Syracuse Standard
June 1, 1950
PAPP STOPS DEJOHN IN FIFTH
By Jack Roarty
Hungarian middleweight Laszlo Papp punched his way to a fifth round TKO win over local favorite Joey "Golden Boy" DeJohn last night at the War Memorial Auditorium.
Papp, who is now undefeated in eleven professional fights,
sent DeJohn to the canvas twice before the contest was stopped by referee Ron Scalzo midway through the fifth frame.
The Hungarian southpaw was able to compensate for his height and reach disadvantages by moving inside and punishing DeJohn with a mixed attack to the head and body.
DeJohn was knocked down near the bell in the first round by a powerful Papp hook to the jaw. In the next heat, Laszlo opened a cut high over DeJohn's right brow causing a steady flow of blood for the remainder of the match.
To add to Joey's problems, his left eye started to swell substantially, blinding him to Papp's incoming right hooks. The severity of the damage to DeJohn's eyes caused Scalzo to briefly halt the action and consult with the ringside doctor who gave the match the green flag.
When the match resumed, DeJohn seemed to come alive. He nailed Papp with several hard rights to the head and as round four came to an end there was a slight puffiness around Laszlo's left eye.
But Joey's comeback was to be short-lived. Papp came out strong in the fifth and decked DeJohn with a perfect uppercut to the jaw thirty seconds into the stanza.
When Joey finally regained his feet at the count of seven, he appeared to be in bad shape. The cut was reopened, and his legs looked like they were made of rubber.
Papp bulled him into the ropes and pounded away. At that point, DeJohn demonstrated little defense and nothing in the way of offense causing Scalzo to halt the match at the 1:40 mark.
Papp has now stopped his last four opponents and looks better with each successive fight. Last night he demonstrated that he could take a punch. DeJohn, recognized as one of the hardest hitters in the middleweight ranks, landed several bombs but couldn't turn the tide against the determined Hungarian.
After the contest, Papp's manager, Al Weill, briefly spoke with the press.
"DeJohn was the toughest guy that Laszlo had faced. He's a powerful puncher and nailed Laszlo with his best shots but couldn't slow him down.
"If there was any question about Laszlo's ability to take a punch it was settled last night."
Weill evaded questions about his fighter's next opponent. It's common knowledge in boxing circles that former champion Rocky Graziano is eager to meet the young Hungarian, but Weill refused to respond to specifics.
"Laszlo is one of the most talented fighters that I've seen in a long time, and I have every confidence that he'll be middleweight champion in the near future.
"He's young and getting better with each match. We're bringing him along at the right pace. I'm not going to ruin his future for the sake of a fat purse."