Rocky Marciano-The Best or A Protected Fighter?
Former Heavyweight Champ Marciano Retired Unbeaten in 49 Contests
Feb 18, 2009
A few years ago Larry Holmes lost his world heavyweight title to Michael Spinks in what most observers called a dubious decision. At the same time Holmes gave up an unbeaten record of 48-0, one win short of the record set by Rocky Marciano, the Brockton Blockbuster, who retired in 1955 unbeaten - the only heavyweight ever to do so.
In the press conference after the fight an embittered Holmes, never one for tact or diplomacy, was asked how he felt about losing the record.
“Rocky Marciano couldn’t carry my jockstrap” came the reply.
Public Reaction
The public reaction was quick and vitriolic: an international icon had been slighted, an Italian American who came to represent all that was great and good in a country that had put war behind it, and was beginning to stretch it’s legs and let the good times roll. Marciano was the poster-boy for the working man, a walking advertisement that shouted loud and clear: “A lack of talent can be overcome by hard work and perseverance”. A million young boxers, not gifted with speed and poise but possessed of a fighting heart and an indomitable will, found in Marciano a template that gave them hope that they too could reach the pinnacle of the hardest of all professions.
Short Career
But Rocky’s career was a short one. . He boxed professionally for only 8 years, and was champion for only 3 years, making six title defences. He packed a lot into those years, but there are question marks over the quality of his opposition. Walcott was a fine champion of course, but was nudging 40 when they fought, and Ezzard Charles, whilst being a first-class fighter, weighed less than 185 pounds when he fought Marciano. Archie Moore was well into his forties when he boxed The Rock, and Joe Louis was 38. This was the fifities, when preparation and nutrition were of a different order than they are today, so boxers upward of 35 really were past their primes and generally spent forces.
In comparing Marciano to other champions, the size issue is something that cannot be ignored. Rocky was only 5 feet 10 inches tall, and weighed around 185 pounds at his best. His opposition too were small heavyweights. Outside of a couple of early wins against much heavier men, Joe Louis was the biggest man Marciano fought at 213 pounds, and the heaviest man he defended against, Don Cockell, was an earnest but limited journeyman from England who weighed 205. It’s intriguing to consider how Marciano would have handled some of the very big heavyweights of the modern era, like Lennox Lewis, who stood 6 feet 5 inches tall and weighed north of 250 pounds.
Marciano And Ali
A few years after he retired, Marciano acquiesced to take part in a computer experiment, where he was matched with Muhammad Ali (Ali was in boxing exile at the time having refused the US draft, and probably needed the money). The two sparred for the cameras and enacted various outcomes – leaving the computer to decide who would win the fight. The computer decided that Marciano would have stopped Ali in 13 rounds.
