Roland La Starza

Roland La Starza (May 12, 1927 – September 30, 2009) was an American boxer and actor. Originally from the Van Nest section of the Bronx, La Starza fought 66 professional bouts from July 7, 1947 to May 8, 1961. He won 57 of the fights, 27 by knockout.

Roland La Starza
Statistics
Weight(s)Heavyweight
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Nationality American
Born(1927-05-12)May 12, 1927
The Bronx
DiedSeptember 30, 2009(2009-09-30) (aged 82)
Port Orange, Florida
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights66
Wins57
Wins by KO27
Losses9 (2 by KO)

In a March 24, 1950 fight that went against him on a split decision, La Starza may have come closer than any other boxer to defeating Rocky Marciano. The scoring for the bout was 5–4, 4–5, and 5–5, but La Starza lost on a supplemental point system used by New York and Massachusetts at that time. Both boxers were undefeated at the time of the fight, with La Starza's record at 37–0. La Starza went on record in the New York Herald Tribune, March 25, 1950, as saying, "The fact is his manager Al Weill was matchmaker for the Garden. I would say that had a lot to do with the decision." He maintained that belief for over 50 years after the bout.

La Starza later won a heavyweight title eliminator against Rex Layne, setting himself up for what was arguably the most important fight of his career: a world heavyweight championship bout that was a rematch against Marciano on September 24, 1953. La Starza fought Marciano on even terms for the first six rounds but began to tire afterwards. Referee Ruby Goldstein stopped the fight in an eleventh round TKO as Marciano battered La Starza relentlessly. This was La Starza's first fight (out of 53) in which he was stopped.

After his boxing career La Starza appeared on television in a number of stereotypical tough-guy roles. His biggest break was a regular role as Pvt. Ernie Lucavich on the short-lived World War II series The Gallant Men. He also did guest appearances on various shows including 77 Sunset Strip, The Wild Wild West and Perry Mason. He appeared in two episodes (13 and 14) of the Batman series of the 1960s, and appeared in movies including Point Blank (1967) and The Outfit (1973).

He, his wife (Jane) and two children (Amy and Mark) left California to retire at their family's cattle ranch outside of New Smyrna Beach, Florida, in 1972.

La Starza died on September 30, 2009, in Port Orange, Florida, at the age of 82.[1]

Professional boxing record
57 Wins (27 knockouts), 9 losses (2 knockouts), 0 Draws[2]
Res. Record Opponent Type Round Date Location Notes
Win 1-0-0 Dave Glanton (1-10-0) Pts - 07/07/1947 Queensboro Arena, Long Island City, Queens, New York, United States
Win 2-0-0 Zack Johnson (1-0-0) KO 6 (6) 07/15/1947 Jerome Stadium, Bronx, New York, United States
Win 3-0-0 Al Zappala (16-20-1) KO - 08/12/1947 Jerome Stadium, Bronx, New York, United States
Win 4-0-0 Jimmy Dodd (7-7-2) TKO - 08/25/1947 Queensboro Arena, Long Island City, Queens, New York, United States
Win 5-0-0 Jim Johnson (3-15-2) KO - 09/09/1947 Jerome Stadium, Bronx, New York, United States
Win 6-0-0 Zeke Brown (0-7-0) KO - 10/10/1947 Saint Nicholas Arena, New York, New York, United States
Win 7-0-0 Matt Mincey (0-4-0) PTS - 10/21/1947 Park Arena, Bronx, New York, United States
Win 8-0-0 Jimmy Evans (14-4-0) PTS - 10/31/1947 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Win 9-0-0 Lorne McCarthy (1-6-1) PTS - 11/11/1947 Park Arena, Bronx, New York, United States
Win 10-0-0 Matt Mincey (0-6-0) PTS - 12/01/1947 Saint Nicholas Arena, New York, New York, United States
Win 11-0-0 Fred Ramsey (8-8-1) TKO - 12/13/1947 Ridgewood Grove, Brooklyn, New York, United States
Win 12-0-0 Luther McMillan (13-16-1) TKO - 12/23/1947 Park Arena, Bronx, New York, United States
Win 13-0-0 Mike Belluscio (12-9-1) PTS - 01/30/1948 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Win 14-0-0 Frankie Reed (1-7-0) TKO - 02/14/1948 Ridgewood Grove, Brooklyn, New York, United States
Win 15-0-0 Jimmy White (9-16-0) KO - 02/24/1948 Park Arena, Bronx, New York, United States
Win 16-0-0 Steve King (9-1-1) PTS - 03/19/1948 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Win 17-0-0 Claude McClintock (0-2-0) PTS - 04/07/1948 State Armory, Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States
Win 18-0-0 John Holloway (2-9-0) TKO - 04/24/1948 Ridgewood Grove, Brooklyn, New York, United States
Win 19-0-0 Freddie McManus (6-11-1) PTS - 05/04/1948 Park Arena, Bronx, New York, United States
Win 20-0-0 Ben Rusk (18-14-5) PTS - 06/25/1948 Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York, United States
Win 21-0-0 Tony Gangemi (20-15-2) PTS - 07/14/1948 Jerome Stadium, Bronx, New York, United States
Win 22-0-0 Oscar Goode (43-22-2) TKO - 07/27/1948 MacArthur Stadium, Brooklyn, New York, United States
Win 23-0-0 Teddy George (none) KO - 08/17/1948 MacArthur Stadium, Brooklyn, New York, United States
Win 24-0-0 Mel McKinney (7-9-1) KO - 08/30/1948 Queensboro Arena, Long Island City, Queens, New York, United States

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1962Convicts 4Duke
1966A Fine MadnessAngie - SparrerUncredited
1967The Big MouthJack - Motorcycle OfficerUncredited
1967Point BlankReese's Guard
1970Which Way to the Front?Von KrebsUncredited
1973The OutfitHit Man #2
1973The Don Is DeadMert ShanskyUncredited, (final film role)
gollark: Assuming by "higher low frequencies" you mean "more intensity at the lower frequencies".
gollark: Yes.
gollark: That seems about right.
gollark: Lower frequencies become *less* dominant?
gollark: Just put in the temperature of the sun and a red dwarf, and see which one has the most area under the line around the infrared bits.

References
  1. http://www.saddoboxing.com/boxingforum/55917-r-i-p-roland-lastarza.html
  2. Roland La Starza's Boxing Record. boxrec.com. Retrieved 01 May 2015.
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