." -Dan Bucceroni, explaining how he got through the fight after injuring his hand in the 5th.
- "Sure I was hurt in the 2nd. I couldn't get out of my grandmother's way." -Roland La Starza