"See Ya Later"

People were always whispering things to Rocky Graziano, a reform-school graduate who fought like fury in the ring.

At Manhattan's sleazy Stillman's Gym, where he trained, a place full of the smell of dust, sweat and arnica, characters paid 50-c- to get in and crowd around. When Rocky, the biggest crowd-puller outside of Joe Louis, swigged water between rounds and aimed a spout at a funnel in the corner of the ring, they didn't mind being splashed. When Rocky elbowed his way through the mob to work on the small punching bag, the hangers-on tried to borrow five or ten, or find out "How's ya condition." Rocky liked to tell them kiddingly that he was going to throw the fight: "Naw, bet on the other guy . . . I'm going into the tank." Then he always gave them the same brush-off: "See ya later."

Last week, Rocky was deep in trouble for failing to report a $100,000 bribe offer (TIME, Feb. 3). At Stillman's Gym, the boys were .whispering about him. Said one: "I say he shouldn't get it ... he done right dint he ... he nixes the guy, don't he?" Said another: "He goes ... I say he gets it." The man in the street didn't want to see Rocky "get it" too hard. Rocky had turned down the bribe, even if he hadn't reported it (though he had reportedly feigned a sore back to duck the fight). Last week the New York Athletic Commission barred Graziano indefinitely from New York rings. The ban meant the end of next month's Madison Square Garden title fight with Middleweight Champ Tony Zale. But all was not lost: from hungry promoters in Cleveland, Chicago and points west came offers for fights for Rocky.

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