While still a student at Antioch College, Rod Serling embarked on a complimentary trip from Yellow Springs, Ohio to New York City to accept the second-place prize in a nationwide scriptwriting contest sponsored by the popular Dr. Christian radio program. His submission was called “To Live a Dream” which told the story of an old boxer dying of leukemia who was not only passing on the tricks of the trade but bequeathing his own personal legacy to the young fighter he was currently training.
During the broadcast of the award show, Serling offered some brief remarks to host Jean Hersholt, saying that he was “fond of boxing” and making an interesting reference to having “tried my hand in the Golden Gloves.”
Before lacing up the gloves as a flyweight in the Army, Rod
is said to have boxed at the Washington Street YMCA in Binghamton, presumably shoulder
to shoulder with professional fighters competing in and around the Southern
Tier region of upstate New York. Heavyweight hopeful Joltin’ Joe Matisi of
nearby Endicott was one of the more recognizable faces in the crowd.
As an amateur, Matisi won both the New York and Inter-City
Golden Gloves in 1937 and made his pro debut three years later. Emerging
victorious in eight of his first nine bouts, Matisi’s second fight took place
on the undercard of Joe Louis’ February 9, 1940 heavyweight title defense
against Arturo Godoy at Madison Square Garden.
In September 1941, Matisi pleaded guilty of second degree assault
after striking a member of the IBM personnel department during a job interview
when he was allegedly told by the employee that “Guineas are not hired here.” Matisi’s
blow broke the man’s nose and caused facial contusions, resulting in a
potential 30 to 60 month stretch in Attica. Matisi was instead fined $1,000 and
had his sentence suspended, conditional upon maintaining good behavior
throughout the two and a half-year probation ordered by the judge. Joe insisted
that his actions were not those of a hot-tempered tough guy but a proud Italian
American protecting his heritage and standing up for his community.
World War II interrupted his fledgling boxing career,
costing Matisi four years of his physical prime which were spent, like Rod
Serling, in service to the U.S. Army. Following his discharge, Matisi wasted no
time returning to the boxing ring and was featured regularly on local cards
hosted by Binghamton’s Kalurah Temple, Johnson Field in Johnson City, and the
Buffalo Memorial Auditorium.
He continued his winning ways after the war, racking up a
ten-fight unbeaten streak, concluding eight bouts inside the distance. Unfortunately,
one of those knockout victories ended in tragedy. Dave Mason, fighting out of
Cleveland, was sent to the canvas four times by Joltin’ Joe before being
counted out in the third round and died of a cerebral hemorrhage the following
day.
Matisi’s one brush with greatness came in 1947 when he got
to go toe to toe with soon-to-be heavyweight champion Ezzard Charles in
Buffalo. 47-5-1 at the time, ‘The Cincinnati Cobra,’ as Charles was known,
struck down Matisi four times and cruised to a shutout decision. Five months
later, Charles too would claim the life an opponent when Sam Baroudi expired
from injuries sustained during their February 1948 fight at Chicago Stadium.
Following the loss to Ezzard Charles, Matisi won only one of
his last five fights and retired in 1949 with a record of 22-9-2 (15 KOs).
Right around the same time that Matisi hung up his gloves, Rod Serling
submitted a boxing-themed script titled “Winner Take Nothing” to the radio
anthology series Grand Central Station. In his rejection letter, the
program’s producer and director Martin Horrell remarked that Serling’s story
was “better than average” but would hardly be to the liking of the female
listeners who tuned in on Saturday afternoons expecting lighter fare in the way
of comedy and romance. With more than a slight trace of prophetic foresight,
Horrell suggested that Serling’s effort was best suited for television rather
than radio.
Rod Serling worked from a composite of former prizefighters when
creating the template for the character of Mountain in the two versions of “Requiem
for a Heavyweight,” played by Jack Palance and Anthony Quinn, respectively. Although
Serling never specified by name any of the cauliflower-eared, hard luck boxers who
served as his various muses, it’s altogether possible that Broome County fan
favorite Joltin’ Joe Matisi might have been one of them.
This article is a supplement to my book The Twilight
Rounds: Rod Serling Explores the Dark Side of Boxing, published by Jobber House
Press.
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