elgigante
03-02-2005, 04:39 PM
This was done by my buddy Third Party View from the Dog
http://www.rockymarciano.net/images/photogallery/rocky12.jpg
Rocky Marciano
Real Name: Rocco Francis Marchegiano
Nicknames: The Brockton Blockbuster, The Rock
Hometown: Brockton, MA
Fight Record: 49 wins (43 KOs) 0 defeats 0 draws
Weight: circa 185 lbs
Notable Wins: Roland LaStarza x2, Joe Louis, 'Jersey' Joe Walcott x2, Ezzard Charles x2, Archie Moore
Rocky Mariano, the only man in Boxing history to retire undefeated (as in no losses or draws on his record) with a World Championship. The Brockton Blockbuster is generally considered to be one of the five greatest Heavyweight fighters of all time, his legacy well earned. Although he was not as scientific a fighter as, say, the great 'Sugar' Ray Robinson could be in his fights, Rocky possessed several key traits that led him to an undefeated 49-0-0 career record, with 43 Knockouts or Technical Knock Outs:
Pure dynamite in his hands: "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." - Boxing Illustrated, December 1963
Stamina with virtually no limit: Rocky was and still is considered today to be the most well conditioned in the history of Boxing. It didn't matter if it was Round 1 or Round 15, Rocky was attacking like a bull with full force behind his punches.
Toughness: Rocky is considered to also be one of the toughest fighters to ever enter the ring. Rocky ate thousands of bombs, busting him open, sending him to the canvas, and so on. However, Rocky's immense heart enabled him to eat the bombs, and dish out his own, often ending fights within the distance. As Bert Sugar, a notable Boxing Historian once said:
"As indestructible as any fighter in history, Marciano walked into-and through- thousands of hard, clean, jolting shots in the manner of a human steamroller...Always ready to take two or three punches to land one."
It is important to note, though, that even though Marciano was virtually unknockoutable, his skin was almost made out of paper. Marciano would cut relatively easily, which on a few occasions did make close calls for Rocky in terms of having to finish the fight before he lost on a stoppage.
The above three factors, however, allowed Rocky Marciano to become one of the most endearing figures in Boxing history.
Rocky Marciano was born in Brockton, MA on 9/1/23 to a traditionally Italian family. Rocky grew up dreaming of both becoming a World's Champion in Boxing, like his idol, Joe 'The Brown Bomber' Louis, and play as a catcher in Major League Baseball. An uncle of Rocky taught him the basics to Boxing while he was young, yet Rocky seemed somewhat disinterested with it until after Rocky served in the US Army during World War II.
It was at this time that Rocky began to box as an Amateur fighter, compiling a somewhat unimpressive 8-4 Amateur record (1 loss by DQ, 3 by Decision). Rocky did, however claim tournament honors, winning the 1948 Massachusetts/Rhode Island Golden Gloves Tournament, 1948 New England Tournament of Champions and won the AAU Heavyweight Championship during the Olympic tryouts in March 1948. The year before (1947), Rocky debuted in Pro Boxing with a third round KO of Lee Epperson, however, following the aforementioned tournament wins, Rocky began a full Pro career in July 1948.
Very few people believed in Rocky, given that he was prone to making himself fall down by throwing punches with so much momentum that he couldn't stop himself. However, Trainer Charley Goldman taught him how to control his punching, as well as to crouch and avoid being hit as well. Rocky would put his training to good use in the years to come.
After compiling a 25-0 record with 23 KOs, Rocky finally got a shot at the top ten contenders by taking on fellow Italian-American rising superstar, Roland LaStarza, on 3/24/50. The two went to an extremely close Split Decision, with Rocky knocking down LaStarza for the first time in his career in Round 4, but LaStarza winning Round 8 due to point deduction for Rocky hitting a low blow. LaStarza continued to claim he won that fight, and petitioned for World Heavyweight Championship shots when Rocky became champion, which he would get, only to be dissappointed as Rocky would TKO him in the 11th by literally breaking LaStarza's forearms with bombs as LaStarza attempted to "Rope-a-dope" Rocky, and then he bombared LaStarza in the face until the referee stopped the beating. Thus, Rocky retained the World Heavyweight Title for the second time.
Following his LaStarza victory, Rocky continued to fight opponents who weren't ranked in the top ten for another year, until 7/12/51, when he faced Rex Layne, another top ten HW contender. Rex, a 9 to 5 favorite, was bigger and allegedly stronger than Rocky, which made Rocky seem like an extreme underdog. The first two rounds were considered in Layne's favor, the following two were considered interchangable, but by the fifth, Rocky began to pummel Layne with hard bombs. In the sixth, a hard right connected and KOed Layne. Layne allegedly lost front tooth to that bomb by Rocky.
to be continued....
http://www.rockymarciano.net/images/photogallery/rocky12.jpg
Rocky Marciano
Real Name: Rocco Francis Marchegiano
Nicknames: The Brockton Blockbuster, The Rock
Hometown: Brockton, MA
Fight Record: 49 wins (43 KOs) 0 defeats 0 draws
Weight: circa 185 lbs
Notable Wins: Roland LaStarza x2, Joe Louis, 'Jersey' Joe Walcott x2, Ezzard Charles x2, Archie Moore
Rocky Mariano, the only man in Boxing history to retire undefeated (as in no losses or draws on his record) with a World Championship. The Brockton Blockbuster is generally considered to be one of the five greatest Heavyweight fighters of all time, his legacy well earned. Although he was not as scientific a fighter as, say, the great 'Sugar' Ray Robinson could be in his fights, Rocky possessed several key traits that led him to an undefeated 49-0-0 career record, with 43 Knockouts or Technical Knock Outs:
Pure dynamite in his hands: "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." - Boxing Illustrated, December 1963
Stamina with virtually no limit: Rocky was and still is considered today to be the most well conditioned in the history of Boxing. It didn't matter if it was Round 1 or Round 15, Rocky was attacking like a bull with full force behind his punches.
Toughness: Rocky is considered to also be one of the toughest fighters to ever enter the ring. Rocky ate thousands of bombs, busting him open, sending him to the canvas, and so on. However, Rocky's immense heart enabled him to eat the bombs, and dish out his own, often ending fights within the distance. As Bert Sugar, a notable Boxing Historian once said:
"As indestructible as any fighter in history, Marciano walked into-and through- thousands of hard, clean, jolting shots in the manner of a human steamroller...Always ready to take two or three punches to land one."
It is important to note, though, that even though Marciano was virtually unknockoutable, his skin was almost made out of paper. Marciano would cut relatively easily, which on a few occasions did make close calls for Rocky in terms of having to finish the fight before he lost on a stoppage.
The above three factors, however, allowed Rocky Marciano to become one of the most endearing figures in Boxing history.
Rocky Marciano was born in Brockton, MA on 9/1/23 to a traditionally Italian family. Rocky grew up dreaming of both becoming a World's Champion in Boxing, like his idol, Joe 'The Brown Bomber' Louis, and play as a catcher in Major League Baseball. An uncle of Rocky taught him the basics to Boxing while he was young, yet Rocky seemed somewhat disinterested with it until after Rocky served in the US Army during World War II.
It was at this time that Rocky began to box as an Amateur fighter, compiling a somewhat unimpressive 8-4 Amateur record (1 loss by DQ, 3 by Decision). Rocky did, however claim tournament honors, winning the 1948 Massachusetts/Rhode Island Golden Gloves Tournament, 1948 New England Tournament of Champions and won the AAU Heavyweight Championship during the Olympic tryouts in March 1948. The year before (1947), Rocky debuted in Pro Boxing with a third round KO of Lee Epperson, however, following the aforementioned tournament wins, Rocky began a full Pro career in July 1948.
Very few people believed in Rocky, given that he was prone to making himself fall down by throwing punches with so much momentum that he couldn't stop himself. However, Trainer Charley Goldman taught him how to control his punching, as well as to crouch and avoid being hit as well. Rocky would put his training to good use in the years to come.
After compiling a 25-0 record with 23 KOs, Rocky finally got a shot at the top ten contenders by taking on fellow Italian-American rising superstar, Roland LaStarza, on 3/24/50. The two went to an extremely close Split Decision, with Rocky knocking down LaStarza for the first time in his career in Round 4, but LaStarza winning Round 8 due to point deduction for Rocky hitting a low blow. LaStarza continued to claim he won that fight, and petitioned for World Heavyweight Championship shots when Rocky became champion, which he would get, only to be dissappointed as Rocky would TKO him in the 11th by literally breaking LaStarza's forearms with bombs as LaStarza attempted to "Rope-a-dope" Rocky, and then he bombared LaStarza in the face until the referee stopped the beating. Thus, Rocky retained the World Heavyweight Title for the second time.
Following his LaStarza victory, Rocky continued to fight opponents who weren't ranked in the top ten for another year, until 7/12/51, when he faced Rex Layne, another top ten HW contender. Rex, a 9 to 5 favorite, was bigger and allegedly stronger than Rocky, which made Rocky seem like an extreme underdog. The first two rounds were considered in Layne's favor, the following two were considered interchangable, but by the fifth, Rocky began to pummel Layne with hard bombs. In the sixth, a hard right connected and KOed Layne. Layne allegedly lost front tooth to that bomb by Rocky.
to be continued....