La Starza controlled much of the early action. He forced Marciano to lead, caught him with clean counters and kept the shorter fighter from getting comfortable.

Marciano broke through in the fourth round. A hard right hand dropped La Starza, who stayed down until the count reached seven. The bell sounded immediately afterward, giving him valuable recovery time.

The knockdown changed the fight without settling it.

La Starza recovered and boxed Marciano closely through the middle rounds. Marciano kept pushing forward and landing the heavier shots, leaving the judges to choose between La Starza’s cleaner boxing