Chong Knocks Out Curto in 15th and Keeps His Title

Chong Pal Park demoralized Vinnie Curto in the fourth round, stopping him with a left hand and then driving him down to the canvas with a right hand. Curto, who had never been down in 85 fights, did not really fight back after that, and it became a question only of whether Chong would retain his International Boxing Federation title by decision or knockout.

It was by knockout. In the 15th round of the super-middleweight bout, Chong staggered Curto with a left hand, driving him into a corner, and then pulled him out of it with a right hand, sending him reeling into his own. Curto, never down and never out, was both. He missed the count of 10, and that was that.

Curto was taken to California Hospital because of exhaustion. Curto also complained of headaches.

It was a curious match, and the scant crowd at the Sports Arena Friday night, half Hollywood and half Korean, was perhaps mystified. Curto, whose toughness had been his redeeming quality, was rugged enough, offering his face to Chong in a foolish bravado late in a fight he was obviously losing, although in truth, his face had little to lose by the 12th round.

The question was why he didn’t offer his right hand, except in friendship.

Because after the fourth round, a spectacular round, he never once used it, fighting the remaining rounds much as Venus de Milo might have. His jab was hardly the offensive weapon to unhorse a man known as the Korean Rocky, either. Curto later said he injured the hand.

Chong, who had beaten Curto (79-9-3) by decision in Seoul, was obviously confident enough to brave the judging in Curto’s country. Also, a purse of $100,000 was compelling. But he couldn’t have dreamed Curto would fold his offense so quickly and completely.

Chong, 26, did have the support of a small crowd, drawn from Koreatown, where he has been staying. Curto, 29, probably had fewer fans, but then that wasn’t saying all that much given the paucity of people Friday night.

Although Chong, whose record is 44-3-1 with 38 KOs, controlled the fight, he did not necessarily command all the attention. Certainly film star Edy Williams, who entered the ring before the fourth round began, drew audience consideration when she slithered out of her gown and accidentally revealed more than intended.

That wasn’t all Hollywood had to offer, though. On the undercard, John Diehl, of the “Miami Vice” TV show, who is continuing to dabble in boxing, tried on Gene Holly for size in his second fight. Diehl failed to act like much of a boxer. He was bloodied and flattened in the second round.