Title Fight?

Jersey Joe Walcott's age is variously estimated at 39 (by Jersey Joe) to 46 (by boyhood acquaintances). By either estimate, he is too old a party to be fighting for the heavyweight championship of the world. Last week, nonetheless--largely because TV audiences will stand for anything billed as a prize fight--the sturdy old Negro was put into the ring with Heavyweight Champion Rocky Marciano, 28. It was a triumph neither for the sponsor (Gillette Safety Razor Co.), for the autocratic matchmakers (International Boxing Club), nor for the heavy-footed contestants.

Poor old Jersey Joe ducked, clinched and backpedaled with all the grace he could muster, but it wasn't enough. With less than two and a half minutes gone in the first round, Marciano landed with a left and right to the jaw, and Jersey Joe bowled to the canvas. He sat there, a glazed look in his eyes, while the referee counted ten. Then he popped to his feet, as if ready to go on fighting. But the fight--as it was billed--was all over. Jersey Joe's share of the receipts was a quarter of a million dollars, or what amounted to the excellent pay of $1,724 a second. Rocky, the winner, collected only $166,038.

In a record of another sort, the TV sponsors, Gillette Safety Razor Co., paid over $300,000 (to promoters and the network), for what turned out to be just a couple of quick commercials.

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