76 years ago
Tony Zale vs Marcel Cerdan
Date: 21st September 1948
Venue: Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City, New Jersey
Title: NBA World Middleweight Title
Promoter: Andy Niederreiter
Tony Zale
(
67
-
17
-
2
)
Weight: 159 lbs
Marcel Cerdan
(
108
-
3
-
0
)
Weight: 158 lbs
On September 21, 1948, French boxer Marcel Cerdan challenged American Tony Zale for the World Middleweight Championship at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, New Jersey. Cerdan, a 2-1 underdog, entered the fight with an impressive record of 108 wins and only three losses, with 61 of his victories coming by knockout.
The fight was a clash of titans, with both men known for their aggressive styles and punching power. Cerdan, a nimble 158 lbs, started the bout with a flurry of speed, head movement, and combination punching, dominating the early rounds. Zale, the defending champion at 159 lbs, struggled to land effective blows against the elusive Frenchman.
Despite Cerdan's initial dominance, Zale managed to keep the rounds close, even appearing to turn the tide in the 7th round as Cerdan seemed to slow down. However, Cerdan, showing his resilience, regained momentum in the 8th and began battering the defending champion with brutal combinations in the 10th and 11th rounds.
At the close of the 11th, Cerdan floored Zale with a vicious left hook to the jaw. Zale was helped back to his corner by his trainer, and referee Paul Cavalier, who had scored the fight 8-2 in favour of Cerdan, stopped the bout between rounds. Zale's corner wisely ended the battle, allowing Cerdan to become the first non-American to hold the Middleweight title in the 20th century.
The fight, attended by 19,272 spectators with a gate of $242,840, was named Ring Magazine's Fight of the Year. Cerdan's victory was short-lived, as he lost the title to Jake LaMotta in his first defence due to a shoulder injury. A rematch was scheduled, but Cerdan tragically died in a plane crash while en route to the United States for the fight.