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Diminishing box-office returns at professional boxing matches during 1952 caused television to be viewed increasingly as a principal source of income for the sport. The development of theatre television was believed by many to have advanced the day when box-office receipts should become inconsequential.
At the same time, television posed a problem. Its operation was contributing to the depletion of the ranks of boxers under development. Small clubs, the incubators of boxing down through the years, found it impossible to operate without a television sponsor and the big networks sought only the prominent boxers. Since the International Boxing club of New York enjoyed prior contract privileges on every ring champion with the exception of the bantamweight and flyweight, the I.B.C. had the television field practically to itself.
In theatre television several important bouts were beamed to theatres at which admissions were charged, and at which boxing was the specific attraction. There was a distinct trend, particularly so since under such circumstances the spectacle was blacked out for home television consumption. One of the bouts affected by the blackout was the match in which Rocky Marciano, Brockton, Mass., knocked out Jersey Joe Walcott, Camden, N.J., in 13 rounds, to gain the world heavyweight title. This bout was held in Philadelphia, Pa., Sept. 23. It provided the year's most dramatic battle. Marciano, unbeaten in 43 bouts, boasting 38 knockouts in a meteoric career. increasingly as a principal source of income for the sport. The development of theatre television was believed by many to have advanced the day when box-office receipts should become inconsequential. At the same time, television posed a problem. Its operation was contributing to the depletion of the ranks of boxers under development. Small clubs, the incubators of boxing down through the years, found it impossible to operate without a television sponsor and the big networks sought only the prominent boxers. Since the International Boxing club of New York enjoyed prior contract privileges on every ring champion with the exception of the bantamweight and flyweight, the I.B.C. had the television field practically to itself. In theatre television several important bouts were beamed to theatres at which admissions were charged, and at which boxing was the specific attraction. There was a distinct trend, particularly so since under such circumstances the spectacle was blacked out for home television consumption. One of the bouts affected by the blackout was the match in which Rocky Marciano, Brockton, Mass., knocked out Jersey Joe Walcott, Camden, N.J., in 13 rounds, to gain the world heavyweight title. This bout was held in Philadelphia, Pa., Sept. 23. It provided the year's most dramatic battle. Marciano, unbeaten in 43 bouts, boasting 38 knockouts in a meteoric career. became the first unbeaten heavyweight ever to win the title as well as the first white boxer to gain the title since Joe Louis dethroned James J. Braddock in 1937 at Chicago, Ill. The match attracted 40,379 persons and box office receipts of $504,645, the year's biggest gate. An I.B.C. spokesman estimated an additional sum of $550,000 from motion pictures, and the radio-television income was said to be $125,000.
The largest crowd of the year was attracted to a light-heavyweight championship between Joey Maxim, Cleveland, O., de-fending champion, and Ray Robinson, New York, holder of the world middleweight title. This bout took place at the Yankee stadium, New York city, June 25, in a heat wave that registered 104° at the ringside, and ended with Maxim credited with a knockout victory when Robinson, victim of heat prostration, could not respond to the bell starting the 14th round. A crowd of 47,983 was reported, with receipts of $421,615. The result was a surprise since at the time the bout ended Robinson had victory well in hand. Robinson shared another of the year's large gate receipts attractions when he knocked out Rocky Graziano, Brooklyn, N.Y., a former champion, to retain his world middleweight title. This bout was fought in Chicago on April 16, before 22,264 persons who paid receipts of $252,237. Robinson had previously defended his title against Carl (Bobo) Olson, Hawaii, at San Francisco, Calif., March 13. In December the New York State Athletic commission declared Robin-son's middleweight title "vacated" because of his failure to defend the championship once every six months as required by commission rules.
A total of 15 championship matches were held up to December. Five changes were recorded. Walcott had defended his heavyweight title against the former champion, Ezzard Charles, Cincinnati, O., in a 15-round bout at Philadelphia, June 5, before signing for the Marciano bout.
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