Jake LaMotta vs. Tony Zale, MSC 15 rds Title

[Ivich]

Question is why did they never fight, I heard Jake & Rocky Graziano were friends and that's why they did not fight, but what about Zale?

Zale lost some good years to the War, after it ended he just wanted to supplement his pension plan.Graziano was a very good draw but should never have leap frogged Jake.
1944
1.Holman Williams
2.Jake Lamotta
3.Charley Burley
4.Jose Basora


1945.
1.Williams
2.Burley
3.Lamotta
4.Graziano

1946
1.Lamotta
2.Burley
3.Graziano
4.Cerdan
I pick Lamotta to beat Zale.
I also don't think come forward fighters were Zale's problem ,it was cuties he could struggle with.

Graziano got Zale when he was past prime.if he had met a prime Zale there would have been no need for a trilogy,imo.
Graziano's resume is beefed up with a series of wins over welters.
Colourful guy with real power ,in his right hand , but a moderate champ imo

[Willie Pep 229]

Question is why did they never fight, I heard Jake & Rocky Graziano were friends and that's why they did not fight, but what about Zale?

Conjecture on my part.

Zale was a Chicago (midwest) fighter and was for the most part unknown in the East until he won the (western based) NBA version of the MW title in 1941.

Then came the war . . . By the time Zale gets out of service, Graziano is the no-brainer fight to take $ wise.* That turned into a three year long trilogy and then Zale lost his title to Cerdan and then quit.

I suspect had Zale made it past Cerdan then LaMotta would have been next.

* Graziano, between December 1944 and fall 1945 sold out MSG four times and was being called the uncrowded MW Champion in New York. The Zale-Graziano fight was so anticipated that they had to hold it "out-doors in a ballpark."

It was Holman Williams who should have gotten first shot at Zale (ranked # 1 by Ring in '45) but Williams was also mainly a West Coast fighter and also black. So it's unlikely Zale and Williams could have filled MSG never mind a ballpark.

All conjecture on my part.

[Ivich]

Conjecture on my part.

Zale was a Chicago (midwest) fighter and was for the most part unknown in the East until he won the (western based) NBA version of the MW title in 1941.

Then came the war . . . By the time Zale gets out of service, Graziano is the no-brainer fight to take $ wise.* That turned into a three year long trilogy and then Zale lost his title to Cerdan and then quit.

I suspect had Zale made it past Cerdan then LaMotta would have been next.

* Graziano, between December 1944 and fall 1945 sold out MSG four times and was being called the uncrowded MW Champion in New York. The Zale-Graziano fight was so anticipated that they had to hold it "out-doors in a ballpark."

It was Holman Williams who should have gotten first shot at Zale (ranked # 1 by Ring in '45) but Williams was also mainly a West Coast fighter and also black. So it's unlikely Zale and Williams could have filled MSG never mind a ballpark.

All conjecture on my part.

Whilst an aging Zale might be somewhat forgiven for taking the lucrative and safer fights with Graziano and by passing such challengers in his career as;
Burley
Moore
Lamotta
Belloise
Hawkins
Chase
Welch
Edgar
Lytell
Wade
Cocoa Kid
Basora.

Graziano, as a ranked contender avoided the likes of:
Lamotta
Burley
Williams
Cocoa Kid
Basora
Raa***
Lytell
Abrams
Baroudi
Chase
Cerdan
Hostak
Belloise
Neither wanted anything to do with," The Murderers Row".

IMHO

[QueensburyRules]

Conjecture on my part.

Zale was a Chicago (midwest) fighter and was for the most part unknown in the East until he won the (western based) NBA version of the MW title in 1941.

Then came the war . . . By the time Zale gets out of service, Graziano is the no-brainer fight to take $ wise.* That turned into a three year long trilogy and then Zale lost his title to Cerdan and then quit.

I suspect had Zale made it past Cerdan then LaMotta would have been next.

* Graziano, between December 1944 and fall 1945 sold out MSG four times and was being called the uncrowded MW Champion in New York. The Zale-Graziano fight was so anticipated that they had to hold it "out-doors in a ballpark."

It was Holman Williams who should have gotten first shot at Zale (ranked # 1 by Ring in '45) but Williams was also mainly a West Coast fighter and also black. So it's unlikely Zale and Williams could have filled MSG never mind a ballpark.

All conjecture on my part.

- - Decent conjecture Pep with supporting structure.

Understanding though, modern boxing armored with supercomputers alloyed wif Woke sociology have ushered in our most perfect eras in the history of boxing...