Tony Zale vs Rocky Graziano II

On July 16, 1947, Rocky Graziano and Tony Zale met for the second time in a highly anticipated World Middleweight Championship rematch at Chicago Stadium in Chicago, Illinois. The fight, originally scheduled for March 21 at Madison Square Garden, was postponed and relocated after the New York State Athletic Commission revoked Graziano's boxing license for failing to report a $100,000 bribe offer.

Graziano, 155 lbs, faced the defending champion Zale, who weighed 159 lbs. The bout drew a crowd of 18,547 to Chicago Stadium.

In the early rounds, Zale dominated the fight, opening a severe cut over Graziano's left eye in the second round and dropping him with a solid right in the third. By the end of the fourth round, Graziano's right eye was swollen shut. However, between rounds, Graziano's trainer and cut man, Whitey Bimstein, used a coin to break the skin around the swollen eye, reducing the pressure and allowing Graziano to regain his vision partially.

The tide turned in the sixth round when Graziano unleashed a barrage of rights that dropped Zale. As Zale rose, Graziano drove him to the ropes and continued his assault until referee Johnny Behr stopped the fight at 2:10, crowning Graziano as the new World Middleweight Champion.

The fight was named The Ring magazine's Fight of the Year for 1947 and was later ranked as the second greatest title fight of all time by the publication in 1996. The first two fights between Zale and Graziano are considered two of the most significant bouts in boxing history.