Rocky Marciano

Boxalot · Joined: 07 May 2006 Posts: 3297

Rocky Marciano

Written by - Boxalot

September 1st, 1923 in Brockton, Massachusetts. The birth date of the only Heavyweight champion ever to leave a professional ring without suffering defeat. Rocky Marciano.

Coming from a working class family where his father, Pierino, worked in a shoe factory. He spent his teenage years working in many different jobs just so his mother, Pasqualena, could avoid poverty. He never even put boxing gloves on until he reached the grand old age of 20, and this was only because he was in the army, earning money to feed his starving parents.

In 1947, at the age of 24, Rocky made his professional debut against Lee Epperson. It was a 4 round fight and Rocky disposed of him in the 3rd round. Marciano KOÆd his first 16 opponents, 9 of them in the first round. The first man to take him the distance (this was a 10 round fight), was Don Mogard. Don weighed half a stone more than Rocky, but he still managed a comfortable UD.

In 1947, came the ôToughest fight of my careerö, according to the Brockton Blockbuster. It against Carmine Vingo at Madison Square Garden, New York. Rocky knocked him down for a 9 count in both the first and second rounds but Vingo was renowned for his chin and heart. In the 6th round came the final blow though. Vingo was KOÆd and the crowd were stunned. In this fight, such was the beating Carmine took, he suffered a brain haemorrhage. He eventually recovered but he would never fight again. A few months later he would fight the unbeaten and highly tipped Roland LaStarza. Rocky won a close split decision 9-6, 5-4, 4-5. Rocky was deducted a point in the 8th round for a low blow. Around a year later, Rocky defied the odds again. He was the considerable underdog against the Rex Layne. Layne was tipped as a future World Champion and was the 9/5 favourite. A thunderous right to the temple in the 6th round quickly sorted that out though!

A few months later he fought his idol. The hall of fame member, Joe Louis. Rocky didnÆt want this match but Louis needed the money. The fight finished in the 8th round when Louis crashed through the ropes after a sickening right to the head. After the fight, Rocky cried in the dressing room of Louis. He didnÆt want to fight him as he knew his idol was past his prime, but Joe needed the money.

In 1952 came RockyÆs big moment. It was his title fight against the legendary Jersey Joe Walcott. All of the fight Marciano struggled. It didnÆt look like lady luck was shining on him until 43 seconds into the 13th round. Behind on points, he unleashes arguably the greatest punch ever thrown, knocking Walcott unconscious. Needless to say, Joe was out for the count in a dramatic finale of the 1952 ring fight of the year.

He spent the next 3 years defending his world title, 6 times in total. He won the ring fight of the year 3 times in a row. 1952 against Walcott, where he won the title, 1953 against LaStarza, where he viciously KOÆd him in the 11th round and Æ54 against Ezzard Charles. It was that fight in Æ54 against Charles, for which I most fondly remember Marciano. Rocky was streets ahead on points going comfortably against the great Ezzard, when his nose was split in two. ItÆs not your average cut where your cut man can clean up the blood and you can carry on. Oh, no. This was probably the worst cut ever sustained in the ring. At the end of the 7th round, the referee said to Marciano and his corner, that he will stop the fight unless there was a knockout. Against his corners, and his doctorÆs advice, he ran out for the 8th round and smashed Charles to the floor. Ezzard got up at the count of two and looked like he was going to win the title, on cuts, but Rocky pulled the knockout out the bag. Not many, if any, other champions could have done that against a fighter with the skill and prowess of Charles.

His last fight came in 1955 against Archie Moore, the man with more KOÆs than any other fighter in history. Rocky was going to retire before this fight but Moore provoked him and got what he wanted. A fight for the Heavyweight championship of the world, in the Yankee Stadium, Bronx. Being a pressure fighter, Rocky took a serious amount of punches to both the head and body. For this reason, he was knocked down in the 2nd round. Such was the force of the punch, his corner was yelling at him to take an 8 count. Rocky though, being the warrior he is, got up at the count of 2, calling it a ôflash knockdownö. Moore was knocked down a sensational 5 times in this match, but the finishing blow came midway through the 9th round. This would be the last time Marciano ever competed in boxing.

His opposition is widely questioned, some saying he thought bums. Defending your title against Walcott, LaStarza, Ezzard Charles (twice), Don Cockell and Archie Moore is hardly what IÆd call ôBeating bumsö, is it?

After he retired, he invested in a number of businesses, mainly restaurants. As smart as he was, his businesses failed and he lost lots of money. He was also a kind, gentle, family man who lent large amounts of money to his friends, which was never returned. He also had his own weekly chat show, aired live on American TV, for a year. Just months before his tragic death, Rocky participated in a fantasy match up against the self proclaimed greatest, Muhammad Ali. Basically, they were filmed sparring and this was caught on computer, and the computer predicted who, in their prime, would have won. The fight was shown on Tuesday, January 20th, 1970. The winner? Marciano, TKO, 13th round.

He tragically died a few months later, never seeing the hypothetical fight with Ali. He was involved in a tragic plane crash, caused by bad weather on the way to Des Moines, Lowa. He was on his way to give a special speech for a friendÆs son, and it was on the eve of his 46th birthday.

He is the only Heavyweight who would end his last fight holding that magnificent belt high, above his head, with pride. He once said ôWhat would be better than walking down any street in any city and knowing youÆre a champion?ö

And thatÆs how you died, Rocky. As a champion.

dave · Posted: January 21 2007, 1:25 AM Post subject:

Cracking article mate.

Batman · Posted: February 01 2007, 19:50 PM Post subject: Re: Rocky Marciano

Boxalot wrote: He is the only Heavyweight who would end his last fight holding that magnificent belt high, above his head, with pride. No he wasn't. Gene Tunney and Lennox Lewis have also ended their careers as champions.

Boxalot · Joined: 07 May 2006 Posts: 3297

Batman wrote: Boxalot wrote: He is the only Heavyweight who would end his last fight holding that magnificent belt high, above his head, with pride. No he wasn't. Gene Tunney and Lennox Lewis have also ended their careers as champions.

I was just testing you... :whistle: :wink:

WelshDevilRob · Joined: 29 Jan 2006 Posts: 13405 Location: Cardiff, Wales

A decent fighter in a weak era. Someone like Lennox Lewis would have sparked him-out cold :whistle: