Tony Zale(1913-1997)

Tony Zale began his professional boxing career in 1934, but to make a living he spent much of 1935 and 1936 working in the steel mills of Gary. For the first seven years of his career, he did almost all of his fighting in Chicago. After winning the National Boxing Association middleweight title with a 13th-round knockout of Al Hostak on July 19, 1940, Zale defended that championship twice. On November 28, 1941, Zale won a 15-round decision over Georgie Abrams for the vacant world middleweight title. Zale lost a 12-round decision in a non-title bout with Billy Conn on February 13, 1942. Following this loss, his only fight in 1942, Zale enlisted in the U.S. Navy.

Zale won his first six bouts by knockouts after coming out of the Navy following World War II. He then defended his middleweight title by knocking out Rocky Graziano in the sixth round on September 27, 1946. Zale won five more bouts by knockouts in 1947 before defending his title again. This time he was knocked out by Graziano in the sixth round on July 16, 1947. On June 10, 1948, Zale and Graziano met for the third time with the title at stake, and Zale regained the championship with a third-round knockout. In his next fight, on September 21, 1948, Zale relinquished the title, losing to Marcel Cerdan in a 12th-round knockout. Zale retired following the Cerdan fight. His career record was 67 wins (45 by knockouts), 18 losses, and 2 draws. Zale was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991.