The Legendary Rocky Marciano
Boxing's Only Undefeated Heavyweight Champion
Forty years after his death, Rocky Marciano remains the only world heavyweight champion to retire undefeated.
The 5-foot-10, 185-pound slugger from Brockton, Mass., reigned as champion from 1952 to 1956, finishing with a record of 49-0. Only Larry Holmes, who won his first 48 fights, came close to matching that streak.
Forty-three of Marciano's victories came via knockout -- and 31 of the KOs came in five rounds or less.
Among Marciano's victories were five wins over men who at one point held the heayvweight title. He defeated an aging Joe Louis in a non-title bout, and beat Jersey Joe Walcott and Ezzard Charles twice apiece in championship fights.
The "Brockton Blockbuster" made six title defenses, and only Charles managed to go the 15-round distance. Marciano's last bout was a victory over Archie Moore on Sept. 21, 1955. Rocky was knocked down in the first round, but recovered to stop the legendary light-heavyweight champion in the ninth round.
Marciano announced his retirement on April 27, 1956, at the age of 31. His life was cut short when he died in a plane crash on Aug. 31, 1969.
What Made Marciano Great
Marciano possessed God-given knockout power. He could flatten his opponents with wide, looping shots, or dispatch them with short punches that traveled mere inches.
But other than that, Marciano was limited in natural physical ability. Not only was he short for a heavyweight, his reach of 68 inches is the shortest of all heavyweight champions.
Marciano lacked speed, and was awkward. At times, he would literally leap off the ground in order to land punches.
But Marciano was physically tough, and a much smarter fighter than he's given credit for. He knew how to maximize his natural skills and minimize his shortcomings.
The left jab is the most standard punch for most fighters, but Marciano rarely used his. With such a short reach, he knew that it would do him little good anyway. He concentrated on landing his trademark power punches -- going to both body and head.
Marciano also used his lack of height to his advantage. He'd fight out of a crouch, making himself a smaller target and also compelling some taller fighters to reach down to hit him. That would bring the opponents closer and set them up for counter blows.
Also, Marciano was well-conditioned. In his career, he tipped the scales at 190 pounds only once -- for his first professional bout. He weighed in at 189 for his last fight.
Marciano's Brushes With Defeat
Maintaining a perfect record was no easy task, as Marciano had several brushes with defeat.
In 1949, Marciano engaged in a brawl with fellow Italian-American slugger Carmine Vingo. He sustained some jarring punches, but ended up knocking Vingo out in the sixth round. Vingo suffered a brain hemorrhage. He eventually recovered, but never fought again.
Marciano's next bout matched him with the crafty Roland LaStarza, who went the 10-round distance only to lose a 10-round split decision. Marciano later met LaStarza in his second title defense, winning by 11th-round knockout.
The most famous fight of Marciano's career came in his first bout with Walcott, in 1952. Walcott, making the second defense of the title he had won from Charles, knocked Marciano down in the first round and was winning on points when Marciano iced him with a right hand in the 13th round.
The punch -- which traveled only about a half-foot -- is one of the most famous of all time.
Marciano knocked out Walcott out in the first round of a rematch, but had trouble overcoming Charles in a 1954 title bout. Charles, one of boxing's underrated champs, gave Rocky fits for most of the bout. But Marciano took control in the late rounds to win a close decision.
The two fought again three months later. Marciano suffered a hideous cut on his nose, but he picked up the pace and knocked Charles out in the eighth round.
Marciano Was Class Act
Marciano's legend is enhanced by the fact that he was highly respected as a person as well as a fighter. He was a dedicated family man, and that's one of the reasons he retired from the ring.
Unlike so many of boxing's other great champions, he never fought again after announcing his retirement.
He did, however, face Muhammad Ali in a simulated TV event known as the SuperFight. Marciano and Ali got together and were filmed sparring for dozens of rounds. Sequences were filmed to account for every possible outcome.
The end result was determined by an NCR computer, which declared Marciano winner by knockout in the 13th round.
But the simulated bout did not air until January of 1970, five months after Marciano's death.
Sources:
Boxrec.com
Rocky Marciano.net
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