by Joe Corso
Every time Swifty threw his right hand Parker would lift his shoulder and turn sideways, so that his shoulder partially hid his face. This caused Swifty’s right hand to glance off his shoulder, and the punch missed Parker’s face completely. Clancy’s experienced eye told him that if Swifty feinted with his right hand, Parker would lift his shoulder and be open for a left hook—if it was timed perfectly.
“Do like I tell you. Feint like your gonna throw your right hand and then immediately follow with your left hook. Don’t wait, just do it.”
Swifty looked up at Clancy. “Man, this guy is good. He fights a lot like Henri.”
Clancy’s face contorted. “Forget about Henri. Just do like I’m telling you. Feint with your right and then hit the bastard with your left hook. Knock this guy out and let’s go home.”
Clancy didn’t say any more, but he was worried about Swifty’s eye. It had taken a lot of punishment. It had begun to swell early in the fight and now it was almost shut to the point where he could hardly see out of it.
“What do you think, Ray? I mean about his eye.”
“Another round or two and it’s gonna open up. I don’t think he could see out of it, and that leaves him open to right hand punches.”
Clancy nodded. That’s exactly what he was afraid of.
At the start of the ninth round the two fighters circled one another until Swifty lunged with a left hook that missed Parker by inches. Parker took advantage of it and hit Swifty flush on the eye with a perfect right hand that opened the eye up. The cut was in a bad spot and the referee stopped the fight for a moment to examine it. Satisfied, he allowed the fight to go on. It was early in the round and Swifty knew he was in trouble. He had to do something, and fast! He knew Parker would come in for the kill. Parker could see the cut and the blood flowing into Swifty’s eye. He would know he couldn’t see his right hand coming, and so he’d try to open the eye up even more. Before he allowed Parker to hit him with the right hand, which he wouldn’t see coming, he would have to be proactive and take the fight to Parker.
Swifty waited for the opening, but when it didn’t come he did as Clancy said. He feinted with his right hand and then it happened. As Swifty feinted, Parker turned sideways and brought his left shoulder high to protect his face. Swifty didn’t wait. He did exactly as Clancy had instructed. While Parker protected himself from Swifty’s right hand, Swifty threw his left hook, catching his opponent flush on the chin. Parker didn’t see it coming and went down. The crowd went wild. Just when it looked as if the referee or the doctor would stop the fight because of Swifty’s damaged eye, he managed to hold on for just a little while longer and turn the fight around.
Swifty stood in a neutral corner, watching the ref count. But Parker managed to get on his feet when the count reached nine. There was still a minute and forty-nine seconds left in the round. The referee pointed at both men and motioned for them to resume fighting. Swifty knew he had to take Parker out before he got his legs back. He also knew that if he let Parker off the hook now, he would start banging away at his eye in an attempt to have the fight stopped. Parker’s experience came into play as he bobbed and weaved, avoiding many of Swifty’s lethal punches. A minute left. Swifty had to make it happen now, before Parker was himself again. Parker jabbed and danced away but his legs were shaky, and while he avoided many of Swifty’s punches, Swifty rocked him with a right hand that staggered him and almost put him down for a second time. It was now or never. If he didn’t take Parker out now, he might not have another chance. The doctors were taking a close look at his damaged eye. Swifty caught Parker with another left hook that knocked him against the ropes. He held on to the ropes with his right arm while his knee hit the canvas. The referee started to count but the bell rang. Parker was saved.
The doctor examined Swifty’s eye and shook his head. “This cut is very bad. I’m going to have to stop the fight.”
Swifty grabbed the doctor. “If you stop this fight you’d better be out of town when the fight ends, because I’m gonna find you and I’m gonna kill you. Why don’t you take a look at him?” he said, pointing at Parker. “He’s in worse shape than me. Look, Doc, give me one more round and I’ll end this. If I don’t, then you can stop the fight.”
The doctor shook his head again, looked over at Parker and then at Swifty again. “Okay, one more round. But don’t ever threaten me again or I’ll have your license taken away.” Then he walked across the ring to assess Parker’s condition.
When the doctor left Swifty’s corner, he spoke for a moment to the referee. Goldstein came to the corner and told Swifty that if the cut got worse he would stop the fight.
Swifty looked at the ref angrily. “Look, do yourself a favor and stop the fight before I hurt Parker. He’s out on his feet and I’m gonna knock him out this round. I just don’t want to hurt him more than I have to. So don’t you go worrying about me, worry about Parker.”
The bell rang for the tenth round. Parker was almost out on his feet. His corner wanted to stop the fight but Parker, like Swifty, insisted that the fight go on. When Swifty had you hurt he was deadly as a cobra. If he hit you on your arms his punches could paralyze them to the point where you couldn’t lift them to protect yourself. And that’s what happened to Parker. Swifty punched with such ferocity that Parker had trouble lifting his left shoulder, which was his way of protecting himself. Only this time Swifty didn’t have to feint with his right hand. He just banged away with it; and every time he threw it, it landed somewhere, breaking blood vessels and causing damage to his body. But it was the left hook that almost took Parker off his feet and put him down for the count. This was the first time in sixty-three fights that Parker had ever been knocked out.
When the judges’ score cards were recorded, each of the three judges had Parker ahead seven rounds to three, while at the same time Swifty was being touted as a young Rocky Marciano.
Meanwhile, three thousand miles away in Hollywood, California, a very worked up and excited Larry Bernstein was caught up in the fight. He had been watching the fight on television and became very concerned when he saw a close up of Swifty’s eye. Ever the business man, he wondered if Swifty’s badly damaged eye would heal in time for him to complete the picture. Bernstein had a deal with Red. Red would make the movie through Starlight Productions, and Columbia pictures would release it. The two companies would share in the profits, so Bernstein had a legitimate cause to be concerned.
CHAPTER 21
Piss Clam waited until Red was off of the phone, then knocked on his door. “Red, you got a minute?”
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“We had a little bit of a problem in the neighborhood last night and I need to talk to you about it.”
“Come in and take a seat. Now tell me about this problem.”
“You know the Lombardi brothers, Heinzie and Jappy, right?”
“Yeah I know them. What about them?”
“Well, Heinzie got into a fight with Augie Santorino’s brother.”
Red interrupted. “Heinzie got into a fight with the brother of one of the captains in our organization?”
“Yeah, but that’s not the half of it.”
Red wasn’t getting a good feeling about this. He put up his hand to stop Piss Clam. “Go out to the bar and get Tarzan in here. I want him to hear what you have to tell me.”
Tarzan listened as Piss Clam explained what happened.
“When Augie saw the condition his brother was in he stormed out of the house and went looking for Heinzie. He found him, or he thought he found him.”
“What the hell are you babbling about? Did he or did he not find the kid?”
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you. He found the wrong brother. He found Jappy and kicked the living shit out of him. He sent him to the hospital thinking it was Henzie. You know how much alike those twins look. Then after he almost killed the kid he took a bat to his car and wrecked it. Broke the windows and the lights, dented his fenders and doors.”
“Is the kid still in the hospital?”
“No, he checked out this morning. He didn’t have enough money to stay in the hospital, so he checked himself out.”
“Were the cops called?”
“Yeah. They found him barely conscious under the car and called an ambulance. After he was treated by a doctor they questioned him, wanting to know who did this to him.”
“And? Did he tell them?”
“No, the kid said it was a case of mistaken identity and he didn’t know the guys.”
Red got up. “Come on, we’re gonna have a talk with Jappy and Heinzie.” He grabbed Tarzan by the arm.
“Yeah, Boss?”
“Take a heater with you.”
They found the brothers at Gus’s Pool Room on 43rd Avenue near 108th Street. Red motioned to the brothers and pointed to the office.
“Gus, would you excuse us for a few minutes? I have to talk to these boys.”
“Sure, Red, take as much time as you want.”
Red spoke to Heinzie first. “What caused the fight?”
“Look, Mr. Fortunato. The last thing I want to do is to get in a jam with you or your men, but this kid Andy is a wise guy. He thinks he can push people around because his brother works for you. I got tired of him pushing us around and when he started on me I wouldn’t take it. He wouldn’t back off after I warned him, so we got into it and I kicked the shit out of him.”
Red almost laughed with the way Henzie described the fight.
“But what I feel real bad about is that my brother took the beating I was supposed to get. But this ain’t over yet. When I get a hold of that little prick I’m gonna grind him into chop meat.”
The smile left Red’s face. “You ain’t doing anything of the sort. You’re gonna forget this happened, understand?”
“But—”
“Shut the fuck up and don’t say another word.” Red looked at Jappy. Both his eyes were almost closed and his face was a mess, with a bandage covering the stitches on his head. His face was a swollen mess. Red patted him on the shoulder.
“You did good yesterday. You didn’t rat on anybody, and you took a beating like a man. I understand that your car was pretty messed up. Did you get an appraisal?”
“Yes, there’s $745.00 damage to the car.”
Red pulled out a wad of dough and peeled off eight one hundred bills. Get your car fixed. Now how much was the hospital bill?”
“Just getting the car fixed is fine. I don’t need money for the hospital. I’ll take care of that myself.”
Red peeled another two hundred from his roll and handed it to Jappy. “Take it. You kept your mouth shut and that’s worth something.” Red turned toward his brother. “As for you, you ain’t doing nothing to nobody. You’ll respect what I’m telling you to do. This is over, and from this moment on you’ll forget about getting back at Andy. This is the only warning you’ll get, and if you do anything stupid . . .” Red kept his eyes on Heinzie as he reached out behind him toward Tarzan with his palm up. Tarzan placed a 32 police special in the palm of his hand. “’Cause if you do anything stupid, I’m gonna put one right here.” He pressed the barrel of the gun in the middle of Heinzie’s forehead.
Heinzie looked into Red’s dead eyes and knew that this wasn’t an idle threat. He knew that if he forgot himself and got out of line he’d be a dead man.
“Okay, Red, I . . . I understand. I won’t do anything stupid. I’ll let it drop.”
“Good. Now that that’s settled, I have a business to run.”
Reds’ eyes remained locked threateningly on Heinzie’s as he handed Tarzan the gun. Then Red and his two men got back in their car, and Heinzie watched as it slowly pulled away. When the car turned the corner and disappeared from his sight, a very relieved Heinzie released the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.
CHAPTER 22
Swifty couldn’t finish Legionnaires because of his injured eye. The stitches had to be taken out and the swelling had to go down before he could film his close-ups. So instead of heading back to Hollywood he decided to visit Red at the Starlight Club.
Red’s hope that Swifty would have headed back to Hollywood and away from the danger that permeated Queens was dashed when he saw his fighter walk through the door. After saying hello to a few of the boys he headed for Red’s office and knocked once.
“Red, it’s me, Swifty. Got a minute?”
Red embraced Swifty then held him at arm’s length to study his damaged eye. “What did the doctors say about the eye?”
“It took ten stitches to close it, but they said that after the stitches come out, with a little makeup, it’ll hardly be noticeable.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear that.”
Swifty sat in the chair opposite Red’s desk and spread his legs out. “Red, I have to know. Did you speak to Frankie Carbo? When am I fighting the champ?”
Red shook his head. He didn’t want to have to tell Swifty the bad news but he had to know. “Look, kid. I got a phone call from Parker’s manager. It seems I overlooked something when we signed the contract to fight his boy. He had a return bout clause written into the contract, which means you have to fight him again before fighting the champ.”
“Geez, Red. That guy’s style is too much like Henri’s. I always had a problem fighting guys like that. Can’t we get around that and promise him a fight after I win the championship.”
Red shook his head. “Can’t do that. There’s always the chance that you’ll lose against the champ, and then a return match with Parker wouldn’t be worth anything. You have to fight Parker and win in order to fight the champ. Carbo set this series of fights up to his advantage. He’s not making it easy for us, that’s for sure.”
Red’s concern for the kid showed on his face. “Look, kid. I want you to go back to Hollywood tonight. It’s not safe for you here in Queens. Not right now. Maybe a little later. In fact, when this is all over I’m going to throw a bash here with a big name entertainer, but all of that has to be put on hold.”
Swifty could tell something wasn’t right when he first entered Red’s office. He wasn’t himself and he could tell he had something serious on his mind. “Do you want to tell me about it?”
Red looked up, surprised by the question. Swifty was legit, and Red never talked about his business with him. But he thought the kid should know what was happening because it might concern him if Lansky decided to try another angle and go after Swifty, and maybe Henri and Gonzo too.
“I have two problems. One I can handle from here but the other problem is in Vegas. That problem is close enough to California and you boys that it worries me a little. I don’t think Lansky would involve innocent civilians, but who knows what the crafty little Jew will do. He’s crafty, he’s smart and he thinks I’m his competitor in the casino business. He was forced to leave Cuba and now he’s set up shop in Las Vegas, and he resents me buying into a couple of casinos. I have the Boston mob looking to walk into Queens and take over my rackets and I can’t allow that to happen. There may be another war and I don’t want you anywhere near here if lead starts to fly, capisca?”
“Yeah, I understand. But man, what a disappointment. You told me my next fight would be for the championship. Nothing was ever mentioned about a return bout.”
“I know, I know. That was my fault. I didn’t have my attorney read the contract. Carbo is a friend of mine, but that guy is like a shark when it comes to money, especially when the fight is in the Garden. I’ll tell you what I’m going to do, though. I’m gonna try and talk Carbo and Parker’s manager into letting you fight the champ first. Maybe I can convince them that it’s a sure thing. Then, the rematch against Parker will be a fight for the championship. I reckon they might just go for that.”
“Can you do that, Red? I mean, can you really do that?”
“I think so, but it’s not carved in stone. I just have to convince them that you’re a dead cert to take the title. It’s worth a shot, and I can be persuas
ive when I want to be.”
Swifty laughed. “So use your charm on the champ and get me the fight.”
Red patted the kid on the shoulder. “I’m going to follow Al Capone’s advice. He said, ‘You can get a lot further with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone.’ I think I can convince the champ to sign the contract. Now, I want you on a flight back to Hollywood a.s.a.p., understand?”
“Okay, Red. I’ll head back to my hotel and pack my bags. I’ll book a flight on tonight’s redeye back to LA”
“Good. When this is all over you can come back here and we’ll have ourselves a special party at the Starlight Club.”
“Sounds great. Well, so long, Red. See you at the party.”
Red smiled sadly. He hated chasing Swifty out of there but he worried about him. He didn’t want him harmed. Even though Red never showed any emotion, he loved the kid like the son he never had.
When Swifty left the Starlight Club, Red picked up the phone and called Larry Bernstein on his private number in Hollywood.
“Larry, it’s Red. I’m calling you for two reasons. The first is Swifty. I wanted to bring you up to date on how he’s doing. The stitches will come out soon and the swelling will disappear. The doctor told him that with a little makeup it won’t be noticeable. He’s heading back to Hollywood on tonight’s redeye. The second is I’d like to know how my two leading ladies are making out.”
Larry cleared his throat. “I have to tell you, Red, I was more than a little nervous watching Swifty get his brains kicked in by Parker. You sure he’s going to be all right?”
“Yeah, he’ll be fine. Give him a couple of weeks and he’ll be ready for his next scene.”
“Well, that takes a load off of my mind. I was worried sick about him. I have millions invested in this picture and I don’t know what I would do if he was unable to finish it. I’m going to have my lawyer write in a no fight clause when he signs for his next picture.”
