Rocky Marciano

Rocky Marciano
Statistics
Real name	Rocco Francis Marchegiano
Nickname	The Brockton Blockbuster, The Rock from Brockton
Rated at	Heavyweight
Nationality	United States
Birth date	September 1 1923
Birth place	Brockton, Massachusetts
Death date	August 31 1969 (Aged 45)
Death place	Des Moines, Iowa
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	49
Wins	49
Wins by KO	43
Losses	0
Draws	0
No contests	0

Rocky Francis Marciano "The Brockton Bomber" (September 1 1923 – August 31 1969), was the world heavyweight champion of the world from 1952 to 1956. He is only heavyweight champion in boxing history without a defeat or a draw during his career. Marciano had forty-three knockouts to his credit (an 88% knockout rate), and sucessfully defended his world heavyweight championship six times. While he enjoyed great popularity during his prime, Rocky had to overcome constant criticism by the media to rise to the top. His determination and hard hitting led to his tremendous sucess as one of the best fighters in the history of boxing.

Early years

Marciano, an Italian-American, was born and raised in Brockton, Massachusetts to Pierino and Pasqualena Marchegiano. Rocky had 3 sisters — Alice (Pereira), Concetta (Langway) and Elizabeth (Colombo) and 2 brothers - Louis and Peter. When he was one year old, he contracted pneumonia, from which he almost died. As a youth, he played baseball, worked out on homemade weightlifting equipment, and used a stuffed mail bag that hung from a tree in his back yard as a heavy bag. He attended Brockton High School, where he played on the American football and baseball teams. However, he was cut from the school baseball team because he had joined a church league, violating a school rule forbidding players from joining other teams. He later dropped out of school after finishing tenth grade. Marciano then worked as a chute man on delivery trucks for the Brockton Ice and Coal Company. He also worked as a ditch digger and as a shoe salesman.

In March of 1943, Marciano was drafted into the army for a term of two years. Marciano didn't take up boxing until after 1943, when he took up the sport to avoid assissting the cooks, and other tasks. Stationed in Wales, he helped ferry supplies across the English Channel to Normandy. After the war ended he completed his service at Fort Lewis, Washington.

Boxing Career

Amateur circuit

While awaiting discharge, Marciano, representing the army, won the 1946 amateur armed forces boxing tournament. His amateur career was interrupted on March 17, 1947, when Marciano stepped into the ring as a professional competitor. That night he beat Lee Epperson by a knockout in three rounds. In an unusual move, however, Marciano returned to the amateur ranks and fought in the Golden Gloves All-East Championship Tournament in March 1948. However, he was beaten by Coley Wallace during the tournament. He continued to fight as an amateur throughout that spring and competed in the AAU Olympic tryouts in the Boston Garden. There he knocked out George McGinnis, but hurt his hands during the bout and was forced to withdraw from the tournament. The McGinnis fight was his last amateur bout, and the last time the fighter would ever lose. During his time as a amateur fighter, Marciano was known for his akward yet effective boxing technique. He would dance around the ring and take punch after punch from his opponent until he saw an opening to land a big punch. While many questioned his tactics, they couldn't ignore his record as an amateur, compiling an 11-3 record.

In late March, 1947, Marciano and a few of his friends traveled to Fayetteville, North Carolina, to try out for the Fayetteville Cubs, a farm team for the Chicago Cubs baseball team. Marciano, who tried out as a catcher, lasted three weeks before being cut from the team. After failing to find a spot on another team, he returned to Brockton and began boxing training with longtime friend, Allie Colombo. Al Weill served as his manager and Charley Goldman as his trainer and teacher.

Early trouble

Marciano's boxing career started when Al Weill, a New York manager of great power, stumbled upon the fighter and got him started with the Boston fight mob. Weill was the person responsible for the young fighter's rise to the top, finding him top fights, and scheduling them all over the country in places like New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and San Francisco.

Although Weill did indeed take him to the boxing promised land, getting there wasn't as easy. In fact, before Marciano got connected with Weill, the fighter had trouble getting the attention of most trainers and managers. A Boston fight promoter once said in the Boston Herald Traveler "Of all the kids around, Rokcy was the most unlikely to succeed. He was clumsy and awkward. He had no stance, no style, nothing."

In the book, "The Rock,The Curse, And The Hub", a collection of stories about the history of Boston sports, it is said that another manager had a chance to land the prized fighter, Peter Fuller. The man was the son of former Massachusetts governor Alvan T. Fuller, and was also a amateur fighter himself in the late 1940's. When asked if he was willing to pay the one-thousand dollars to become Rocky's manager, he replied, "Why should I pay $1000 to a guy I can beat myself?"

Early Professional Career

Although he had one professional fight (against Lee Epperson) on his record, the night of (July 12, 1948), marked the time when Marciano began fighting permanently as a professional boxer. That night he showed his critics he had something, when he notched a win over Harry Bilizarian. Between July of 1948 and May of 1949, Marciano won 13 of his 15 consecutive knockout victories in Providence, almost all of them occuring in three rounds or less. He won all his first sixteen bouts by knockout, all before the fourth round, and nine before the first round was over.

During this time, Marciano's popularity began to rise dramatically. He changed the spelling of his last name. The ring announcer in Providence, Rhode Island could not pronounce Marchegiano, so his handler said to call him Marciano. and he was a headliner for Almeida's Monday night show and a gigantic fan favorite with the Providence crowds. Rocky could hit, he was an exciting fighter, and by the end of 1949, Rocky Marciano was undefeated with a 25-0 record.

Don Mogard became the first boxer to last the distance with "The Rock," but Marciano won by decision.

One of the more memorable fights of his early career was when he met Ted Lowry. Ted, according to many scribes and witnesses, probably managed to win three or four of the ten rounds from Marciano. Nevertheless, Marciano kept his winning streak alive by beating Lowry by decision. Marciano fought Lowry again and both times the bout went the scheduled ten round distance. Four more knockout wins followed, and Marciano was ready to enter the big stage.

First Big Fight

Marciano's firt big fight occured in March of 1950, when more than 13,000 fans were in attendence for his fight at Madison Square Garden, for his fight against Roland La Starza. The fight had an extreme amount of pre-fight buzz, as the match was carried over 27 cities on the NBC Television network.

After overcoming what some called stage-fright, Marciano won a close decision to remain undefeated. While the fighter continued to win, his critics continued to harass him, as many New York boxing fans deemed he was not ready for the Prime Time.

Rocky's first Boston fight

Four months after his contoversial win, Rocky had his first boxing match in Boston, Massachusetts. Up until this point, John Weill would not let him fight in boston, but on July 10 1950, a crowd of 4,900 at Braves Field saw the "The Brockton Bomber" fight. Rocky knocked him down in the first round, but his opponent, and former Italian champion, would not back down. After tiring his opponent down, Marciano knocked him opponent to the grown again in the ninth round, and the fight was called early into the tenth. After the win , a local writer called Marcaino nothing more than a good club fighter.

Continued Suceess, rise to Title Fight

'Rocky continued his streak of wininng after winning in six rounds over Red Applegate. He was showcased on national TV again at Madison Square Garden, when he knocked out Rex Layne in six rounds on July 12 1951. This win woudl prove to be a huge victory in the young fighters' rise to the title fight, as he was soon called the new Great White Hope, and was on the Ed Sullivan Show after the fight.

After defeating Freddie Beshore in frong of 9,523 at the Boston Garden, Marciano was put on another huge stage. He was again on national TV at Madison Square Garden, but this time against Joe Louis, one of the biggest, if not the biggest boxing star of the time. The prestige of Joe Louis, combined with the 37-0 record of Marciano made it a huge boxing event everywhere. During the fight, the streets of Boston were empty, as fans everywhere searches for a bar, pub, or restaurant to watch the action. When Marciano kncked out Louis in what would be the latter's last career bout, cheers coudl be heard from all around Boston. After defeated Louis, it resulted in some stress for Rocky as Louis had been the idol of his childhood.

Championship Fights

In no time Marciano was a ranked heavyweight. After four more wins, including victories over Lee Savold and Harry Matthews, Marciano faced world heavyweight champion Jersey Joe Walcott in Philadelphia on September 23, 1952. After being dropped in round one, Marciano got up and knocked Walcott out in the thirteenth round, becoming the new world heavyweight champion. Marciano entered the round with little or no chance to win the decision on points, due to Walcott having the judges bias because of being a local product. However, Rocky ended the fight with a huge right, and knocked out the hometown hero in front of thousands. A rematch was fought one year later, and, in Marciano's first title defense, he retained the title with a first-round knockout of Walcott.

Next, he fought against his former competitor Roland La Starza, who took his turn to challenge Marciano. After building a small lead on the judges' scorecards all the way to the middle rounds, Marciano won by TKO in the eleventh round.

Then came former world heavyweight champion Ezzard Charles, whom Marciano had beaten by a decision in their first bout. Ezzard Charles was the only man to ever last fifteen rounds against Marciano; the champ later praised him as one of the toughest men he ever fought in his life. After having his nose split in round six of the rematch, Marciano retained the title with an eighth-round knockout win. Then, Marciano met British and European champion Don Cockell and stopped him in nine rounds.

Marciano's last title bout was against Archie Moore on September 21, 1955. The bout was originally scheduled for Tuesday, September 20, but because of hurricane warnings it had to be moved to the 21st. Marciano was knocked down for two seconds, but he got up and knocked out Moore in the 9th round. Moore was also knocked down in the 6th and 8th round but was saved by the bell. Despite organized crime figures trying to convince the champion to throw the fight, Rocky defended his title for the sixth time. There was a game before the boxing match and all the fights started late. When Marciano was proclaimed winner, it was already morning of September 22.

Retirement

Rocky Marciano had the final milestone of his amazing boxing career when he retired from the sport at the age of 31 on (April 27, 1956). Marciano wanted to retire before his reputation and legacy were tarnished, therefore making the time right for him to walk away. "I thought it was a mistake when Joe Louis tried a comeback," the New York Times quoted him as saying. "No man can say what he will do in the future, but barring poverty, the ring has seen the last of me. I am comfortably fixed, and I am not afraid of the future." When he followed through with his retirement, fans from all over tributed and praised the fighters tremendous career. It took several days after the annoucement, for the city to stop talking about the fighterth After his retirement Marciano received some criticism about retiring without having fought Floyd Patterson. During Marciano's reign, Patterson was not a contender for a heavyweight title and he was not a ranked heavyweight. In fact, during Marciano's reign, Patterson fought mainly at the light heavyweight limit. Only after Marciano's retirement was Patterson officially moved from light heavyweight rankings to a heavyweight (he entered the rankings as number five on May 2, 1956), eventually winning the championship on November 30.

After boxing

Marciano considered a comeback in 1959 when Ingemar Johansson won the heavyweight championship from Floyd Patterson on June 26, 1959. After almost a month of training, Marciano decided against it and never seriously considered a comeback again. Patterson also had a rematch clause for a return bout with Johansson which would have complicated any attempt by Marciano to fight for the title.

After his retirement, Marciano invested in restaurants, though many of his investments (such as buying Florida wetlands) were disastrous. Many times, the money he gave to his friends was not repaid.

To make moeny, he hosted a weekly boxing show on TV for one year, made personal appearances at events, and worked as a troubleshooting referee in wrestling (Marciano was a good wrestler in high school). He continued as a referee and boxing commentator in boxing matches for many years.

In 1969, shortly before his death, Marciano participated in the filming of the fantasy, The Superfight: Marciano vs. Ali. The two boxers were filmed sparring, then the film was edited to match a computer simulation of a hypothetical fight between them, each in their prime. The bout was aired on Tuesday, January 20, 1970. More than 7,000 fans filled the Boston Garden to witness the airing, and shouts of "Long live Rocky" were heard from inside the arena. Marciano won by KO in 13

Death

In 1969, on the eve of his 46th birthday, Marciano was a passenger in a small private plane, a Cessna 172 ([1]) headed to Des Moines, Iowa. It was at night, and bad weather set in. The pilot, who was not certified to fly in such dangerous conditions, tried to set the plane down at a small airfield outside Newton, Iowa, but hit a tree two miles short of the runway. The plane was out of gas as well. Rocky, the young pilot, and another passenger (alleged Iowa mob boss Louis Fratto's son) were killed on impact. Marciano was on his way to give a speech to support a friend's son and there was a surprise birthday celebration waiting for him. He had hoped to return early morning for his 46th birthday celebration with his wife. He was coming from a dinner in Chicago at STP CEO Andy Granatelli's home where he reportedly gave Granatelli's son boxing lessons after he was being picked on in school. Marciano died intestate (without a will). He is interred in a crypt at Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. His wife, who died five years after him at the age of 46, is entombed next to him. His father died in March 1973, his mother died in early January 1986.

Legacy

In 1971, Ring magazine founder Nat Fleischer named Marciano as the tenth greatest heavyweight champion ever. In 1998, Ring magazine named Marciano as the sixth greatest heavyweight champion ever. In 2002, Ring Magazine numbered Marciano at #12 on the list of the 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years. In 2003, Ring Magazine rated Marciano #14 on the list of 100 greatest punchers of all time. In 2005, Marciano was named the fifth greatest heavyweight of all time by the International Boxing Research Organization. A 1977 ranking by Ring magazine listed Marciano as the greatest Italian-American fighter. In 2007, on ESPN.com's list of the 50 Greatest Boxers of All Time, Marciano was ranked #14. A 1968 radio computer simulation by Murry Woroner concluded that Marciano was the greatest heavyweight champion. Marciano holds the record for the longest undefeated streak by a heavyweight and for being the only World Heavyweight Champion to go undefeated throughout his career. This record was challenged by Larry Holmes in 1985 when Holmes went 48-0 before losing to Michael Spinks twice. Light heavyweight Dariusz Michalczewski also challenged Marciano when he was 48-0. Mexican legend Julio César Chávez holds the record for longest win streak with eighty-eight straight until he suffered a draw in 1993. Ricardo Lopez also retired undefeated in 2001 from the light flyweight division at 51-0-1.

There were other undefeated boxers throughout history, but many of them had at least one draw. Some of them were: the super middleweight Sven Ottke 34-0, middleweight Laszlo Papp 28-0-2, and a few others. Willie Pep, a lightweight, had a perfect 63-0 record before he was defeated. Packy McFarland was a lightweight (fighting between 1904-1915) who lost his first fight and then won his next 98.

Marciano was knocked down to the canvas only twice in his professional career. The first occurred in his first championship bout, against Jersey Joe Walcott and the second occurred against Archie Moore. On both occasions, he rose to knock his opponent out.

Marciano was named fighter of the year by Ring Magazine three times. His three championship fights between 1952-54 were named fights of the year by that magazine. In 2006, an ESPN poll voted Marciano's 1952 championship bout against Walcott as the greatest knockout ever. Marciano also received the Hickok Belt for top professional athlete of the year in 1952. In 1955, he was voted second most important American athlete of the year. Marciano is a member of the International Boxing Hall Of Fame.

See also

• List of heavyweight boxing champions
• List of male boxers
• List of notable boxing rivalries

References and Notes

• Skehan, E. 1999. Rocky Marciano. Robson Books. ISBN 0860512347
• Roberts, R. 2005. The Rock, the Curse, and the Hub: A Random History of Boston Sports. 2005. ISBN 0674015045

External links

• Rocky Marciano's Career Record
• Rocky Marciano // Official Website
• Check-Six.com - The Crash of Rocky Marciano's Cessna plane
• Rocky Marciano at the Internet Movie Database
• ESPN KO Poll
• Biography of Marciano

Preceded by: Jersey Joe Walcott

Heavyweight boxing champion Sept 23, 1952–Apr 27, 1956

Succeeded by: Floyd Patterson

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