Rocky Marciano

Rocco Francis Marchegiano (September 1, 1923 – August 31, 1969), better known as Rocky Marciano, was a boxer who holds the distinction of being the only heavyweight champion to retire undefeated and was commonly known as the "Brockton Blockbuster."

Boxing career

Rocky had been urged by a teacher to attend a vocational center in Brockton, and realized he had few working skills. Rocky found work as a chute man on delivery trucks for the Brockton Ice and Coal Company. Later Rocky's father was able to get him a job as a shoe salesman. When Rocky was 20, he was called up by the United States Army to serve in England. However, World War II was drawing to an end, and Rocky was flown back to the States.

Related Topics:
United States Army - England - World War II

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Amateur circuit

While awaiting discharge from the army, Rocky decided to take part in an amateur boxing competition, where he represented the Army and won. Upon being given a month's furlough from the Army, Rocky went back home and bragged about his newly found talent to his family and friends. It was his uncle who told him about a boxer who was looking for an opponent, and that maybe Rocky fitted the bill. The boxer was Henry Lester, a Golden Gloves champion. Rocky did not seem to care that his opponent was an award-winning amateur and took on Lester. Rocky was lucky it wasn't an official bout because, according to people present, he was on his way to defeat when he hit Lester in the groin and was disqualified. Rocky was so embarrassed by this fight and the newspapers' accounts of it that, when he went back to the military facilities, he started concentrating solely on his boxing training.

Related Topics:
Henry Lester - Golden Gloves

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His next big opportunity was the national AAU championships. Rocky won his first two bouts by knockouts in the first round, but by the third bout, his knuckles were damaged, and he lost by decision for the championship. His hand later required surgery because of the injuries, and the doctor who performed the surgery, a Japanese friend of his, told him he would "never make it as a Heavyweight".

Related Topics:
AAU - Japanese

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By then Rocky was playing semi-pro baseball, and he was signed by the Chicago Cubs to a minor league contract. But, while playing on a minor league team, he heard his coach say that none of the players on his team would ever make it to the big leagues. Rocky took this personally and soon returned to Brockton, where he felt dejected by the whole baseball system and started training with his sights set on becoming a professional boxer. There, longtime friend Allie Collombo became his trainer and put Rocky on a very strong training regimen.

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Professional career

On March 17, 1947, Rocky finally stepped into the ring as a professional competitor for the first time. That night, he beat Lee Epperson by a knockout in three rounds. He won all his first sixteen bouts by knockout, all but one before the fourth round, and nine before the first round was over. On May 23, 1949, Don Mogard became the first boxer to last the distance with The Rock, but Rocky won by decision.

Related Topics:
March 17 - 1947 - Lee Epperson - Knockout - May 23 - 1949 - Don Mogard

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He won three more by knockout, and then he met Ted Lowry, who, according to many scribes and witnesses, probably managed to take three or four of the ten rounds away from Rocky. Nevertheless, Rocky kept his winning streak alive by beating Lowry by decision. Four more knockout wins followed, and then another hard-fought ten-round decision victory, over his future world title challenger Roland LaStarza. He won three more knockouts in a row before a rematch with Lowry. Marciano again won, by unanimous decision. After that, he won four more by knockout and, after a win in six over Red Applegate, he was showcased on national TV for the first time, when he knocked out Rex Layne in six rounds on July 12, 1951. One more win, and he was again on national TV, this time against Joe Louis.

Related Topics:
Ted Lowry - Roland LaStarza - Red Applegate - Rex Layne - July 12 - 1951 - Joe Louis

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In Louis' last career bout, Marciano won by a knockout in the eighth round. Louis had always been a hero to Rocky. He said one of his fondest memories as a youth was listening to Louis's bouts on the radio. He felt so bad having to kayo his idol that he broke down and wept in his dressing room after the fight. Marciano later told a reporter, "If I had fought Joe ten years ago, he could have beat me with his eyes closed". After that series of wins, Marciano was a ranked as a 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 World's Heavyweight Champion. 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, it was LaStarza's turn to challenge Marciano, and after building a small lead on the judges' scorecards all the way to the middle rounds, LaStarza was knocked out in eleven by the champion. Then came former world Heavyweight champion Ezzard Charles, who Marciano beat by a decision in their first bout. Ezzard Charles was the only man to ever last fifteen rounds against Marciano and 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 Cocknell, beat him in nine rounds, and in his last bout, Marciano got up off the canvas in round two to retain his title by a knockout in nine against the equally-legendary Light-Heavyweight Champion of the World, Archie Moore.

Related Topics:
Lee Savold - Harry Matthews - Jersey Joe Walcott - Philadelphia - September 23 - 1952 - Ezzard Charles - British - European - Don Cocknell - Archie Moore

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