Rocky Marciano
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Rocky Marciano (September 1, 1923 – August 31, 1969), born Rocco Francis Marchegiano, was the heavyweight champion of the world from 1952 to 1956. Marciano, with forty-three knockouts to his credit (87.8% knockout rate), remains the only heavyweight champion in boxing history to retire having won every fight in his professional career.
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[edit] Legacy
In 1971, Ring magazine founder Nat Fleischer named Marciano as the tenth greatest heavyweight champion ever.[1] In 1998, Ring magazine named Marciano as the sixth greatest heavyweight champion ever. In 2002, Ring Magazine numbered Marciano at #12 on the list of the 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years. In 2003, Ring Magazine rated Marciano #14 on the list of 100 greatest punchers of all time. In 2005, Marciano was named the fifth greatest heavyweight of all time by the International Boxing Research Organization.[2] A 1977 ranking by Ring magazine listed Marciano as the greatest Italian-American fighter. In 2007, on ESPN.com's list of the 50 Greatest Boxers of All Time, Marciano was ranked #14. A 1968 radio computer simulation by Murry Woroner concluded that Marciano was the greatest heavyweight champion.[3]
Marciano holds the record for the longest undefeated streak by a heavyweight and for being the only World Heavyweight Champion to go undefeated throughout his career. This record was challenged by Larry Holmes in 1985 when Holmes went 48-0 before losing to Michael Spinks twice. Light heavyweight Dariusz Michalczewski also challenged Marciano when he was 48-0. Julio César Chávez holds the record for longest win streak with eighty-eight straight until he suffered a draw in 1993. Willie Pep, a featherweight, had a perfect 63-0 record before he was defeated. Packy McFarland was a lightweight (fighting between 1904-1915) who lost his first fight and then won his next 98, though he never won the lightweight title.
Throughout history, only a few boxers have retired without a defeat. Super middleweight Sven Ottke was 34-0 when he retired, while welterweight Floyd Mayweather, Jr. retired at 39-0[4]. A few boxers have retired undefeated but did suffer draws. Ji Won Kim retired as an undefeated super bantamweight champion in 1986 with a 16-0-2 record, Ricardo Lopez retired in 2001 at 51-0-1, and middleweight Laszlo Papp was 28-0-2.
Marciano was knocked down to the canvas only twice in his professional career. The first occurred in his first championship bout, against Jersey Joe Walcott and the second occurred against Archie Moore. On both occasions, he rose to knock his opponent out.
Marciano's punch was tested and it was featured in the December 1963 issue of Boxing Illustrated: "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." [5][6]
Marciano was named fighter of the year by Ring Magazine three times. His three championship fights between 1952-54 were named fights of the year by that magazine. 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 second most important American athlete of the year.
Marciano is a member of the International Boxing Hall Of Fame.
A bronze statue of Marciano is planned for 2009 in his hometown of Brockton, MA. The statue will be gifted to the city by the World Boxing Council. A location for the statue has yet to be decided. The artist Mario Rendon, head of the Instituto Universitario de las Bellas Artes in Colima, Mexico, has been selected to sculpt the statue.[7]
[edit] See also
[edit] References and Notes
- ^ The Ring Online (September, 1971). "Classic Columns". Retrieved on 2007-01-18.
- ^ International Boxing Research Organization (March, 2005). "[International Boxing Research Organization (March, 2005). "All Time Rankings". Retrieved on 2007-01-18. All Time Rankings]". Retrieved on 2007-01-18.
- ^ Time name Marciano as #14 Greatest Heavyweight
- ^ ESPN - Mayweather Jr. retires, cancels rematch with De La Hoya - Boxing
- ^ A picture of Marcianos punch test at Kolumbus.fi
- ^ A further picture of Marcianos punch test at Kolumbus.fi
- ^ [1] Brockton Enterprise: Where to put Rocky?
