"Rocky Marciano Rocco Francis Marchegiano (September 1, 1923 – August 31, 1969), best known as Rocky Marciano (), was an American professional boxer who competed from 1947 to 1955. He held the world heavyweight title from 1952 to 1956, and retired undefeated as champion. His six title defenses were against Jersey Joe Walcott, Roland La Starza, Ezzard Charles (twice), Don Cockell and Archie Moore. Known for his relentless fighting style, formidable punching power, stamina and exceptionally durable chin, Marciano has been included by boxing historians in lists of the greatest boxers of all time, and is currently ranked by BoxRec"
"finally become world heavyweight champion, at the relatively old age of 37. This made him the oldest man ever to win the world heavyweight crown (a distinction he would hold until George Foreman won the title at age 45 in 1994). Walcott retained the title with a 15-round decision victory against arch-enemy Charles. On September 23, 1952, he defended his title for the second time. His opponent was the undefeated Rocky Marciano. In the first round Marciano was knocked down for the first time in his career, with a left hook from Walcott. Walcott was clearly ahead in the scoring"
"world champion Rocky Marciano. This was the first British world title bid since Tommy Farr had fought Joe Louis in 1937. On 16 May 1955, Cockell fought Marciano for the world heavyweight title at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco, CA. Cockell was a 10–1 underdog and weighed 14 st 9 lbs against Marciano’s 13 st 7 lbs. For the first three rounds the fight was fairly even, but as it progressed further Cockell began to take more and more punishment, without being able to hurt Marciano at all. Cockell ended the eighth round hanging through the ropes after withstanding a"
"world middleweight title a record five times from 1951 to 1960. His notable rivals included Jake LaMotta, Gene Fullmer, and Carmen Basilio. Unfortunately, many fights in the 1940s and 1950s were marred by suspected mafia involvement, though some fighters like Robinson and Basilio openly resisted mob influence. Among the heavyweights, Joe Louis retained his title until his 1949 retirement, having held the championship for an unprecedented eleven years. Ezzard Charles and Jersey Joe Walcott succeeded him as champion, but they were soon outshone by the remarkable Rocky Marciano, who compiled an astounding 49-0 record before retiring as world champion. Among"
"as the 12th greatest heavyweight boxer in history. His knockout-to-win percentage of 87.76% remains one of the highest in heavyweight boxing history. Marciano was born and raised on the south side of Brockton, Massachusetts, to Pierino Marchegiano and Pasqualina Picciuto. Both of his parents were emigrants from Italy. His father was from Ripa Teatina, Abruzzo, while his mother was from San Bartolomeo in Galdo, Campania. Rocky had two brothers, Louis (aka Sonny) and Peter, and three sisters, Alice, Concetta and Elizabeth. When he was about 18 months old, Marciano contracted pneumonia, from which he almost died. In his youth, he"
"beaten by Pérez), won Japan's first world title, and Hogan Bassey won the first belt for Nigeria. Popular American fighters in the 1950s proved legendary: Sugar Ray Robinson would still win (and lose) world titles, Rocky Marciano became the only heavyweight world champion in history to retire with perfect record. Jersey Joe Walcott the oldest heavyweight champion (until George Foreman regained the title in 1994), Archie Moore broke the all-time knockout record as well as the record for the oldest champion, at 48, for ""any"" division, Ezzard Charles proved to be a reliable substitute for Joe Louis as heavyweight champ,"
"the Instituto Universitario de las Bellas Artes in Colima, Mexico, was selected to sculpt the statue. After years of delays in the planning stages, the groundbreaking for the statue was held on April 1, 2012, on the grounds of Brockton High School. The statue was officially unveiled on September 23, 2012, which was the 60th anniversary of Marciano winning the world heavyweight title. A bronze statue of Marciano was also erected in Ripa Teatina, Italy, to celebrate the birthplace of Marciano's father. Rocky Marciano Rocco Francis Marchegiano (September 1, 1923 – August 31, 1969), best known as Rocky Marciano (),"
"covert ownership of prizefighters. After boxing, Wallace acted in four movies, twice portraying the boxer Joe Louis. Wallace died on January 30, 2005, of heart failure in New York City. Coley Wallace Coley Wallace (April 5, 1927 – January 30, 2005) was an American actor and heavyweight boxer who outpointed Rocky Marciano in a three-round amateur fight. Although Wallace, a Jacksonville, FL native, had a respectable record as a professional (20-7-0), his claim to fame came in 1948 when, as an amateur, he defeated future heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano in the finals of the New York Golden Gloves Tournament. Wallace's"
"and Nick Barone (who later challenged Charles for the World Heavyweight title), losing to him by a ten-round unanimous decision on March 15, 1951, in Syracuse, New York. During one point in his career Spagnolo was scheduled to fight Rocky Marciano. However Marciano's camp cancelled the upcoming bout when Marciano's hand was injured in training. His fight with Barone was his last one, and he retired with 18 wins, 10 losses and four draws in 32 career bouts, with three knockout wins. Duilio Spagnolo Duilio Spagnolo (c. 1927 – April 15, 2005) was an Italian boxer who was a heavyweight"
"of nine and was then trapped against the ropes and taking a sustained beating when the referee Ruby Goldstein stopped the fight. Some people said that the stoppage was premature but by today’s standards it wasn’t. Turpin’s reign had lasted only 64 days. Turpin fought Don Cockell in 1952 for the British and Commonwealth Light Heavyweight Titles. He stopped Cockell in the 11th round. Cockell went on to give Rocky Marciano a good fight at heavyweight. He regained the European Middleweight Title in 1953 and was nominated to fight for the vacant world title against Carl 'Bobo' Olsen. The fight"
"Rocky Graziano Thomas Rocco Barbella (January 1, 1919 – May 22, 1990), better known as Rocky Graziano, was an American professional boxer who held the World Middleweight title. Graziano is considered one of the greatest knockout artists in boxing history, often displaying the capacity to take his opponent out with a single punch. He was ranked 23rd on ""The Ring"" magazine list of the greatest punchers of all time. He fought many of the best middleweights of the era including Sugar Ray Robinson. His turbulent and violent life story was the basis of the 1956 Oscar-winning drama film, ""Somebody Up"
"Lee Savold Lee Savold (born Lee Hulver March 22, 1916 – May 14, 1972) was a heavyweight boxer who held the British and European (EBU) version of the World Heavyweight championship between 1950 and 1951 and was a leading contender in the 1940s and early 1950s. During his career he fought storied Heavyweight Champions Joe Louis and Rocky Marciano. Savold was inducted into the Minnesota Boxing Hall of Fame in 2012. Savold was born in Canby, Minnesota (his birth was recorded in the nearby town of Marshall). His parents were farmers and ranchers of Norwegian ancestry. As a youngster, he"
"record. As a welterweight he lost two close decisions to the legendary Sugar Ray Robinson. Servo’s boxing career was interrupted by service in the United States Coast Guard during World War II. He resumed his career after the War and won the World Welterweight Title by knocking out Freddie ""Red"" Cochrane in the fourth round on February 1, 1946. Servo and his manager, Al Weill, then made a bad career decision. He agreed to fight the middleweight contender Rocky Graziano in a non-title match. Graziano was a big favorite in New York City and the bout was seen as a"
"consecutive bouts against former World Heavyweight Champion and light heavyweight legend Ezzard Charles, 33, who became the only man to ever last 15 rounds against Marciano. Marciano won the first fight on points and the second by an eighth-round knockout. Then, Marciano met British and European Champion Don Cockell. Marciano knocked him out in the ninth round. Marciano's last title bout was against 38-year-old Archie Moore, on September 21, 1955. The bout was originally scheduled for September 20, but because of hurricane warnings, it had to be delayed a day. Marciano was knocked down for a four-count in the second"
"won nine fights in a row. He scored his only three career knockout wins during this streak, beating Mike Fisher in five, Louis Clark in three and Jim Lake in five. This pattern of beating almost completely unknown fighters would continue on for the rest of his career, but he managed to also fight with Roland La Starza (who later challenged Marciano for the World Heavyweight title), losing by a ten-round unanimous decision on November 16, 1950, in Brooklyn, New York, Coley Wallace, losing to him by a ten-round decision on December 11 of the same year in Washington, D.C.,"
"ground. "" Marciano was named fighter of the year by ""The Ring"" three times. His three championship fights between 1952 and 1954 were named fights of the year by the magazine. Marciano won the Sugar Ray Robinson Award in 1952. 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 the second-most important American athlete of the year. Marciano is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing"
"Rocky Castellani Attilio N. ""Rocky"" Castellani (May 26, 1926 – August 31, 2008) was an American middleweight boxer. He was the top rated contender for the world middleweight crown in 1954 when he fought Bobo Olson and in July 1955 when he lost to Sugar Ray Robinson. These two exceptional fights were featured on ESPN's ""Classic Fights of the Century"". Castellani was born in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, to Attilio Castellani (1889–1974) and Rose Isopi Castellani (1896–1938), who later moved to Margate City, formerly South Atlantic City. He began boxing as a teenager at local gyms, and at a younger age"
"fights, including a unanimous decision over highly regarded 16-2 contender Joe Modzele on a boxing card at Yankee Stadium in August 1949. A second round knockout of Al Robinson at Sunnyside Garden in Queens, New York, propelled Vingo into the world heavyweight rankings, and a crossroads bout with rising Rocky Marciano to determine a serious 'white hope' successor challenger for former world heavyweight champion Joe Louis and world heavyweight champion Jersey Joe Walcott. On December 30, 1949, at Madison Square Garden, Vingo, then 16-1, and Marciano, 24-0, fought a slugfest. Marciano put Vingo down in the first and second rounds."
"he fought Joe Louis in what was the first professional prizefight carried to theaters on closed circuit TV. He was knocked out in 2 minutes 29 seconds of the sixth round. Although it was a non-title match, after this bout the EBU withdrew recognition of Savold as ""world"" champion. In his last fight, he lasted 7 rounds before being TKO'd by legendary boxer Rocky Marciano on February 13, 1952. Lee Savold Lee Savold (born Lee Hulver March 22, 1916 – May 14, 1972) was a heavyweight boxer who held the British and European (EBU) version of the World Heavyweight championship"
"age 71. According to his biographer, Graziano remained faithful to his wife during the entirity of their marriage, something which was not particularly common among celebrities. They had two children, both of whom married and had children. Graziano's funeral was held at St. Patrick's Cathedral. He is interred at the Locust Valley Cemetery along with his wife, who died in 2009. Rocky Graziano Thomas Rocco Barbella (January 1, 1919 – May 22, 1990), better known as Rocky Graziano, was an American professional boxer who held the World Middleweight title. Graziano is considered one of the greatest knockout artists in boxing"
"Louis $300,000 to face undefeated heavyweight contender Rocky Marciano on October 26, 1951. Despite his being a 6-to-5 favorite, few boxing insiders believed Louis had a chance. Marciano himself was reluctant to participate in the bout, but was understanding of Louis's position: ""This is the last guy on earth I want to fight."" It was feared, particularly among those who had witnessed Marciano's punching power first-hand, that Louis's unwillingness to quit would result in serious injury. Fighting back tears, Ferdie Pacheco said in the ""SportsCentury"" documentary about his bout with Marciano, ""He [Louis] wasn't just going to lose. He was"
"Marciano, Riddick Bowe, Sultan Ibragimov and Nicolai Valuev to retire without ever suffering a stoppage defeat. Tunney, along with Marciano, Lewis and Vitali Klitschko is one of four heavyweight champions to have retired as champion and to have ended their career with a win in a world title fight. Having avenged his only defeat to Harry Greb, with whom he also drew), Tunney joins Ingemar Johansson, Rocky Marciano, Lennox Lewis and Riddick Bowe as the only five heavyweight champions to have retired while holding a victory over every opponent he faced as a professional (barring no-contests). In 1932, Tunney published"
"former Light Heavyweight Champion Joey Maxim on June 7, 1954, at the Eastern Parkway Arena in Brooklyn, New York. Although Patterson fought around the light heavyweight limit for much of his early career, he and manager Cus D'Amato always had plans to fight for the Heavyweight Championship. In fact, D'Amato made these plans clear as early as 1954, when he told the press that Patterson was aiming for the heavyweight title. However, after Rocky Marciano announced his retirement as World Heavyweight Champion on April 27, 1956, Patterson was ranked by The ""Ring"" magazine as the top light heavyweight contender. After"
"Coley Wallace Coley Wallace (April 5, 1927 – January 30, 2005) was an American actor and heavyweight boxer who outpointed Rocky Marciano in a three-round amateur fight. Although Wallace, a Jacksonville, FL native, had a respectable record as a professional (20-7-0), his claim to fame came in 1948 when, as an amateur, he defeated future heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano in the finals of the New York Golden Gloves Tournament. Wallace's contract was ""owned"" under the table by the notorious Frank ""Blinky"" Palermo, a member of the Philadelphia crime family. Palermo was imprisoned in 1961 for conspiracy and extortion for the"
"Boxing Club of New York (IBC). Suspicious to the point of paranoia, D'Amato refused to match his fighter in any bout promoted by the IBC. The IBC was eventually found to be in violation of anti-trust laws and was dissolved. Under D'Amato's tutelage, Floyd Patterson captured the Olympic middleweight gold medal in the 1952 Helsinki games. D'Amato then guided Patterson through the professional ranks, manoeuvring Patterson into fighting for the title vacated by Rocky Marciano. After beating Tommy ""Hurricane"" Jackson in an elimination fight, Patterson faced Light Heavyweight Champion Archie Moore on November 30, 1956, for the World Heavyweight Championship."
"Tommy Jackson (boxer) Thomas ""Tommy"" Jackson (August 9, 1931 – February 14, 1982), often known as ""Hurricane"" Jackson was an American professional boxer who competed from 1951 to 1961. In July 1957, he fought Floyd Patterson for the heavyweight championship. Jackson was noted for his stamina and unorthodox style as a fighter. He was trained and managed by Whitey Bimstein. While Jackson never won the heavyweight title, he defeated some notable heavyweights, including former champion Ezzard Charles, whom Jackson beat twice in 1955. In February 1956, he was ranked behind Archie Moore as a contender for Rocky Marciano's heavyweight title."
"and Marciano needed a knockout to win, according to two of the three official scorecards. In the thirteenth round with Marciano pressuring Walcott against the ropes, both threw simultaneous right hands. Marciano landed his punch first on Walcott´s jaw in what is considered one of the hardest punches thrown in boxing history. Walcott collapsed with his arm hanging over the ropes then fell to the canvas where he was counted out. There was a rematch in Chicago, on May 15, 1953, and the second time around, Walcott was again defeated by Marciano by a knockout, this time in the first"
"Mills. Lou Thesz won the title on May 21, 1952. Thesz unified three championships to become the undisputed world heavyweight champion in wrestling: the National Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Championship (which he won on July 20, 1948 by defeating Bill Longson), the National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship (which was awarded to him on November 27, 1949) and the Los Angeles version of the world title (the Los Angeles Olympic Auditorium World Heavyweight Championship, which he won on May 21, 1952 by defeating Baron Michele Leone). Whipper Billy Watson won the title on March 15, 1956 by defeating Thesz by"
"the referee gave a larger ten point margin to Bratton. Bratton was a noteworthy opponent who would compete for the World Middleweight Title on November 13, 1953 against Kid Galavan at Chicago Stadium, though he lost by large points margin. On January 9, 1953 Castellani defeated Ralph Jones at Madison Square Garden before 5,400 fans in an important win before a home crowd that clearly favored Castellani as their local boy. The Associated Press gave the fight to Rocky, winning six rounds, losing three, and drawing one. Only one judge dissented from a voting for Castellani, resulting in a split"
"Heavyweight Championship to Orville Brown. After Brown suffered career-ending injuries in an automobile accident on November 1, 1949, the NWA recognised Lou Thesz as the champion. Thesz had earlier won the National Wrestling Association's World Heavyweight Championship on July 10, 1948 from Wild Bill Longson. Thesz traveled to many areas and defeated various champions. He defeated the American Wrestling Association (a Boston-based federation different from Verne Gagne's more famous organization of the same name) World Heavyweight Champion Gorgeous George on July 27, 1950 in a non-title match, and, finally, Baron Michele Leon on May 21, 1952 for the Los Angeles"
"Carmine Vingo Carmine Vingo (boxer) (December 28, 1929 – June 2, 2015), was a highly regarded and world ranked heavyweight boxer best remembered for his career ending bout with future world heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano, which nearly ended in tragedy when Vingo got knocked out and suffered brain injury. Nicknamed 'Bingo Vingo' for his willingness to take chances to win in the ring, Vingo started his career by winning 16 of his first 17 professional bouts, losing an only a questionable decision to undefeated Brooklyn heavyweight prospect Joe Lindsay in White Plains, New York in 1948. Vingo won 12 consecutive"
"Herb Scharfman Herb Scharfman (August 24, 1912 – February 21, 1998) was an American photographer notable for several famous photographs of American sports people published by ""Sports Illustrated"" and other publications. Scharfman, a native of Chicago, began his career in New York as a stringer for International News Photo. His picture of Rocky Marciano's knockout punch in a 1952 bout against Jersey Joe Walcott is widely considered to be one of the most iconic photographs in the history of photojournalism. He later chronicled Roger Maris during his pursuit of Babe Ruth's single-season home run record in 1961. Scharfman's photo of"
"the ropes. He lay motionless long after he had been counted out and Marciano became the new World Heavyweight Champion. At the time of the stoppage, Walcott was leading on all scorecards 8–4, 7–5, and 7–4. His first defense came a year later - a rematch against Walcott, 39, 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 through the middle rounds, Marciano won the rematch by a technical knockout in the 11th round. Then came two"