Jersey joe walcott vs rocky marciano wikipedia
Rocky Marciano
American boxer (1923–1969)
Not to be confused with Roc Marciano or Rocky Graziano.
Rocco Francis Marchegiano (September 1, 1923 – August 31, 1969; Italian pronunciation:[markeˈdʒaːno]), better known as Rocky Marciano (, Italian:[marˈtʃaːno]), was an American professional boxer who competed from 1947 to 1955. He held the world heavyweight championship from 1952 to 1956, and remains the only heavyweight champion to finish his career undefeated. His six title defenses were against Jersey Joe Walcott (from whom he had taken the title), 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 is considered one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. Marciano remains the only fighter to have stopped every opponent he ever faced for the world heavyweight title, and shares, with Joe Louis, the highest knockout-to-win percentage in world heavyweight title fights at 85.71%. His career knockout-to-win percentage of 87.8% remains one of the highest in heavyweight boxing history. Marciano is ranked #14 in The Ring magazine's list of the 100 greatest punchers of all time.
Early life
Born Rocco Francis Marchegiano on September 1, 1923, Rocky was raised on the south side of Brockton, Massachusetts. His parents, Pierino Marchegiano and Pasqualina Picciuto, were both immigrants from Italy. His father was from Ripa Teatina, Abruzzo, while his mother was from San Bartolomeo in Galdo, Campania. Marciano 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 worked out on homemade weightlifting equipment (later in his life, Marciano was also a client of Charl
Jersey Joe Walcott
American boxer (1914–1994)
This article is about the American heavyweight boxer. For the Bajan welterweight boxer, see Barbados Joe Walcott.
Jersey Joe Walcott | |
|---|---|
Walcott (left) with Robert Culp in the television series Cain's Hundred in 1962 | |
| Born | Arnold Raymond Cream (1914-01-31)January 31, 1914 Pennsauken Township, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | February 25, 1994(1994-02-25) (aged 80) Camden, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Jersey Joe |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | Heavyweight |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) |
| Reach | 74 in (188 cm) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 70 |
| Wins | 49 |
| Wins by KO | 31 |
| Losses | 20 |
| Draws | 1 |
| In office 1971–1974 | |
| Preceded by | Martin Segal |
| Succeeded by | Joseph W. Coyle |
| Resting place | Sunset Memorial Park Cemetery Pennsauken Township, New Jersey |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence(s) | Camden, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Occupation | Boxer |
Arnold Raymond Cream (January 31, 1914 – February 25, 1994), best known as Jersey Joe Walcott, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1930 to 1953. He held the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC), National Boxing Association (NBA), and The Ring heavyweight titles from 1951 to 1952, and broke the record for the oldest man to win the title, at the age of 37. That record would hold for over three decades until it was eventually broken in 1994 by 45-year-old George Foreman. Despite holding the world heavyweight title for a relatively short period of time, Walcott was regarded among the best heavyweights in the world during the 1940s and 1950s.
After retiring from boxing, Walcott did some acting, playing small parts in a few movies and television shows. He also refereed several boxing matches, but after the controversial ending to the second fight betwee ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ +/− Boxing competition Marciano sends Walcott to the canvas during their 1953 rematch Heavyweight champions Rocky Marciano and Jersey Joe Walcott fought two historic boxing matches in 1952 and 1953. The first fight saw Marciano, the undefeated challenger, take on the world heavyweight champion Jersey Joe in a hard-fought championship fight. The fight culminated in a 13th round knockout scored by Marciano, in a major comeback victory after Walcott stacked up a wide lead throughout the majority of the bout. The fight and the final round were ranked as 1952's fight and round of the year respectively by The Ring, and is considered one of the greatest heavyweight championship bouts of all time. The two fighters had a rematch the following year, and saw Marciano's first successful defense of his title, winning a quick victory over the former champion. During Jersey Joe Walcott's over two decade long boxing career, he would fight for the heavyweight championship several times. In four close fights, he lost title shots to Joe Louis and Ezzard Charles (twice to each), before finally winning the undisputed heavyweight title in 1951, after scoring a knockout victory over Charles in a third match. At the age of 37, Walcott was the oldest man to win the heavyweight championship (a record he held for over 30 years until he was surpassed by George Foreman in 1994). He defended his title with a 15-round unanimous decision in a fourth fight with Charles, before facing Marciano. Rocky Marciano had built up an impressive record of 42 straight victories, winning all but five in knockout or stoppage. He rose into prominence in the early 1950s, scoring notable victories over several top con File:Rocky Marciano and Jersey Joe Walcott 1953.jpg
Rocky Marciano vs. Jersey Joe Walcott
Date September 23, 1952 and May 15, 1953 Venue Philadelphia Municipal Stadium and Chicago Stadium Title(s) on the line NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring heavyweight titles Background