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Tony Zale: The Man of Steel
In the 1940s, two-time world middleweight champion Tony Zale seemingly had it all. Battling colorful Rocky Graziano in The Ring magazine's Fights of the Year in 1946 and 1947, "The Man of Steel" from Gary, Indiana, convincingly defeated him in their third and final contest in 1948. These bouts are acknowledged as among the most exciting trilogies in boxing history. Tony had hosts of adoring fans and supportive family, was married to a beautiful and talented woman, and had two little girls whom he adored. Becoming world champion was an amazing feat for this son of Polish immigrants. Feeling responsible for the accident which killed his father when Tony was two years old, he became a shy and withdrawn young boy. As a result of the boxing influence of his older brothers, however, he discovered a way out of his introversion and shyness by proving himself in the ring. Once his professional boxing career had ended, Tony wound up financially with very little to show for all his pain and sacrifice endured in the ring. He suffered through a bitter divorce where he repeatedly attempted to gain custody of his daughters. This battle, along with a botched financial investment, devoured his life's savings and took him to an unexpected level of poverty. While all this drained him both mentally and physically, Tony never lost the Spirit within. Thus, when everything seemed stacked against him, Tony dug himself out with the same kind of will, faith, and determination that had led him to become a world champion. Along the way, he touched the lives of countless young people, both as the head coach of the Chicago Catholic Youth Organization and Chicago Parks Department boxing programs. As a result, this soft-spoken champion became nearly as well-known and admired for his contributions to the lives of others as he had been for the remarkable courage and fortitude he exhibited during his boxing career. Tony Zale, The Man of Steel includes over 400 photos depicting his amazing life. AUTHORS ---- This is Tony's nephew Thad 'Ted' Zale's first publication. Co-author and boxing historian Clay Moyle has published two other works about early boxers Sam Langford and Billy Miske. A portion of this biography's proceeds will fund a scholarship in the name of Tony Zale through the Polish National Alliance in Chicago, Illinois.
492 pages, Hardcover
First published November 4, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 30, 2026
During one of boxing’s most popular decades, the 1940s, one fighter twice won the middleweight championship: Tony Zale. The man who defeated Zale to win the belt—and then lost it back to him in their third match—was Rocky Graziano. Because Graziano had a far more outgoing personality and published an autobiography, he is better known to boxing historians and fans. However, Zale led an interesting life of his own, and this book by Thad Zale (Tony’s nephew) and Clay Moyle provides a rich account of Tony’s full life and boxing career.
As one might expect from a biography written by a family member, there are passages in which Thad’s admiration for Tony comes through clearly, sometimes in ways that feel biased. Even so, this is a very good biography of Tony Zale’s entire life. This review won’t go step-by-step through that life; instead, it highlights the most interesting sections.
The best parts, especially for a sports fan, are the descriptions of Zale’s major fights. There are separate chapters on each of the Zale–Graziano bouts and on his fights with Al Hostak, whom he defeated in 1940 when he first won the middleweight crown. Each chapter covering a significant fight is rich with detail—not only round‑by‑round accounts of nearly every punch, but also the actions taken in both corners and even the referee’s interactions with the fighters. These details make readers feel as if they are ringside, despite the fact that these fights took place more than 80 years ago.
As for Tony’s personal life, this is where having a family member as author is both helpful and, at times, somewhat biased. This is especially true in the discussion of Tony’s first marriage, which ended in divorce, and his subsequent inability to see his two daughters as often as he wished. While Thad appears to strive for objectivity, the narrative is more sympathetic to Tony than to Adelaide, even if all allegations against both parties are accurate.
Tony also faced financial difficulties after retiring from boxing. Here again, the reader sees the family’s sympathy, but the book also describes how Tony refused to ask for assistance because of his faith, pride, morals, and work ethic. When he married his second wife, Philomena (affectionately called “Mighty Mouth” by Tony), his life changed dramatically. Philomena took charge and ensured that Tony received the recognition due to a former world champion. That improved Tony’s life immensely, and Thad writes about this period with the same strength and clarity he brings to the boxing chapters.
Since this book set out to tell the story of Tony Zale’s life, it succeeds. I had known of Tony Zale only from lists of past champions and occasional mentions of great fights, such as his trilogy with Graziano. This book showed me that Tony Zale was not only a great fighter but a good man as well
https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...
As one might expect from a biography written by a family member, there are passages in which Thad’s admiration for Tony comes through clearly, sometimes in ways that feel biased. Even so, this is a very good biography of Tony Zale’s entire life. This review won’t go step-by-step through that life; instead, it highlights the most interesting sections.
The best parts, especially for a sports fan, are the descriptions of Zale’s major fights. There are separate chapters on each of the Zale–Graziano bouts and on his fights with Al Hostak, whom he defeated in 1940 when he first won the middleweight crown. Each chapter covering a significant fight is rich with detail—not only round‑by‑round accounts of nearly every punch, but also the actions taken in both corners and even the referee’s interactions with the fighters. These details make readers feel as if they are ringside, despite the fact that these fights took place more than 80 years ago.
As for Tony’s personal life, this is where having a family member as author is both helpful and, at times, somewhat biased. This is especially true in the discussion of Tony’s first marriage, which ended in divorce, and his subsequent inability to see his two daughters as often as he wished. While Thad appears to strive for objectivity, the narrative is more sympathetic to Tony than to Adelaide, even if all allegations against both parties are accurate.
Tony also faced financial difficulties after retiring from boxing. Here again, the reader sees the family’s sympathy, but the book also describes how Tony refused to ask for assistance because of his faith, pride, morals, and work ethic. When he married his second wife, Philomena (affectionately called “Mighty Mouth” by Tony), his life changed dramatically. Philomena took charge and ensured that Tony received the recognition due to a former world champion. That improved Tony’s life immensely, and Thad writes about this period with the same strength and clarity he brings to the boxing chapters.
Since this book set out to tell the story of Tony Zale’s life, it succeeds. I had known of Tony Zale only from lists of past champions and occasional mentions of great fights, such as his trilogy with Graziano. This book showed me that Tony Zale was not only a great fighter but a good man as well
https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...
June 20, 2021
A solid biography on a great champion.
Of the two authors, Thad Zale is Tony's nephew and he gathered most of the personal information and thoughts from Tony and his family over a number of years. The book was published in 2014 but Thad was asked to write it by Tony in 1987. And Clay Moyle is a boxing historian who has written two other biographies of former fighters and he brings his expertise on the fights themselves. They both combine well to bring Zale's story to light which is something he had wanted since 1958.
That is when he first went to an editor to talk to him about writing a book after the success of Rocky Graziano's brilliant autobiography Somebody Up There Likes Me. Rocky and Zale were inexorably linked after their history but were chalk and cheese in terms of personality and life stories. The editor at the time turned him down because compared to Rocky's life story, Tony's didn't have the sex, drugs and rock n roll. Tony walked away saying "Someday, somebody will want to tell my story." Thankfully someone has.
There are 492 pages but the last 110 or so are pictures and there also plenty of pictures scattered throughout the book so it's not as many words as it may appear.
Of the two authors, Thad Zale is Tony's nephew and he gathered most of the personal information and thoughts from Tony and his family over a number of years. The book was published in 2014 but Thad was asked to write it by Tony in 1987. And Clay Moyle is a boxing historian who has written two other biographies of former fighters and he brings his expertise on the fights themselves. They both combine well to bring Zale's story to light which is something he had wanted since 1958.
That is when he first went to an editor to talk to him about writing a book after the success of Rocky Graziano's brilliant autobiography Somebody Up There Likes Me. Rocky and Zale were inexorably linked after their history but were chalk and cheese in terms of personality and life stories. The editor at the time turned him down because compared to Rocky's life story, Tony's didn't have the sex, drugs and rock n roll. Tony walked away saying "Someday, somebody will want to tell my story." Thankfully someone has.
There are 492 pages but the last 110 or so are pictures and there also plenty of pictures scattered throughout the book so it's not as many words as it may appear.
December 8, 2019
Brilliantly written book
Not only does it feature his career as one of boxing's finest but speaks of the man himself. This makes it a Fascinating insight into the man himself. A must read for any boxing fan.
Not only does it feature his career as one of boxing's finest but speaks of the man himself. This makes it a Fascinating insight into the man himself. A must read for any boxing fan.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews