Rocky Calls It Skuldujjery

The third round, at any rate, brings Rocky's and Rawson's narratives into concert, like a couple of Mack Sennett fire engines that have parted at a fork in the road and reunited full speed where the roads join three miles distant. Rocky tore into Wallace as the round began. Wallace backpedaled, but Rocky stubbornly worked to pin him on the ropes. "Basically," says Rocky, "my style was always my own. I pressed. Once you get a guy in the corner, he has nowhere to go." With about 45 seconds left in the round, Rocky recalls, he cornered Wallace and for the rest of the fight pounded him with shots to the body.

"Then the bell rang," says Rocky, "and I'll never forget wha happened, because I was standing there facing Wallace's corner and saw it. One of his handlers threw a towel at Wallace in disgust, as if to say, 'You big bum, you. You blew the fight.' "

All along Rawson had tried to score the fight dispassionately, as if he had been refereeing it. He had Rocky winning big. He was astounded when he heard the decision, and so was the crowd at Ridgewood Grove, which began breaking up the furniture. Gene Tunney went to Rocky's dressing room and told him he had been robbed. Tunney also told him he liked the way he body-punched Wallace, because few amateurs punch to the body.

Meanwhile, a fight manager named Al Weill heard about Rocky's bout and got in touch with Tommy Rawson.

"Tommy, is that your boy?" asked Weill.

"No, he isn't, Al." replied Rawson. "A friend of mine handles him. I'm just the coach of the New England team."

"I like him," said Weill. "You don't mind if I talk to him?"

Rawson said he certainly did not mind, but when he went to report this to Rocky he found himself with a most discouraged fighter who was going to give up the sport. Baseball scouts were interested in Rocky as a catcher, and Rocky told Rawson: "Tommy, I have a chance to play baseball, and I want to get married soon."

"Listen, Rocky," said Rawson. "After last night you'd be crazy to do anything but stick to boxing. Crazy! You can go places!"

Rocky had his doubts. But the more he thought about the Coley Wallace fight, the more confidence he gained in himself—he was sure he had whipped "the new Joe Louis." And Al Weill kept following him and talking to him. So Rocco Marchegiano went places.