Rocky Marciano

[H2O Man]

(8-31) ESPN-Classic will be featuring films of the career of the great heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano from 9am to 4 pm est. Today is, of course, the 40th anniversary of his tragic death at the age of 45, in an airplane crash.

Rocco Francis Marchegiano is one of the great sport's legendary fighters. He was 5'10" tall, had a 67" reach, and weighed 188 pounds at his best. Yet, although he was a cruiserweight by today's standards, he competed against the biggest men of his era. At least 11 opponents entered the ring at over 200 pounds, including one who weighed 254.

Teddy Atlas has called "The Rock" boxing's most under-rated and over-rated fighter. I fully agree with that. Marciano is often viewed by "experts" as being too small and clumsy to compete against more recent heavyweight champions. Baloney. He beat Ezzard Charles and Jersey Joe Walcott twice. Again, "experts" dismiss these victories, because of Charles' and Walcott's age. Yet, both were close to their primes as heavyweights when they fought Rocky. In fact, in both cases, their first fight against Rocky was one of their very best performances.

Walcott "got old" immediately after losing his title to Marciano. This was the result of their first fight taking so much out of him. Charles split Rocky's nose -- one of the ugliest injuries in boxing -- in their return match. He would have won by TKO, if he lasted through the 8th round. But Marciano found a way to knock him out, as he was aware that the doctor and his corner had wanted to stop the fight after the 7th round, but were convinced by the Rocky to give him three more minutes.

Still, there is some mythology that his biggest fans subscribe to. Rocky is famous for being the only heavyweight champion to retire undefeated. In fact, he lost five of his first ten professional fights. His manager "removed" those loses, and although there are records of the dates of the fights, Marciano's pay, and even photos and local newspaper reports, his legend remains accepted by many "experts." More, while a contender, one of his fights at Madison Square Garden was ruled a draw by the officials. The promoter overruled their scoring, and awarded Marciano a "split-decision." Rocky did KO the opponent in a return match. Yet, in his prime, he was underfeated. At his best, he beat every opponent. And he was smart enough to retire on top.

Marciano planned a comeback, after Ingemar Johansson knocked Floyd Patterson out for the title. Many people believed that Ingemar would flatten Floyd in their return match, and Marciano was preparing to challenge him after that. Of course, Patterson regained the title. He eventually lost it to Sonny Liston. In Howard Cosell's first book, he tells about visiting Liston's training camp with Rocky. Boxing fans will recall that Liston was an intimidating figure, and Cosell found him unwilling to talk. He told Marciano to approach Liston. Rocky responded, "Knock it off. You're the professional announcer. I'm just a washed-up, out-of-shape ex-fighter. I want no part of it. You think I'm nuts?"

One of my associates from the boxing world is working with the Marciano family and friends, on a memorial for Rocky in Brockton, Mass. I'm honored that he has asked me for some imput, as I have studied Rocky's career and life outside the ring. I think that Marciano is one of the sporting world's most fascinating characters, and hope DUers have an opportunity to watch some of the ESPN coverage of his career today.

[trumad]

1. Wow---I didn't know about his early losses..

Plus--- I have to rate his name--Rocky Marciano as one of the best boxing names ever.

[H2O Man]

3. It wasn't rare.

The records of a number of great fighters, including guys like Walcott, Basilio, and Archie Moore, are "incomplete." Marciano wasn't considered a sure thing early in his career, and his manager knew he needed to promote him as something special. It turned out that his manager was right -- the guy was something special. At his best, you can make a strong argument that he would have destroyed anyone his own size, and most fighters who were larger. After their sparring for the infamous "computer fight," Ali said he was surprised how strong Marciano was, and how hard he hit. (Marciano also said Ali was much more skilled than he had anticipated, but, true to form, said he'd have KOed Ali in his prime. While I don't agree, I admire Rocky's sense of self-confidence.)

Another interesting thing is that in an era long before Rocky, boxing was illegal in NYS. Hence, the records of all the boxers who competed here are incomplete. Of course, boxing was very common, despite the laws. One of the things that I've worked on is documenting as many of those fights -- some of which had lots of press -- though much of it is long lost.

I never tire of watching Rocky's fights. He stands with the all-time greatest fighters.

[sandnsea]

6. Hey, new grandbaby

My son says

"He's already learning to keep his hands up!" lol.

[joeybee12]

7. Awwwwwwwwwwwwww n/t

[H2O Man]

8. Great!!!

[Condem]

2. Without Googling, I believe the plane crash was in Iowa. No?

I had no idea either, about the early fights.

[H2O Man]

4. Yes, Iowa.

It's hard to think of it being 40 years ago. But I remember that day quite clearly. At the time, I did not consider 45 to be young, though I've changed my mind in the years since.

Rocky loved to fly, and he loved to take chances. I've read accounts of people who had the opportunity (and near misfortune) to ride in cars when Rocky was driving. The normal rules of the road meant nothing to him. He would turn around on an interstate, if he missed his exit, and drive back, going the wrong way in traffic. If his passengers found it unnerving, Rocky apparently thought it was amusing. He had a sense of being indestructable. Small wonder, in terms of his ring experience.

There are likewise numerous stories about his taking pleasure in what others considered high-risk flights. It finally caught up to him. He was supposed to be in Des Moines. He often over-scheduled, because of his desire to pack in as much living as possible. If I remember correctly, due to weather conditions, experienced pilots did not want to fly. So Rocky got an inexperienced pilot. The weather forced that pilot, who was not certified for the flight, to attempt to land near Newton. He hit a tree a ways before the small runway.

[Redbear]

5. Whenver I hear about Rocky Marciano I think of the "Superfight" vs. Ali

I thought the film was a fascinating idea.

[H2O Man]

9. There had been

a "tournament" of the heavyweight champions first, though without any film. That inspired the Marciano vs Ali "fight." As you probably know, there were different outcomes, depending upon where one lived.

[hughee99]

10. Brockton's High school sports teams are nicknamed the "Boxers"

in tribute to him, and the football team plays at Rocky Marciano Stadium.

The minor league baseball team, the Brockton Rox, I believe is also named after him, and they've retired #49 for Marciano and #62 for Brockton native Marvelous Marvin Hagler (their "official" win totals).

[H2O Man]

11. That's good.

I'm sure that most sports fans know that Rocky wanted to be a professional baseball player. Boxing wasn't his first choice. And, as much as I like baseball, I have to say that I'm glad he ended up boxing! (Probably safe to say that the guys he fought wish he was playing ball.)

It's also good that Brockton honors Hagler. Being home to two legends of the ring is impressive.