Rocky Marciano
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Rocky Marciano
(born Sept. 1, 1923, Brockton, Mass., U.S.died Aug. 31, 1969, near Newton, Ia.) U.S. boxer and world heavyweight champion. Marciano began boxing in the army in World War II. An unscientific but hard-punching and exceptionally durable fighter, he won the championship title in 1952 by defeating Jersey Joe Walcott and relinquished it upon retiring in 1956. He was undefeated in 49 professional fights, scoring 43 knockouts.
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Rocky Marciano
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Rocky Marciano
Boxer Rocky Marciano (1923-1969), who held the heavyweight boxing title for four years during the 1950s, is the only boxing champion to ever retire undefeated.
Certain names always come up, and always will come up, when boxing fans discuss the question of who was the greatest heavyweight boxing champion of all time. Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis, Jack Dempsey are all names which have their supporters. So is Rocky Marciano, who held the title for four years in the 1950s and who has one accomplishment no other heavyweight champ can claim: He is the only one ever to retire undefeated.
Boxing Not First Choice
Marciano was born Rocco Francis Marchegiano on September 1, 1923 in Brockton, Massachusetts. His father, Pierino, worked at a shoe factory. His mother's name was Pasqualena, and Rocky would spend much of his life making sure she didn't have to live in the poverty Rocky knew growing up. Rocky was a typical American kid growing up, playing baseball and football and dreaming of a professional career in one of those sports. He didn't take up boxing until after 1943, when he was drafted into the army. He took the sport up mainly as a way to avoid KP (assisting the cooks) and other less desirable activities, but he showed a natural ability and fought as an amateur following his discharge in 1946.
Tries Baseball
In 1947 Marciano had a tryout with the Chicago Cubs as a catcher, but was let go because he couldn't make the throw from home plate to second base with accuracy. It was the end of his baseball dreams, and the following year he turned professional in the ring. By the spring of 1949 his boxing skills had garnered some attention, as he knocked out his first 16 opponents. The quality of his opponents improved over the latter half of 1949 and 1950, but Marciano continued to beat all comers, knocking out most of them.
Proved Doubters Wrong
There were those who thought not much would become of the 190-pound heavyweight from Brockton in the early days, however. Goody Petronelli, noted fight trainer, caught one of his early fights and recalled for Sports Illustrated, "I never thought he'd make it. He was too old, almost 25. He was too short, he was too light. He had no reach. Rough and tough, but no finesse." The hometown folks became believers, though, traveling in groups to Marciano's fights in nearby Providence, Rhode Island and yelling "Timmmmberrr" when Rocky had an opponent ready to go down.
Boxing Technique
The trainer Charley Goldman taught Marciano his trademark technique, which would serve him well as champion. Legendary trainer Angelo Dundee remembered for Sports Illustrated Goldman telling him for the first time about his new young fighter: "So Charley told me, 'Ange, I gotta guy who's short, stoop-shouldered, balding, got two left feet and God, how he can punch!'" He went on, "Charley taught the technique that if you're tall, stand taller. If you are shorter, make yourself smaller. Charley let him bend his knees completely in a deep knee squat. He was able to punch from that position, come straight up from the bag and hit a heck of a shot…. It was just bang-bang-bang-bang-BANG and get him outta there. And he was the best-conditioned athlete out there."
Marciano Defeats Joe Louis
On October 26, 1951, with 37 wins and 32 knockouts under his belt, Marciano faced his most formidable opponent in former heavyweight champion Joe Louis. Louis was past his prime and when Marciano knocked him out in the eighth round, he had such mixed feelings at beating his hero that he cried in Louis's dressing room after the fight. Sentiment aside, however, the fight established Marciano as one of the marquee fighters in the heavyweight division, and assured him of a title shot before too long.
Takes the Belt from Jersey Joe
Five fights later, on September 23, 1952, he got that chance. Jersey Joe Walcott was the defending champion and Marciano the challenger when the pair met in Philadelphia. Marciano pulled out a victory which would be remembered as typical of his tough-guy, never-say-die style: Way behind on points and struggling offensively all night, he caught Walcott with a short, overhand right on the jaw in the 13th round which knocked him unconscious, giving Marciano the championship belt.
Marciano only defended the title six times, but some of those fights are considered classics by boxing fans. He knocked out Walcott in the first round of their rematch in 1953, then knocked out Roland La Starza later that year. He won a decision against Ezzard Charles in 1954, and almost lost his title in their rematch later that year. In the sixth round Charles cut Marciano's nose so badly his cornerman couldn't stop the bleeding. With the ring doctor watching the cut closely and considering stopping the fight, Marciano erupted against Charles in the eighth round and knocked him out.
Marciano defended his title against Don Cockell in 1955, knocking him out despite organized crime enticements for him to throw the fight. His last fight was September 21, 1955, his third Yankee Stadium defense. He knocked out Archie Moore in the ninth round. The unofficial attendance through closed-circuit television across the great cities of North America was over 400,000.
Retired from Boxing
On April 27, 1956 Marciano retired from boxing at the age of 31. "I thought it was a mistake when Joe Louis tried a comeback," The New York Times quoted him as saying. "No man can say what he will do in the future, but barring poverty, the ring has seen the last of me. I am comfortably fixed, and I am not afraid of the future." He said he wanted to spend more time with his family; it has been said since that he resented having to pay 50 percent of his earnings to his manager.
The Last Years
Marciano spent the years following his retirement making money from personal appearances. Notoriously frugal, Marciano insisted on bumming rides from friends with private planes, even though he could usually be given paid transportation to and from any of his personal appearances. On August 31, 1969, the day before his 46th birthday, he died in a private-plane crash near Des Moines, Iowa. He was survived by his wife of 19 years, Barbara, and two children, Rocco Kevin and Mary Anne.
Remembered for his Grit
Although he may not rank in the top five boxers of all time in terms of skill, speed, or power, Rocky Marciano was tough enough to compensate, and his fans recognized his grit. A sports writer commented that if all the heavyweight champions of all time were locked together in a room, Marciano would be the one to walk out.
Further Reading
Everett M. Skehan, Rocky Marciano: The Biography of a First Son (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1977).
Columbia Encyclopedia:
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Rocky Marciano
Marciano, Rocky (märsēä'nō), 1924-69, American boxer, b. Brockton, Mass. His real name was Rocco Francis Marchegiano. Failing to become a professional baseball player, Marciano turned to boxing and won 27 of 30 amateur bouts before he turned professional in 1947. On his climb to the heavyweight title, Marciano became the second boxer ever to knock out (1951) Joe Louis. On Sept. 23, 1952, Marciano won the title by knocking out Jersey Joe Walcott in 13 rounds at Philadelphia. The only heavyweight champion with a perfect professional record, Marciano was undefeated in 49 fights and successfully defended his title six times before retiring in Apr., 1956. Noted for his powerful punching ability, he won 43 of his pro bouts by knockouts. He died in a plane crash.
Bibliography
See biography by R. Sullivan (2002).
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Rocky Marciano
Quotes:
"I have always adhered to two principles. The first one is to train hard and get in the best possible physical condition. The second is to forget all about the other fellow until you face him in the ring and the bell sounds for the fight."
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Rocky Marciano
| Rocky Marciano | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Rocco Francis Marchegiano |
| Nickname(s) | The Brockton Blockbuster The Rock from Brockton |
| Rated at | Heavyweight |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Reach | 67 in (170 cm) |
| Nationality | American |
| Born | September 1, 1923 Brockton, Massachusetts |
| Died | August 31, 1969 (aged 45) Near Newton, Iowa |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 49 |
| Wins | 49 |
| Wins by KO | 43 |
| Losses | 0 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 0 |
Rocky Marciano (born Rocco Francis Marchegiano; September 1, 1923 – August 31, 1969) was an American professional boxer and the World Heavyweight Champion from September 23, 1952, to April 27, 1956. Marciano is the only champion to hold the heavyweight title and go untied and undefeated throughout his career. Marciano defended his title six times.
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Early years
Marciano was born and raised in Brockton, Massachusetts to Pierino Marchegiano and Pasqualina Picciuto. Both of his parents were immigrants from Italy: his father was from Ripa Teatina, Abruzzo, while his mother was from San Bartolomeo in Galdo, Campania. Rocky had three sisters—Alice, Concetta and Elizabeth—and two brothers—Sonny and Peter. When he was about eighteen months old, he got pneumonia, from which he almost died.
In his youth, he played baseball, worked out on homemade weightlifting equipment (later in his life, Marciano was also a client of Charles Atlas)[1] and used a stuffed mail bag that hung from a tree in his back yard as a heavy bag. He attended Brockton High School, where he played both baseball and football. However, he was cut from the school baseball team because he had joined a church league, violating a school rule forbidding players from joining other teams. He dropped out of school after finishing tenth grade.
Marciano then worked as a chute man on delivery trucks for the Brockton Ice and Coal Company. He also worked as a ditch digger and as a shoemaker. Rocky was also a resident of Hanson, Massachusetts; the house he lived in still stands on Main Street.
In March 1943, Marciano was drafted into the Army for a term of two years. Stationed in Swansea, Wales, he helped ferry supplies across the English Channel to Normandy. After the war ended, he completed his service in March 1946 at Fort Lewis, Washington.[2]
Amateur career
Marciano's amateur record was 8–4.[3] While awaiting discharge, Marciano, representing the army, won the 1946 Amateur Armed Forces boxing tournament. His amateur career was interrupted on March 17, 1947, when Marciano stepped into the ring as a professional competitor. That night, he knocked out Lee Epperson in three rounds. In an unusual move, however, Marciano returned to the amateur ranks and fought in the Golden Gloves All-East Championship Tournament in March 1948. He was beaten by Coley Wallace.[4] He continued to fight as an amateur throughout the spring and competed in the AAU Olympic tryouts in the Boston Garden. There, he knocked out George McInnis, but hurt his hands during the bout and was forced to withdraw from the tournament. That was his last amateur bout.[5]
In late March, 1947, Marciano and a few of his friends traveled to Fayetteville, North Carolina, to try out for the Fayetteville Cubs, a farm team for the Chicago Cubs baseball team.[6] Marciano lasted three weeks before being cut. After failing to find a spot on another team, he returned to Brockton and began boxing training with longtime friend, Allie Colombo. Al Weill and Chick Wergeles served as his managers and Charley Goldman as his trainer and teacher.
Professional career
Although he had one professional fight (against Lee Epperson), on his record, Marciano began fighting permanently as a professional boxer on July 12, 1948. That night, he notched a win over Harry Bilizarian (3–6–0). He won his first sixteen bouts by knockout, all before the fifth round, and nine before the first round was over. Don Mogard (17–9–1) became the first boxer to last the distance (full 10 rounds scheduled) with "The Rock," but Marciano won by unanimous decision.
Early in his career, he changed the spelling of his last name. The ring announcer in Providence, Rhode Island could not pronounce Marchegiano, so Marciano's handler, Al Weill, suggested they create a pseudonym. The first suggestion was Rocky Mack, which Marciano rejected. He decided to go with the more Italian-sounding "Marciano."[7]
Marciano won three more fights by knockout and then he met Ted Lowry (58–48–9), who, according to many scribes and witnesses, probably managed to win three or four of the ten rounds from Marciano. Nevertheless, Marciano kept his winning streak alive by beating Lowry by unanimous decision. Four more knockout wins followed, including a five rounder on December 19, 1949 with Phil Muscato (56–20–0), an experienced heavyweight from Buffalo, New York and the first "name fighter" Marciano would face. Three weeks after that fight, Marciano beat Carmine Vingo (16–1–0) by a fifth round knockout in New York that almost killed Vingo.
Marciano vs. La Starza
On March 24, 1950, Marciano fought Roland La Starza, winning by split decision. La Starza may have come closer than any other boxer to defeating Marciano. The scoring for the bout was 5–4, 4–5, 5–5 and Marciano won on a supplemental point system used by New York and Massachusetts at that time. It should also be noted that this scoring system did not award an extra point for a knockdown and Marciano scored a knockdown in this fight. Referee Watson decided the bout, scoring it 9–6 for Marciano. Both boxers were undefeated at the time of the fight, with La Starza's record at 37–0.
Subsequent bouts
Marciano won three more knockouts in a row before a rematch with Lowry (61–56–10). Marciano again won by unanimous decision. After that, he won four more by knockout, and, after a decision win over Red Applegate (11–14–2) late April 1951, he was showcased on national television for the first time, when he knocked out Rex Layne (34–1–2) in six rounds on July 12, 1951.
On Oct. 27, 1951, the 28 year old, Marciano, took on the 37 year old, Joe Louis. Coming into the bout, Marciano was 6½ to 5 underdog.[8] Marciano would upset the favorite, Louis, in what would be the latter's last career bout, a result that left him with mixed emotions, as Louis had been his childhood idol.
After four more wins, including victories over 35 year old, Lee Savold (96–37–3) and Harry Matthews (81–3–5), Marciano got his shot at the title.
Championship fights
Marciano, 28, faced the World Heavyweight Champion, 38-year-old Jersey Joe Walcott in Philadelphia on September 23, 1952. Walcott dropped Marciano in the first round and steadily built a points lead; but in the thirteenth, Walcott used his trademark feint to set up his right hand, but Marciano's "Suzie Q" landed first. Marciano landed a glancing left hook as Walcott slumped to his knees with his arm draped over the ropes. He lay motionless long after he had been counted out and Marciano became the new World Heavyweight Champion. At the time of the stoppage, Walcott was leading on all scorecards, 8–4, 7–5 and 7–4.
His first defense came a year later, a rematch against Walcott, 39, who this time was knocked out in the first round.
Next, it was Roland La Starza's turn to challenge Marciano. After building a small lead on the judges' scorecards all the way to the middle rounds, Marciano won the rematch by a technical knockout in the eleventh round.
Then came two consecutive bouts against former World Heavyweight Champion and light heavyweight legend, Ezzard Charles, 33, who became the only man to ever last fifteen rounds against Marciano.[9] Marciano won the first fight on points and the second by an eighth-round knockout. Then, Marciano met British and European Champion, Don Cockell. Marciano knocked him out in the ninth round.
Marciano's last title bout was against 38 year old, Archie Moore, on September 21, 1955. The bout was originally scheduled for September 20, but because of hurricane warnings, it had to be delayed a day. Marciano was knocked down for a four count in the second round, but recovered and retained his title by way of a knockout in round nine.
Marciano announced his retirement on April 27, 1956.[10]
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.[11]
After his retirement, Marciano entered the world of television, first appearing in the Combat! episode "Masquerade" and then hosting a weekly boxing show on TV in 1961. 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. He was also active in business as a partner and vice president of Papa Luigi Spaghetti Dens, a San Francisco based franchise company formed by Joe Kearns and James Braly.
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 one version Marciano winning and the second version having Ali winning. When asked if he could have defeated Ali in a real fight, Marciano replied: "I'd be conceited if I said I could, but I'd be lying if I said I couldn't."
Death
In 1969, on the eve of his 46th birthday, Marciano was a passenger in a small private plane, a Cessna 172[12] headed to Des Moines, Iowa. It was at night and bad weather had 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 instrument meteorological 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. Rocky, Belz 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 an 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."[13] [14] 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, Nat Fleischer, perhaps boxing's most famous historian and also editor and founder of Ring magazine, named Marciano as the all-time 10th greatest Heavyweight Champion.[15] Nat Fleischer wrote that in terms of boxing ability Marciano was "crude, wild swinging, awkward, and missed heavily. In his bout with Light Heavyweight Champion Archie Moore, for example, he missed almost two-thirds of the fifty odd punches he tossed when he had Archie against the ropes, a perfect target for the kill."[16]
John Durant[disambiguation needed 
] author of The Heavyweight Champions wrote in 1971 (pg. 123) “Critics do not rate Rocky with the great ones, like Jeffries, Johnson, Dempsey, Tunney, and Louis. He never faced top-fighters like they did. It was not Rocky’s fault, of course, that there was not much talent when he was fighting. He fought them all and that is what a champion is supposed to do.”
In December 1962, a Ring magazine poll of 40 boxing experts had Jack Dempsey rated the #1 Heavyweight of all time, with Joe Louis 2nd, Jack Johnson 3rd and Marciano 7th. Charley Rose, a historian, and John McCallum's Survey of Old Timers (survey of a group of historians and writers), rated Marciano at #8 and #9 of greatest heavyweights of all time.[17]
In 1998, Ring named Marciano as the 6th greatest Heavyweight Champion ever. In 2002, Ring numbered Marciano at #12 on the list of the 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years. In 2003, Ring 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.[18] A 1977 ranking by Ring 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.
Marciano holds the record with heavyweight Brian Nielsen for the longest undefeated streak by a heavyweight. He also has the record for being the only World Heavyweight Champion to go undefeated throughout his career. Willie Pep, a featherweight, had a perfect 62–0 record before he was defeated once, followed by a 72–0–1 undefeated streak. 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. Heavyweight Champion Gene Tunney never suffered a defeat at heavyweight and retired as champion, although he did lose one fight at light heavyweight.
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.
Marciano was knocked down to the canvas only twice in his professional career. The first occurred in his first championship against Jersey Joe Walcott, 38, and the second occurred against Archie Moore, 38.
On the bootleg tapes of The Beatles in session in 1965 recording Think For Yourself, John Lennon can be heard reflecting and joking about a meeting he had with Marciano, in which Marciano talked about Joe Louis.
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."[19][20]
Marciano was named fighter of the year by Ring 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 the second most important American athlete of the year.
Marciano is a member of the International Boxing Hall Of Fame.
A bronze statue of Marciano was planned for a 2009 completion date in his hometown of Brockton, Massachusetts, to be a gift to the city by the World Boxing Council. The artist Mario Rendon, head of the Instituto Universitario de las Bellas Artes in Colima, Mexico, was selected to sculpt the statue.[21] After years of delays in the planning stages,[22] the groundbreaking for the statue was held on April 1, 2012 on the grounds of Brockton High School.[23]
A bronze statue of Marciano has been erected in Ripa Teatina, Italy, to celebrate the birthplace of Marciano's father.
Professional boxing record
See also
References
- ^ "Charles Atlas: Muscle Man" by Jonathan Black, Smithsonian magazine, August 2009.
- ^ Skehan, Everett M. (1977). Rocky Marciano: Biography of a First Son. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin. pp. 39. ISBN 0-395-25356-X.
- ^ Skehan, Everett M. (1967). Rocky Marciano: Biography of a First Son. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin. pp. 73. ISBN 0-395-25356-X.
- ^ Skehan, Everett M. (1975). Rocky Marciano: Biography of a First Son. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin. pp. 69. ISBN 0-395-25356-X.
- ^ Skehan, Everett M. (1977). Rocky Marciano: Biography of a First Son. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin. pp. 70. ISBN 0-395-25356-X.
- ^ Skehan, Everett M. (1977). Rocky Marciano: Biography of a First Son. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin. pp. 66. ISBN 0-395-25356-X.
- ^ Rocky Marciano at The Port Gallery
- ^ http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Sp0VAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9AsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5608,1297081&dq=rocky+marciano&hl=en
- ^ Will Hammock. "The Champ: County to honor legendary boxer Charles today." Gwinnett Daily Post. Jun 5, 2010
- ^ Mullan (1996). Boxing: The Definitive Illustrated Guide to World Boxing. London, England: Carlton Books. pp. 81. ISBN 0-7858-0641-5.
- ^ Skehan, Everett M. (1977). Rocky Marciano: Biography of a first son. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin. pp. 257. ISBN 0-395-25356-X.
- ^ An Article On Marciano At Check Six
- ^ Thirty Fifth Anniversary Of The Death Of Rocky Marciano
- ^ Rocky Marciano raised money for the fight against Muscular Dystrophy. [Archive] - Boxing Forum
- ^ The Ring Online (September, 1971). "Classic Columns". Archived from the original on 2007-01-13. http://web.archive.org/web/20070113104323/http://www.thering-online.com/ringpages/boxinghistory.html#clayalltime. Retrieved 2007-01-18.
- ^ http://coxscorner.tripod.com/rocky.html
- ^ http://boxinguniverse.yuku.com/topic/87
- ^ International Boxing Research Organization (March, 2005). "All Time Rankings". Archived from the original on November 5, 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20061105190801/http://ibroresearch.com/All+Time+Rankings.htm. Retrieved 2007-01-18.
- ^ A picture of Marciano's punch test at Kolumbus.fi
- ^ A further picture of Marciano's punch test at Kolumbus.fi
- ^ [1] Brockton Enterprise: Where to put Rocky?
- ^ [2] Brockton’s Rocky Marciano Statue Committee wants meeting with World Boxing Council
- ^ [3] Brockton breaks ground for Rocky Marciano statue
- ^ Rocky Marciano's Professional Boxing Record – BoxRec.com
External links
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Rocky Marciano |
- Professional boxing record for Rocky Marciano from BoxRec
- Amateur Boxing Record for Rocky Marciano [4] from BoxArec
- Rocky Marciano // Official Website
- Check-Six.com - The Crash of Rocky Marciano's Cessna plane
- Rocky Marciano at the Internet Movie Database
- ESPN Greatest Ever KO Poll
- Brockton pays tribute to Allie Colombo, Marciano's friend and trainer
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jersey Joe Walcott |
World Heavyweight Champion September 23, 1952 – April 27, 1956 Retired |
Succeeded by Floyd Patterson |
| Preceded by Sugar Ray Robinson |
Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year 1952 |
Succeeded by Bobo Olson |
| Preceded by Bobo Olson |
Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year 1954 and 1955 |
Succeeded by Floyd Patterson |
| Preceded by Jersey Joe Walcott |
Edward J. Neil Trophy (BWAA Fighter of the Year) 1952 |
Succeeded by Kid Gavilan |
|
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The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.
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