Tony Zale
Zale in 1940 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
Nickname | Man of Steel |
| Nationality | American |
| Born | Anthony Florian Zaleski May 29, 1913 Gary, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | March 20, 1997 (aged 83) |
| Height | 5 ft 7+1⁄2 in (1.71 m) |
| Weight | Middleweight |
| Boxing career | |
| Reach | 69 in (175 cm) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 87 |
| Wins | 67 |
| Win by KO | 45 |
| Losses | 18 |
| Draws | 2 |
Anthony Florian Zaleski (May 29, 1913 – March 20, 1997), known professionally as Tony Zale, was an American boxer. Zale was born and raised in Gary, Indiana, a steel town, which gave him his nickname, "Man of Steel", reinforced by his reputation of being able to take fearsome punishment and still rally to win. Zale, who held the world middleweight title multiple times, was known as a crafty boxer and punishing body puncher who wore his opponents down before knocking them out. In 1990, Zale was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by President George. H. W. Bush.
The 1941 bout between Zale and Billy Pryor at Juneau Park, Milwaukee, attracted 135,132 spectators, a figure that remains the highest attendance in boxing history.