Both, probably. He made good money from fighting. He cleared something like $40,000 for the Louis fight at a time when school teachers made maybe a thousand or two a year. But he also fought through the ’20s and ’30s as a young guy picking up a buck here, a buck there. Boxing brought notoriety. He became a figure in Orange and Newark. His name still resonates there with the older citizens. They named a street near the railroad station after him. So, I think he fought for a combination of reasons.

Fairly early in his career Tony had the money to buy a bar and make a living that way. Why do you think he continued boxing?

Probably, again, for the notoriety. I learned recently — after the book was put to bed — that Tony also ran booze. People shouted down to him when he arrived with ice “give me a one and a one.” That would mean, one block of ice, one pint of booze. He made good money that way. And the bar did quite well, although he was extravagant and a bit reckless with his money. His wife, Mary Grasso, ran the business well and worked like crazy on it. But, again, he had higher aspirations. Although he might not have articulated it, he wanted to make a name for himself, rise above his surroundings. To a great extent, he succeeded.

Not that I know about. The Galento team wanted the fight in Philadelphia. They felt, with reason, that the fight would have sold better there. The year before, when Tony went to Philly to prepare for a fight against a light heavyweight named Lewis, half a million people met him at the train station and paraded him through the town. It’s hard to imagine a half million people spontaneously coming out for any sports figure today. Joe Louis, of course, was loved in Harlem and across the nation by black citizens. His management team saw Philly as a place where Galento might have an edge. They were comfortable in Yankee Stadium and they hoped to pack it.

Louis did seem prone to a left hook. Braddock and Jack Roper both knocked him silly with a left. And Max Schmeling got him with an overhand right. Galento, though, seemed such an unlikely candidate. He hardly trained; he smoked and stayed out late and drank beer. In fact, some people contend Tony was drunk when he fought Louis. It was almost as if he personified the average fellow in the stands stepping into the ring to fight the best heavyweight around. Most observers say Galento’s hardest punch came in the first round when he drove Louis to the ropes. People identified with Galento. He used to travel around with Babe Ruth and play Santa Claus. Galento was sort of your crazy uncle Charlie, or your brother-in-law who made you laugh at the family Thanksgiving dinner.