BOXING

In the midst of World War II, Navy man Tony Zale and Marine Bob Waters fought an exhibition.

It wasn’t supposed to be much more than a sparring session without headgear, just a couple of rounds of sticking and moving to entertain the troops. Both men were to pull their punches to avoid serious injury.

But somehow, at the end of a round, Waters forgot himself and threw a stinging left hook that caught the unsuspecting Zale.

Zale steadied himself, glared at Waters and muttered, “I’m going to kill you, you SOB.”

Waters went back to his corner, looked at his trainer and yelled, “Cut off my gloves.”

The trainer was confused.

“Why?” he asked.

“Because Zale says he’s going to kill me and I believe him,” replied Waters.

End of match. But not the end of the story.

Waters, who used to love to tell about his wartime encounter with the former middleweight champion, ran into Zale years later and mentioned their match and its bizarre ending, figuring Zale would be amused.

He wasn’t. Zale glared at Waters as he had so many years earlier, and this time Zale almost hit him.

Tony Zale died last week at 83. But the stories about his skill, determination and toughness in the ring will live on as long as there are fans to recount his exploits and videotapes to document his accomplishments.

Zale fought his greatest battles in the 1940s, a different era in boxing, a more frightening era. Championship fights usually went 15 rounds, not 12. And fights then were not stopped as often as those of today. Then, injured fighters were not protected as much by referees and ringside doctors.

That’s not necessarily a good thing, but it was fine with Zale. He was a true warrior in the ring who gave no mercy and expected none.

“He was one of the best body punchers ever,” says longtime boxing figure Gil Clancy. “When he hit you in the body, it was like being hit with a hot iron.”

The word “war” is overused in boxing, but Zale’s three classic battles against Rocky Graziano for the middleweight title in the late ‘40s could not be described any other way.

They looked like “Rocky” movies, with first one man and then the other on the ropes or going down.

Larry Kent, now 84, was working in Graziano’s corner during one of the rematches.

He remembers Graziano staggering back to his corner after a wild exchange with Zale. Graziano plunked down on his stool, looked up at his handlers and said, “Why do you keep giving me this guy? This guy is killing me.”

Even though Zale knocked out Graziano twice, losing only one of their three fights, it was Graziano who got the accolades in later years.

It was Graziano who had a book about his life, later made into a movie, “Somebody Up There Likes Me.” Paul Newman played Graziano in the movie.

And it was Graziano who became popular on television game shows and a nationally known celebrity.

Zale could never figure it out, but it really was simple. Graziano was an outspoken, flamboyant guy who lived in New York, the media capital. Zale was a soft-spoken, humble man who lived in Chicago and admitted that he never felt comfortable in the spotlight.

In later life, Zale moved to New York, but he left after less than two years, “to go home to be with people I knew most of my life.”

That didn’t surprise Kent.

“He was such a quiet man that you wouldn’t think he was a fighter,” Kent said.

Until he put the gloves on.

Long after he had retired, Zale was invited to fight in an exhibition in Montreal. A fighter named Harry Hurst, perhaps eager to show off, started throwing left hooks at Zale, much as Waters had mistakenly done. Zale fired back a few of his familiar body shots and Hurst backed off.

Zale was 64 at the time.

NOT WORTH A HILL OF BEANS

Where do they get these guys?

Vaughn Bean, who will fight International Boxing Federation heavyweight champion Michael Moorer tonight in Las Vegas, boasts a 27-0 record with 21 knockouts.

Impressive?

Sure, until you take a closer look.

Here are the last 10 guys Bean has beaten:

* Earl Talley. He lost on a technical knockout at 1:23 of the first round. Talley had been knocked out in six of his seven previous bouts, all but one before the third round.

* Lou Turchiarelli. He lost on a TKO 49 seconds into the first round. Turchiarelli also had been knocked out in six of his previous seven bouts.

* Ron McCarthy. He lost on a sixth-round TKO. McCarthy was 38 at the time.

* Michael Benning. He was knocked out 57 seconds into the first round. At the time, Benning hadn’t had a fight in 15 years.

* Doug Davis. He lost on a seventh-round TKO. It was Davis’ ninth consecutive defeat.

* Mike DeVito. He was knocked out in the first round. It was his 10th consecutive loss.

* Brad Rone. He lost a six-round decision. Rone’s record was 4-6 at the time.

* Harold Johnson. He lost on a first-round TKO in the midst of an incredibly futile streak that included four consecutive first-round knockouts, nine knockouts overall and 13 consecutive losses.

* Dave Slaughter. He was knocked out in the first round. The fittingly named Slaughter, 37 at the time, has a record of 5-19-1.

* Max Key. He lost on a first-round TKO. Now 8-20, he went through a streak of 16 consecutive knockouts, all by the third round.

What’s really amazing is that states license these guys.

Bean has fought only four guys with winning records. The combined record of all his opponents is 126-402-5.

Among others Bean has fought are James Holly, who is 3-41, and the phenomenal James Wilder, phenomenal because he has managed to fight 54 times and has won only three times. Wilder has a 3-50-1 record.

And people pay money to see these guys?

Proof that boxing will never die.

QUICK JABS

When Genaro Hernandez was preparing to fight World Boxing Council super-featherweight champion Azumah Nelson last week, promoter Bob Arum found a lot of interest among television executives in matching Nelson next against Arturo Gatti, fresh from his victory over Tracy Harris Patterson.

“What if Hernandez wins?” Arum asked.

Nobody seemed interested. But now, after Hernandez’s inspiring victory over Nelson last week, negotiations are under way for a Hernandez-Gatti match, perhaps in July.

It could be a busy July for boxing. The Roy Jones-Montell Griffin rematch may be held then, along with the much-anticipated Johnny Tapia-Danny Romero fight. . . . And don’t forget, tempting as that might be, the Butterbean-Marty McSorley fiasco is also penciled in for July.