Rocky Marciano - BoxRec Rocky Marciano Hall of Fame bio: click World Boxing Hall of Fame Inductee Name: Rocky Marciano Birth Name: Rocco Francis Marchegiano Born: 1923-09-01 Height: 5′ 10½″ / 179cm Reach: 68″ / 173cm Rocky Marciano Gallery Rocky Marciano was born Rocco Francis Marchegiano on September 1, 1923, in Brockton, Massachusetts. Marciano was World Heavyweight Champion from 1952 to 1956, and he is the only World Heavyweight Champion to retire undefeated. Marciano was the first of six children born to Perrino and Pasqualena Marchegiano. Before dropping out of high school to make a few bucks — as a gardener, delivery boy, laborer for the gas company, and leather tanner at the shoe factory where his father worked — he starred in football and baseball. In 1947, Marciano had a tryout with the Chicago Cubs as a catcher but was let go because he couldn't make the throw from home plate to second base with accuracy.

Marciano didn't take up boxing until after he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1943. He took up the sport mainly as a way to avoid KP duty (assisting the cooks) and other less desirable activities, but he showed a natural ability and fought as an amateur following his discharge in 1946. After being discharged, Marciano visited an old Army buddy, Joe Sarelli, in Chicago. Sarelli's father, who was connected to the fight game, agreed to assess Marciano's potential as a fighter. "His father took me to a gym in Chicago's Loop," Marciano recalled. "For three days, I hit the big bag and the little bag. I skipped rope and shadow boxed. At the end of the workouts, Joe's father sat down with me. He told me, 'Rocky, why don't you go home and forget about being a fighter. You'll too small to be a heavyweight. You'll never make it.'" Marciano, fighting under the name "Rocky Mack" in order to maintain his amateur standing, turned professional on March 17, 1947 , with a third-round knockout of Lee Epperson.

Marciano then returned to the amateurs, where he fought under his real name. On March 1, 1948, at the New York Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions, Marciano was on the short end of an unpopular split decision to Coley Wallace in what would be the last loss of his boxing career. In his last amateur fight, Marciano outpointed George McInnis to win the New England AAU Heavyweight Championship on March 22, 1948. Marciano did not move on to the nationals because of a fractured thumb. He finished his amateur career with a record of either 9-4, with 7 knockouts. Marciano had been told that a manager based out of New York could do more for him than one in New England, so he went to New York City and met with Al Weill , who had previously managed Lou Ambers , Joey Archibald and Marty Servo . Weill telephoned trainer Charley Goldman and told him to set up a sparring session so they could gauge Marciano’s potential. Later that day, Marciano stepped into the ring at a CYO gym on 17th Street in Manhattan with a heavyweight named Wade Chancey .

“Al and I often looked over green kids who thought they could become fighters,” Goldman reminisced years later. “I’ll eat my derby hat if I ever saw anyone cruder than Rocky. He was so awkward that we stood there and laughed. He didn’t stand right. He didn’t throw a punch right. He didn’t block right. He didn’t do anything right. Then he hit Chancey with a roundhouse right which nearly put a hole in the guy’s head, and I told Weill that maybe I could do something with him.” Goldman explained to his assistant, Angelo Dundee , that although Marciano lacked height and finesse, he had great punching power. Dundee said, "Charley taught the technique that if you are short, you make yourself smaller. Charley let him bend his knees to a deep knee squat. He was able to punch from that position, come straight up from the bag and hit a heck of a shot ...

It was just bang-bang-bang-bang-BANG and get him outta there." With Weill as his manager and Goldman as his trainer, Marciano, who changed his name from Marchegiano at Weill's suggestion (he said it was too hard to pronounce), won his second pro fight with a first-round knockout of Harry Bilazarian on July 12, 1948 . Weill became matchmaker for the International Boxing Club in May 1949. Since many state athletic commissions had a conflict-of-interest rule that precluded a matchmaker from managing a fighter, his stepson, Marty Weill, became Marciano's manager of record. In August 1952, Weill resigned as matchmaker and returned as Marciano's official manager. Marciano won his first sixteen professional fights by knockout, but there were those who still didn't think much would become of him. Goody Petronelli , trainer of Marvin Hagler , caught one of Marciano's early fights and recalled for Sports Illustrated , "I never thought he'd make it. He was too old, almost 25. He was too short, he was too light. He had no reach.

Rough and tough, but no finesse." After twenty-five straight wins, Marciano fought Roland LaStarza , who was 37-0, on March 24, 1950 . Marciano, a slight underdog, won by a ten-round split decision. On October 26, 1951 , with 37 wins and 32 knockouts under his belt, Marciano faced former World Heavyweight Champion Joe Louis and knocked him out in the eighth round. Louis was his boyhood idol, and Marciano cried in Louis's dressing room after the fight. Five fights later, on September 23, 1952 , Marciano got a shot at World Heavyweight Champion Jersey Joe Walcott . In the thirteenth round, behind on points, Marciano knocked Walcott out with a short right to the jaw to win the championship. Marciano's first title defense was a rematch with Walcott. On May 15, 1953 , he knocked Walcott out in the first round. Marciano's second title defense was another rematch. On September 24, 1953 , he knocked out Roland LaStarza in eleven rounds.

On June 17, 1954 , Marciano defeated Ezzard Charles by a fifteen-round unanimous decision. Afterwards, Marciano said, "It was my toughest fight." Marciano fought Charles again on September 17, 1954 , and almost lost the championship. In the sixth round, Charles cut Marciano's nose so badly that his corner couldn't stop the bleeding. With the ring doctor watching the cut closely and considering stopping the fight, Marciano came on strong in the eighth round and knocked Charles out. Marciano defended his title against Don Cockell on May 16, 1955 , knocking him out in nine rounds. His sixth and final title defense was against Archie Moore on September 21, 1955 . Marciano was dropped in the second round, but he came back to knock Moore out in the ninth round. On April 27, 1956, Marciano retired from boxing at the age of 31. "I am retiring because of my wife and baby,” Marciano said in his retirement statement. "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." Friends of Marciano have said his physical condition also played a part in his decision to retire. Marciano had fought with a ruptured disc in his back since August 1949 and had suffered from an arthritic right elbow since 1951. Many believe the main reason Marciano retired was because of his relationship with manager Al Weill. In April 1956, the chief investigator for the California Governor's special committee investigating boxing accused promoter Jimmy Murray of shortchanging Marciano and Don Cockell in their title fight and paying $10,000 "on the side" to Weill. Both Murray and Weill denied the allegations. Marciano allegedly said, "I don't care what it cost me, but I will never fight for this guy [Weill] again and let him scalp me." On August 31, 1969, one day shy of what would have been his forty-sixth birthday, Marciano boarded a small plane with the pilot and one other passenger for a flight from Chicago to a speaking engagement in Des Moines, Iowa.

The plane crashed in a field near Newton, Iowa, killing all three men on board. Marciano was survived by his wife of 19 years, Barbara, and their two children, Mary Anne and Rocco Kevin. Contents Record: 9-4, with 7 knockouts April 15, 1946 - Henry Lester, L DQ 3 1947 National Junior AAU Heavyweight Championship in Portland, Oregan. Results: Aug 22 - Frederic Ross, KO 1 Aug 23 - Richard Jarvis, KO 1 Aug 23 - Joe DeAngelis , L 3 1947 Massachusetts State Amateur Heavyweight Championship in Boston, Massachusetts. Results: Jan 17 - Jim Connolly, KO 1 Jan 17 - Bob Girard, L 3 1948 Massachusetts/Rhode Island Golden Gloves Heavyweight Championship in Lowell, Massachusetts. Results: Feb 2 - Dan Solomont, TKO 1 Feb 9 - Charles Mortimer, KO 3 1948 New England Tournament of Champions in Lowell, Massacusetts.

Results Feb 17 - Ralph Piscopo, WO (Piscopo didn't show up) Feb 18 - George McInnis, TKO 1 1948 All Eastern Coast Golden Gloves Championship in Brooklyn, New York. Result: Mar 1 - Coley Wallace , L 3 1948 New England AAU Heavyweight Championship in Boston, Massachusetts. Results: Mar 22 - Sal Fichera, KO 3 Mar 22 - George McInnis - W 3 Record Issues: Some sources say Marciano knocked out Joe Sidlaskis in the first round on February 2, 1948, as part of the Massachusetts/Rhode Island Golden Gloves Tournament. However, Victor Sidlaskas, not Joe Sidlaskis, competed in the novice division, while Marciano fought in the open division. Some reports incorrectly list Sal Fichera as Fred Fischera and George McInnis as George McGinnis. Marciano's bouts against Fichera and McInnis have incorrectly been reported as being part of the Olympic Trials.

Awards and Recognition Ranking the 10 Greatest Heavyweight Fights in Boxing History | Bleacher Report Ranking the 10 Greatest Heavyweight Fights in Boxing History Featured Columnist IVDecember 31, 2016 Ranking the 10 Greatest Heavyweight Fights in Boxing History 1 of 11 DAVE PICKOFF/Associated Press The heavyweight division has shown true signs of life as 2015 begins. Already, in January, Deontay Wilder has brought a piece of the world title back to the United States, having captured the WBC strap from Bermane Stiverne. In April, undefeated U.S. contender Bryant Jennings will challenge the true world champion, Wladimir Klitschko, in Madison Square Garden, the Mecca of Boxing . Still, what fans my age and older truly hunger for is a heavyweight classic. Nothing in sports compares to a heavyweight boxing war in terms of true epic drama and heroism. This was a fun one to write, but a tough one to narrow down. Among the most notable omissions are Jim Jeffries vs.

Tom Sharkey I, Jack Dempsey's return bout with Gene Tunney, Rocky Marciano's first fight with Ezzard Charles, Evander Holyfield's second fight with Riddick Bowe and Buster Douglas' shocking upset of Mike Tyson. 10. Rocky Marciano KO 13 Joe Walcott, September 23, 1952 2 of 11 Jersey Joe Walcott was a brilliant technical fighter and one of the most underrated heavyweights in history. Even as an ancient champion, he remained a supreme matador. The unrefined Rocky Marciano, with the shortest reach of any man to ever hold the heavyweight crown, was a lunging yet ultimately very dangerous young bull. I've heard this fight described as all Walcott, up until Marciano pulled victory from defeat in Round 13 with one stunning right hand. The full story was much more compelling. While Walcott was well ahead on the cards entering the championship rounds, it had been a bruising, back-and-forth affair. Marciano's relentless pressure and body attack chipped away at Walcott, as can be seen in the video included here, which starts at Round 10.

At that point in the fight, it looked like Marciano might have slowed down the champion enough to reel him in, especially when he jolted him with a hard shot at the bell. Then Walcott somehow came out as strong as ever in Round 11 and began to once more separate himself from his determined challenger. Ultimately, of course, it is Marciano's Round 13, one-punch KO that puts this fight on this list. Marciano made his legend, in part, by coming back when he was down. Never did he do it in more dramatic fashion than in this fight. 9. Ike Ibeabuchi UD 12 David Tua, June 7, 1997 3 of 11 David Tua was one of the most exciting heavyweights of the 1990s, which was one of the best decades in the history of that division. He had one of the best chins ever and a monster left hook. He fought as recently as 2013. Ike Ibeabuchi is one of the sport's great what-ifs.

His professional record remains 20-0 with 15 KOs, but his career ended in 1999 , when he was imprisoned for sexual assault. When the two faced off in 1997, it was an eagerly anticipated showdown between two undefeated and rising contenders. Tua had recently knocked out future champion John Ruiz in the first round. For Ibeabuchi, Tua represented a step up. The result was the busiest heavyweight fight in the history of CompuBox records , with the two combining for 1,730 punches. And these were mostly power punches, with neither man taking a step back. 8. Floyd Patterson KO 6 Ingemar Johansson, March 13, 1961 4 of 11 Floyd Patterson was the 1952 Olympic gold medalist as a middleweight. As a professional, he was tutored by Cus D'Amato in the same tricky and dangerous peek-a-boo style that D'Amato would later train Mike Tyson to employ.

After Rocky Marciano retired, Patterson knocked out Archie Moore in 1955, to capture the vacant heavyweight title and become the youngest heavyweight champion in history at age 21. Ingemar Johansson was not a technician in Patterson's class, but the No. 1 contender from Sweden did possess a huge right hand, nicknamed Thor's Hammer. In his first battle with Patterson, he floored the champ seven times and won the belt by Round 3 TKO. A year later, Patterson evened the score with a Round 5 KO. The stage was set for a rubber match. Things looked bad for Patterson early in the third fight, as Johansson dropped him twice in the first round, firing heavy right hands over the top of Patterson's jab. After the second knockdown, Patterson got up and went on the attack. He connected and knocked Johansson down at the end of the round. The next five rounds unfolded at a brutal pace, with Patterson hammering away at Johansson's body and sapping the power from his big right hand. In Round 6, Patterson put his rival down for the count. 7.

Jack Dempsey KO 2 Luis Angel Firpo, September 14, 1923 5 of 11 This heavyweight title tilt between "the Manassa Mauler" Jack Dempsey and "the Wild Bull of the Pampas" Luis Angel Firpo was almost certainly the most exciting and violent four minutes in the history of the sport. In that short period of time, the two combatants combined for an astonishing 11 knockdowns. Fighting before a crowd of 80,000 at the old Polo Grounds in New York City, the action started almost immediately, as Firpo dropped the champion to his knee with a right hand early in the round. Dempsey then rose and proceeded to batter Firpo, knocking him down seven times. This was prior to the change in rules that requires a fighter to retreat to a neutral corner when his opponent is down. So after each knockdown, Dempsey continued to loom over Firpo, resuming the shellacking as soon as the tough Argentine was again upright. Then, near the end of the first round, Firpo landed another huge punch, knocking Dempsey completely out of the ring.

Dempsey just managed to beat the count and save his title. Dempsey dropped Firpo twice more in Round 2, the second time for good. 6. George Foreman KO 5 Ron Lyle, January 24, 1976 6 of 11 This was George Foreman's return fight after dropping the title to Muhammad Ali. In his own previous fight, Ron Lyle had stopped the dangerous Earnie Shavers. When these two big punchers faced off in early 1976, they turned in one of the wildest, back-and-forth slugfests in boxing history. Lyle came out aggressively and nearly stopped the former champion in the first round. Foreman came back to stagger Lyle in Round 2. Round 4 was one of the best single rounds in boxing history. Lyle dropped Foreman early in the round. The former champion climbed off the canvas to return the favor, but Lyle got up and knocked Foreman down a second time before the round was over. As Round 5 began, Lyle looked to finish off his damaged opponent, and for a moment, it looked like he might be able to do it, as he staggered Foreman.

But Big George came roaring back, trapping Lyle in the corner and putting him down for good with a barrage of punches. 5. Riddick Bowe UD 12 Evander Holyfield, November 13, 1992 7 of 11 Both of the first two fights between Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe were classics. Although the second fight, which Holyfield won via majority decision, was closer on the cards, the first bout was a full step above it in excitement. Virtually every second of all 12 rounds was hard-fought, with the tenacious Holyfield coming inside on the much larger Bowe and trading heavy punches, back and forth. For one night, at least, Bowe lived up to his tremendous potential. In the best physical condition of his career, he matched Holyfield's relentless pace, managing to outwork him and clearly win the decision. In this fight, Holyfield once again proved that he was one of the toughest pound-for-pound fighters in history. For his part, Bowe seemed destined to become one of the division's legends. Sadly, he never ended up reaching that level.

But for fans of my age, the first two bouts between Holyfield and Bowe are our consolation for not being quite old enough to remember the Ali-Frazier rivalry. 4. Joe Frazier UD 15 Muhammad Ali, March 8, 1971 8 of 11 In terms of pure cultural and historical significance, this fight ranks behind only Joe Louis-Max Schmeling II and, perhaps, Jack Johnson vs. Jim Jeffries. When this fight took place, Ali had recently returned from a three-year exile, brought on by his refusal to be inducted into the military during Vietnam. His stand had made him a hero to the civil rights and anti-war movements. Frazier, more conservative by temperament, was unfairly cast into the role of Ali's foil, as the champion of the establishment. Even without the social and political turmoil surrounding the fight, it would have been a classic. For the first time in history, two undefeated heavyweight champions faced off. In the ring, the fight surpassed all the hype. Ali started at a blistering pace, carrying the first three rounds. But Frazier's relentless determination paid off, as his body attack gradually slowed Ali down as the rounds wore on.

In Round 11, Frazier hurt Ali badly, buckling his legs. It was clear that the momentum of the fight had shifted toward Frazier. In Round 15, he stunned the world by dropping Ali with his legendary left hook, securing the signature win of his great career. 3. Larry Holmes SD 15 Ken Norton, June 9, 1978 9 of 11 Fighting to replace a legend, Larry Holmes and Ken Norton turned in one of boxing's legendary fights. Holmes was a former sparring partner of Muhammad Ali. In March 1978, he had shut out tough Earnie Shavers over 12 full rounds. With an exquisite jab, a granite chin and solid power, he seemed like the perfect heir to Ali. Norton had been among Ali's toughest rivals, beating him once and losing twice more in close fights that fans still argue about today. When Ali retired in 1978, Norton and Holmes were the natural choices to contend for the vacant belt. Norton was one of the division's great pure athletes of all time.

The ex-Marine employed great ring generalship in this fight, using his own jab to pressure Holmes and give the young rising star all he could handle in round after round. What sets the fight apart in particular was the astonishing final round. After fighting through a grueling 14 rounds, the two warriors somehow managed to each find deeper reserves within themselves and battled ferociously down the stretch in Round 15. The scorecards couldn't have been closer, with all three judges scoring the two fighters just a single point apart. 2. Joe Jeannette TKO 49 Sam McVea, April 17, 1909 10 of 11 Fought in Paris for what was billed as the "World Colored Heavyweight Championship," this fight was surely the most brutal bout of the 20th century. It was a fight to the finish, meaning it could only be won by knockout. That finish took well over three hours and 48 full rounds. A lot about the fight is frankly shrouded in myth. The excellent Boxrec entry on this fight details conflicting reports for the total number of knockdowns during the fight, with some sources claiming as many as 38.

All sources completely agree that this fight was a brutal, marathon affair, with neither man willing to quit or yield. McVea battered Jeannette in the first two-thirds of the bout, with Jeannette finally coming on strong and forcing his opponent to finally quit after both of his eyes had swollen shut. As a sports fan and humanitarian, I am glad that fights like this no longer happen. But I also cannot help but admire the grit of any two men who could pull this off. 1. Muhammad Ali TKO 14 Joe Frazier, October 1, 1975 11 of 11 The third fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier did not have the same hype surrounding it as their first meeting in 1971, which Frazier won by unanimous decision. But in the ring, the two legendary rivals exceeded even their own high bar for courage and drama, turning in the greatest heavyweight title fight in history. Ali had won a rematch with Frazier in 1973, to even the score. Then, in 1974, Ali had shocked the world by knocking out the fearsome George Foreman. The stage was set for a rubber match with Smoking Joe.

I like to refer to this as the perfect mythological archetype for a heavyweight bout. It featured two heroic champions, stylistically matched in a way that ensured punishing, hard-fought action. The first two-thirds of the fight followed a familiar pattern. Ali started strong, using his speed and length to punish Frazier with flush shots from the outside. But Smoking Joe kept coming relentlessly, and in the middle rounds of the fight, he battered the champion with a body attack. Somehow, Ali rallied in the last third of the fight and reasserted his control. Frazier made a ferocious last stand in Round 14, but he was fighting with both eyes nearly shut, and Ali brutalized him in the round's last minute. When the bell rang for the 15th and final round, Frazier's trainer Eddie Futch refused to let him go out to receive more abuse, instead opting to throw in the towel. Ali made it to his feet to raise his arms triumphantly and then collapsed from exhaustion in his corner. Rocky Marciano facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com articles about Rocky Marciano American boxer R ocky Marciano is the only heavyweight boxing champion ever to retire without being defeated.

With a perfect 49-0 record—which included forty-three knockouts—he started his professional boxing career in 1947, and reigned as champion from 1952 until his retirement in 1956. He ranks among boxing's greats, along with such notables as Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis (whom he defeated the year before becoming world champion), and Jack Dempsey . First a Baseball Player Rocco Francis Marchegiano, the future Rocky Marciano, was born on September 1, 1923, in Brockton, Massachusetts, the son of working class parents. An immigrant from Italy, his father worked in a shoe factory. This factory made a big impression on the young Marciano. It was Marciano's job in the family to take lunch to his father at work each day, and there he saw first-hand the toll factory work took on the people who worked there. Marciano vowed that he would never make his living that way. In high school, Marciano excelled in sports. He played on the Brockton High football team as a linebacker, once intercepting a pass and running sixty-seven yards for a touchdown.

His dreams were of baseball, however, and he planned to become a professional player after he dropped out of school at the age of sixteen. He worked in blue-collar jobs, including a two month stint at the shoe factory, while he trained to become a professional baseball player. His fledgling baseball career was interrupted, however, when the United States entered World War II at the end of 1942. Drafted into the army in 1943, Marciano discovered the sport that was to be his career when he took up boxing to avoid kitchen duty. After serving in Wales and at Ft. Lewis, Washington with the 150th Combat Engineers, Marciano was discharged following the close of the war. He worked at odd jobs to support himself while he pursued a career in baseball. His hard work paid off when he landed a tryout with the Chicago Cubs as a catcher and first baseman. But he failed to make he team after a throw from home plate to second base fell short. Commits to Boxing Returning to boxing, Marciano began to make a name for himself on the amateur circuit, quickly becoming known as a hard-hitting, if somewhat awkward fighter. He became a professional boxer in 1947.

Managed first by a mechanic from his home town, he soon realized the need to place himself in the care of a well-known professional if he wanted to advanced his career. He switched to the management of Al Weill, a promoter from New York who was to remain his manager throughout his career. It was the right move. Weill introduced Marciano to famous trainer Charlie Goldman, who helped Marciano hone what was to become his signature fighting style, and made him into a true professional. At five feet, eleven inches, about 185 points, and with the shortest arms of any heavyweight champion in the modern era, Marciano also tended to slouch, and was not particularly agile. But he packed a powerful punch, and that's what Goldman trained him to focus on. He also taught him to emphasize his small stature, crouching low to avoid his opponents' own punches, and moving in with powerful right punches and left hooks. Marciano also developed the ability to absorb a tremendous amount of punishment, often coming back from blows that would have finished a lesser fighter, to knock his opponents out. Broken hands, back injuries, and countless facial cuts all were meted out to Marciano during the course of his career.

Chronology Dies in a small plane crash outside De Moines, Iowa 1990 Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame With Weill and Goldman's help, Marciano's career took off. He knocked out the first sixteen opponents he faced in professional bouts, steadily moving up through the boxing ranks to face stronger and more skilled opponents. Maricano continued to prove his mettle through 1949, winning all of his fights, more than half of them by knockouts. Marciano knew that he had a chance to fight for the title of heavyweight champion of the world after he defeated Roland LaStarza on March 24, 1949. The fight lasted ten rounds, and was called Marciano's in a close decision. He received national attention after a fight with Carmine Vingo on December 20, 1949 in which Marciano seriously injured his opponent when he knocked him out. At the Top of His Game Marciano married his childhood sweetheart, Barbara M. Cousins on the last day of 1950. The couple eventually had one child of their own, Mary Anne, and adopted another, Rocky Kevin.

Back in the ring soon after the wedding, Marciano continued his climb through the boxing ranks, fighting more and more powerful opponents, including Red Layne, whom he knocked out in six rounds on July 12, 1951. Marciano faced his most powerful opponent yet when he squared off against former world champion Joe Louis on October 26, 1951. Louis was one of Marciano's idols, but at the end of his career, and Marciano, with thirty-seven wins to his credit so far, including thirty-two knockouts, was in his prime. The former champion went down under Marciano's onslaught in eight rounds. It happened after Marciano got Louis against the ropes, and managed to slip in a powerful left hook. Louis was stunned, dropping his guard, and Marciano immediately followed up with a right that knocked his hero out. "Imagine looking at Joe Louis lying there on the ropes," he was quoted as saying afterward by Newsweek. "And I did it. I don't know if I'm happy about it." So distraught was Marciano at felling his hero that he cried in the exchampion's dressing room after the match.

The fight with Louis cleared the way for a championship bout with the heavyweight champion of the world, 'Jersey' Joe Walcott in Philadelphia on September 23, 1952. Marciano got off to a bad start in the first round when he was knocked down. Off balance from then on, and behind on points, he got in one of his bynow-famous right hand punches to the jaw, flooring Walcott and knocking him out in the thirteenth round. An Unbeatable Champion With his defeat of Walcott, Marciano became the first white heavyweight boxing champion since 1937. He defended his title six times, winning each time. The first was in a rematch with Walcott on May 15, 1953, a bout he won handily with a knockout in the first round. He next faced his old adversary Roland LaStarza on September 24, 1953, and won in eleven rounds, putting LaStarza in the hospital for several days. LaStarza said afterwards that he wished Marciano had just knocked him out to end it instead of working him over for so long.

A fifteen-round fight with former champion Ezzard Charles followed on June 17, 1954. Marciano won that match in a decision, and the two faced each other again later that year, on September 17, 1954. Charles got the better of Marciano in the sixth round, battering his nose so badly that Marciano's cornermen were unable to staunch the bleeding. The ring doctor very nearly called the fight, but Marciano rallied in the eighth round, knocking out his opponent. Marciano's next title fight was against Don Cockell on May 16, 1955. In spite of pressure from organized crime elements to throw the fight, Marciano won it in a knockout in the ninth round, and moved on to what was to be his last title fight, on September 21, 1955. The bout took place at Yankee Stadium, and it was the third time he had defended his title there. His opponent was former light-heavyweight champion Archie Moore . Marciano knocked him out in nine rounds. The fight was witnessed by more than 400,000 people watching via the fairly new medium of television.

Awards and Accomplishments In his nine years as a professional boxer, Marciano was never defeated, winning all of his forty-nine bouts, an astonishing forty-three of them in knockouts. He is the only heavyweight boxing champion to retire completely undefeated. 1948 Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame Rocky Marciano Although no theatrical-release films have been yet been made about the life of Rocky Marciano, the Showtime cable TV network aired a dramatic interpretation of the famous fighter's life in 1999. Called Rocky Marciano, the 100-minute program featured Jon Favreau in the title role, and the great George C. Scott in one of his final roles, as Marciano's father. Not praised for its brilliant acting or quality of writing, Rocky Marciano nevertheless distinguished itself by presenting a reasonably accurate portrayal of the boxer's beginnings, his rise to fame, and his post-boxing years. Of particular note was a lavish, stylized treatment of Marciano's fight with Joe Louis, mournfully underscored by the music of Samuel Barber. The program was directed by Charles Winkler, and written by Winkler with William Nack, Lary Golin, and Dick Beebe.

Rocky Marciano was later released on video. A Life Cut Short The champion retired from boxing in 1956, when he was 31 years old. His record between 1947 and 1956 of forty-nine victories to zero losses included forty-three knockouts. Weary of training, and with tension rising between him and his manager, Al Weill (his arrangement with Weill required him to split all of his earnings 50-50), Marciano welcomed the opportunity to spend more time with his family. A careful manager of his own money, Marciano was set for life with a four million dollar fortune, and did not want to go out with a whimper as other champions had done, by continuing to fight past his prime. He did nearly succumb to temptation to stage a comeback in 1959, and spent a month training in secret before thinking better of it. Now the only heavyweight boxing champion to retire completely undefeated, Marciano spent the next ten years making personal appearances. He died on the night of August 31, 1969 when the private plane in which he was a passenger crashed outside of Des Moines , Iowa.

He died one day shy of his 46th birthday. He was survived by his wife Barbara—to whom he had been married for nineteen years—and his two children, Rocco Kevin, and Mary Anne. He was said to have had many close friends and to be a loving husband and father, but nevertheless to be extremely secretive about his post-boxing business dealings. He died without making a will, and without revealing where he had placed much of his fortune. Somewhat awkward, not noted for his speed or agility, Marciano nevertheless overcame his opponents through sheer drive, determination, and the power of his punches. He remains today the only heavyweight champion boxer to retire completely undefeated. FURTHER INFORMATION Dictionary of American Biography, Supplement 8: 1966-1970. New York: American Council of Learned Societies, 1988. Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed. Detroit : Gale Group, 1998. Periodicals Anderson, Dave. "The Last Great White Hope." New York Times (September 15, 2002): section 7, p. 21.

"Rocky Drops His Idol, Gender Politics on Center Court." Newsweek (October 25, 1999): 61. Other "Rocky Marciano." American Decades CD-ROM. Detroit: Gale Group, 1998. "Rocky Marciano." Apollo Movie Guide. (October 30, 2002). "Rocky Marciano." Cyber Boxing Zone. (October 15, 2002). "Rocky Marciano." International Boxing Hall of Fame. (October 15, 2002). "Rocky Marciano." Internet Movie Database. (October 30, 2002). Sketch by Michael Belfiore Des Moines , Iowa American boxer Boxer Rocky Marciano held the heavyweight boxing title for four years during the 1950s. He is the only boxing champion to ever retire undefeated. His younger years Rocky Marciano was born Rocco Francis Marchegiano on September 1, 1923, in Brockton, Massachusetts. His father, Pierino, worked at a shoe factory. His mother's name was Pasqualena.

Rocky would spend much of his life making sure she would not live in the poverty he had known growing up. He worked many different jobs to help his family, including as a dishwasher, in a candy factory, as a gardener, and in a shoe factory. As a youngster Rocky played baseball and football and dreamed of a professional career in one of those sports. He got into many fights when he thought he or his friends had been insulted, but he did not take up boxing until after 1943, when he was drafted into the army. He took the sport up because it helped him avoid "KP" ("kitchen police," soldiers who assisted the cooks) and other less desirable activities. He showed a natural ability and fought as an amateur following his discharge from the army in 1946. He won twenty-seven of his thirty fights. Baseball dreams In 1947 Marciano had a chance to fulfill his dream of being a baseball player. He was given a tryout with the Chicago Cubs as a catcher. He did not make the team, because he could not accurately throw from home plate to second base due to an arm injury he received in the army. It was the end of his baseball dreams.

The following year he turned professional in the boxing ring. By the spring of 1949 Marciano's boxing skills had received attention, after he knocked out his first sixteen opponents. The people he fought were not up to his level, but he learned much about the sport during this period. The quality of his opponents improved over the latter half of 1949 and 1950. Marciano continued to beat all opponents, knocking out most of them. Proved doubters wrong There were those who thought not much good would come from the 190-pound heavyweight from Brockton in the early days. Goody Petronelli, who was a famous fight trainer, saw one of Marciano's early fights. In a story for Sports Illustrated he said, "I never thought he'd make it. He was too old, almost twenty-five. He was too short, he was too light. He had no reach. Rough and tough, but no finesse [refinement]." The hometown folks believed in him, though. They traveled in groups to Marciano's fights in nearby Providence, Rhode Island , and yelled "Timmmmberrr" when Rocky had an opponent ready to go down.

Boxing technique Charley Goldman was the trainer who taught Marciano his trademark technique, which would serve him well as champion. Marciano was shorter than many of his opponents and his arms were not as long. Goldman taught him to use these characteristics to his advantage. He told him to make himself smaller by bending his knees almost into a deep knee squat. This gave his opponents less targets on his body to hit. He learned to punch from that position, coming straight up almost from the floor with amazing power. Even with what seemed like a physical disadvantage, because of his training and will to win, Marciano turned out to be one of the best-conditioned athletes in sports. Marciano defeats Joe Louis By October 26, 1951, Marciano had thirty-seven wins and thirty-two knockouts under his belt. That was the day Marciano faced his most formidable (challenging) opponent—former heavyweight champion Joe Louis (1914–1981). Louis was past his prime, his best fighting years, and Marciano knocked him out in the eighth round. Marciano had such mixed feelings about beating a man he had considered his hero that he cried in Louis's dressing room after the fight.

The fight established Marciano as one of the most famous fighters in the heavyweight division, and assured him of a chance to box for the title before too long. Takes the Belt from Jersey Joe After another five fights he got the chance to go for the title. Jersey Joe Walcott was the defending champion and Marciano was the challenger when the pair met in Philadelphia on September 23, 1952. Marciano won a victory that is remembered as typical of his tough-guy, never-say-die style. Marciano was behind on points and struggling all night. He would not give up and finally caught Walcott with a short, overhand right to the jaw in the thirteenth round. Walcott was knocked unconscious and Marciano won the championship belt. His years as champion Marciano defended his title only six times, but some of those fights are considered classics by boxing fans. He knocked out Walcott in the first round of their rematch in 1953. He then knocked out challenger Roland La Starza later that year. Marciano won a decision against Ezzard Charles in 1954. He almost lost his title in their rematch later that year.

In the sixth round Charles cut Marciano's nose so badly that his cornermen (the people who Marciano had in his corner of the ring) could not stop the bleeding. The ring doctor watched the cut closely and considered stopping the fight, but Marciano came back forcefully against Charles in the eighth round and knocked him out. Marciano defended his title against Don Cockell in 1955 by a knockout. It was later learned that organized crime tried to get him to throw the fight. Marciano's last fight was September 21, 1955, the third time he defended his title in Yankee Stadium. He knocked out Archie Moore in the ninth round. Over four hundred thousand North American viewers watched the bout on closed-circuit television. Retired from boxing On April 27, 1956, Marciano retired from boxing. He was thirty-one. "I thought it was a mistake when Joe Louis tried a comeback," he told the New York Times in an interview. "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." He said he wanted to spend more time with his family.

Some people have said that he also was upset because he had to pay half of his earnings to his manager. The last years After Marciano retired he made money from personal appearances. He was frugal (very careful with money). He preferred getting rides from friends who had private planes, even though he could usually be given paid transportation to and from any of his personal appearances. On August 31, 1969, the day before his forty-sixth birthday, he died in a private-plane crash near Des Moines, Iowa. He was survived by his wife of nineteen years, Barbara, and his two children, Rocco Kevin and Mary Anne. Marciano was never among the top boxers of all time in terms of skill, speed, or power, but he knew how to use the skills he had developed and his fans recognized his grit. One sportswriter commented that if all the heavyweight champions of all time were locked together in a room, Marciano would be the one to walk out. For More Information Skehan, Everett M. Rocky Marciano: The Biography of a First Son. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1977. Sullivan, Russell.

Rocky Marciano: The Rock of His Times. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2002. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. MLA

Question: Born 1923, which Champion had the shortest reach?
Answer: Rocky Marciano