Rocky Marciano is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight champion boxers of all time, and not without sound reasoning.
Marciano made his professional debut on March 17, 1947. Five and a half years later, Marciano had compiled a perfect unblemished record of 42-0 with 37 victories coming by way of knockout. It was then that Rocky received his first opportunity to fight for a world championship when he challenged heavyweight champ Jersey Joe Walcott. Marciano was dropped in the opening round and he had a very difficult time coping with Walcott’s slick skill set. But after falling behind early, Marciano battled his way back and scored a dramatic come from behind KO in round 13.
Marciano’s final championship bout took place on September 21, 1955 when Marciano defended the heavyweight world championship against then reigning light heavyweight world champion Archie Moore. The Old Mongoose dropped Rocky with a sneaking counter right in the second round, and this one turned into a gruelling war of attrition. It was a tremendous display of relentless stamina from The Brockton Blockbuster, and an equally amazing display of heart, determination, and craftiness from The Old Mongoose. Marciano ultimately dropped Moore four times before scoring a 9th round stoppage. The victory against Archie Moore wound up being the sixth and final title defense during the illustrious Hall of Fame career of the great Rocky Marciano.
When all was said and done, Marciano finished his career with a perfect record. In 49 contests Marciano had 49 victories, with 0 defeats, 0 draws, and 43 of those 49 victories coming by way of knockout. Out of those 49 bouts, 7 of those were world championship bouts.
This edition of Rummy’s Corner (https://www.youtube.com/ rummyscorner) will provide a brief chronological recap of all 7 heavyweight world championship contests that featured the one and only Rocky Marciano. This is part 3 of a new ongoing series of Complete Championship Profiles. Please watch and enjoy the video!