Boxing Legends Vol.1 - Rocky Marciano [Archive] - satFIX.to

TPB

11-25-2009, 07:29 AM

After boxing
Marciano considered a comeback in 1959 when Ingemar Johansson won the heavyweight championship from Floyd Patterson on June 26, 1959. After only a month of training in three years, Marciano decided against it and never seriously considered a comeback again.

After his retirement, Marciano hosted a weekly boxing show on TV for one year. For a brief period, he worked as a troubleshooting referee in wrestling (Marciano was a good wrestler in high school). He continued as a referee and boxing commentator in boxing matches for many years.

In late July 1969, shortly before his death, Marciano participated in the filming of the fantasy, The Superfight: Marciano vs. Ali. The two boxers were filmed sparring, then the film was edited to match a computer simulation of a hypothetical fight between them, each in their prime. It aired on January 20, 1970, with Marciano winning by knockout in 13.

Death
In 1969, on the eve of his 46th birthday, Marciano was a passenger in a small private plane, a Cessna 172 headed to Des Moines, Iowa. It was at night, and bad weather set in. The pilot, Glenn Belz, had only 231 total hours of flying time, only 35 of them at night, and was not certified to fly in such dangerous conditions. Belz tried to set the plane down at a small airfield outside Newton, Iowa, but hit a tree two miles short of the runway. Evidently, the plane was also extremely low on fuel. Rocky, Belz (the young pilot), and 22 year old Frankie Farrell (son of Italian mobster Louis Fratto) were killed on impact. The National Transportation Safety Board report said, "The pilot attempted operation exceeding his experience and ability level, continued visual flight rules under adverse weather conditions, and experienced spatial disorientation in the last moments of the flight.". Marciano was on his way to give a speech to support a friend's son and there was a surprise birthday celebration waiting for him. He had hoped to return early morning for his 46th birthday celebration with his wife. He was coming from a dinner in Chicago at STP CEO Andy Granatelli's home.

He is interred in a crypt at Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. His wife, who died five years after him at the age of 46, is entombed next to him. His father died in March 1972, his mother in early January 1986.

Legacy
In 1971, Ring magazine founder Nat Fleischer named Marciano as the tenth greatest heavyweight champion ever. 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. 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.

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's record when he was 48-0, but lost to Julio César González in his 49th fight. 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 62-0 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 as undefeated world champions. As of 2009 apart from Marciano only Michael Loewe,Pichit Sitbangprachan, Harry Simon, Sven Ottke and Joe Calzaghe retired with a perfect record containing neither defeats nor draws. Ji Won Kim, Terry Marsh and Ricardo Lopez retired also undefeated but having draws in their record.

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. Moore stated, after the fight, that fighting Marciano was "like fighting an airplane propeller."

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."

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 made a gift 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.

Source: Wikipedia

Rocky Marciano's Youtube Index

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=rocky+marciano&search_type=&aq=f