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Rocky Marciano
File:Rocky Marciano.jpg
Born	Rocco Francis Marchegiano (1923-09-01)September 1, 1923 Brockton, Massachusetts
Died	August 31, 1969(1969-08-31) (aged 45) Des Moines, Iowa
Nationality	American
Other names	The Brockton Blockbuster The Rock from Brockton
Statistics
Weight(s)	Heavyweight
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	49
Wins	49
Wins by KO	43
Losses	0
Draws	0
No contests	0

Rocky Marciano (September 1 1923 – August 31 1969), born Rocco Francis Marchegiano, was the heavyweight champion of the world from 1952 to 1956. Marciano, with forty-three knockouts to his credit (an 87.76% knockout rate), remains the only heavyweight champion in boxing history to retire having won every fight in his professional career.

Biography

Early years

Marciano, an Italian-American, was born and raised in Brockton, Massachusetts to Pierino and Pasqualina Marchegiano. Rocky had 3 sisters -- Alice, Concetta, and Elizabeth 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 shoemaker. Rocky was also a resident of Hanson, Massachusetts where the house he lived in still stands on Main St.

In March of 1943, Marciano was drafted into the army for a term of two years. Stationed in Wales, he helped ferry supplies across the English Channel to Normandy. After the war ended he completed his service in March 1946 at Fort Lewis, Washington.

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. His amateur years, with an 11-3 record, would be the last time Marciano experienced a loss.

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 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.

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 notched a win over Harry Bilizarian. He won all his first sixteen bouts by knockout, all before the fifth round, and nine before the first round was over.

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

Early in his career, 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.

He won three more fights by knockout, and then he met Ted Lowry, who, 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 in November 1950 and it too went the scheduled ten round distance. Four more knockout wins followed his first fight with Lowry, including a five rounder on December 19, 1949 with Phil Muscato, an experienced heavyweight from Buffalo, NY, and the first "name fighter" Marciano would oppose. Three weeks after that fight Rocky beat Carmine Vingo in a fifth round knockout in New York that almost killed Vingo. When Rocky next fought in late March 1950, he gained a hard-fought ten-round decision victory over the fighter who would become his 1953 world title challenger Roland La Starza. The victory over La Starza was extremely close. Marciano won 6-4 on all scorecards.

Marciano 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 decision win over Red Applegate late April 1951, 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. Marciano defeated Louis in what would be the latter's last career bout, a result that left him with mixed emotions as Louis had been the idol of his childhood.

Championship

After four more wins, including victories over Lee Savold and Harry Matthews, Marciano faced world heavyweight champion, 38-year-old Jersey Joe Walcott in Philadelphia on September 23, 1952. Walcott dropped Marciano in the first round and steadily built a points lead, but in the thirteenth Marciano's "Suzie Q" right cross put Walcott down. Walcott could not beat the count and Marciano was the new world heavyweight champion. His first defense came a year later against Walcott, who this time was knocked out in the first round. Next, it was Roland La Starza's turn to challenge Marciano. After building a small lead on the judges' scorecards all the way to the middle rounds, Marciano won by a technical knockout in the eleventh round.

Then came two consecutive bouts against former world heavyweight champion and light-heavyweight legend Ezzard Charles, who became the only man to ever last fifteen rounds against Marciano. Marciano won the first fight on points and the second by an eight-round knockout. Then, Marciano met British and European champion, Don Cockell. Marciano knocked him out in the ninth.

Marciano's last title bout was against Archie Moore on September 21, 1955. The bout was originally scheduled for September 20, but because of hurricane warnings it had to be moved to the 21st. Marciano was knocked down for a two count in the second round, but Marciano 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.

Marciano announced his retirement on April 271956.

After boxing

Marciano considered a comeback in 1959 when Ingemar Johansson won the heavyweight championship from Floyd Patterson on June 26, 1959. After only a month of training in 3 years, Marciano decided against it and never seriously considered a comeback again.

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.

He hosted a weekly boxing show on TV for one year. For a brief period, he 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 late July of 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 January 20, 1970. 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 () 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. Marciano died intestate.

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. Julio César Chávez holds the record for longest win streak with eighty-eight straight until he suffered a draw in 1993. Willie Pep, a featherweight, 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, though he never won the lightweight title.

Throughout history, only a few boxers have retired without a defeat. Super middleweight Sven Ottke was 34-0 when he retired. A few boxers have retired undefeated but did suffer draws. Ji Won Kim retired as an undefeated super bantamweight champion in 1986 with a 16-0-2 record, Ricardo Lopez retired in 2001 at 51-0-1, and middleweight Laszlo Papp was 28-0-2.

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's punch was tested and it was featured in the December 1963 issue of Boxing Illustrated: "Marciano's knockout blow packs more explosive energy than an armour-piercing bullet and represents as much energy as would be required to spot lift 1000 pounds one foot off the ground."

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.

In popular culture

• Numerous books have been written about Marciano, including Rocky Marciano, Biography of a First Son.

• Marciano was the subject of the 1999 made-for-TV film, Rocky Marciano as well as Marciano in 1979. In the movie Rocky, Rocky Balboa's trainer, Mickey, told him that his boxing style and heart reminded him of Marciano. In Rocky V, a flashback shows Mickey giving Rocky a necklace with a gold cufflink shaped like a boxing glove that he said was given to him by Rocky Marciano.

• Marciano has also been the subject of several paintings and is on a commemorative US postage stamp issued in 1999.

• In the Japanese Anime, Hajime no Ippo, the character Takeshi Sendo models himself after Rocky Marciano. He is also called in his hometown the Naniwa Rocky after Rocky Balboa but Sendo himself stated that he accepted the nickname for Rocky Marciano.

Professional boxing record

See also

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

References and Notes

1. Skehan, Everett M. (1977). Rocky Marciano: Biography of a first son. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin. p. 39. ISBN 039525356X.
2. Skehan, Everett M. (1977). Rocky Marciano: Biography of a first son. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin. p. 70. ISBN 039525356X.
3. Skehan, Everett M. (1977). Rocky Marciano: Biography of a first son. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin. p. 66. ISBN 039525356X.
4. Mullan, Harry (1996). Boxing: The Definitive Illustrated Guide to World Boxing. London, England: Carlton Books. p. 81. ISBN 0785806415.
5. Skehan, Everett M. (1977). Rocky Marciano: Biography of a first son. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin. p. 257. ISBN 039525356X.
6. The Ring Online (September, 1971). "Classic Columns". Retrieved January 18, 2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
7. International Boxing Research Organization (March, 2005). "All Time Rankings". Retrieved January 18, 2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)

External links

• Boxing record for Rocky Marciano from BoxRec (registration required)
• Rocky Marciano // Official Website
• Check-Six.com - The Crash of Rocky Marciano's Cessna plane
• Rocky Marciano at IMDb
• ESPN Greatest Ever KO Poll
• Biography of Marciano
• Marciano feature from SPORT magazine
• Marciano refereeing a wrestling match

• 1923 births
• 1969 deaths
• American boxers
• American Roman Catholics
• American military personnel of World War II
• Heavyweights
• Italian-American sportspeople
• People from Plymouth County, Massachusetts
• Professional wrestling referees
• Plane crash victims in the United States
• Italian American boxers
• WBA Champions
• World Heavyweight Champions