CONTROVERSY CONNECTS ALL SPORTS: THE ROCKY MARCIANO MYTH EXPOSED
Posted on | August 11, 2007 | 3 Comments
What would professional sports be without controversy? Barry Bonds passing Henry Aaron’s home-run record put some of the issues that other sports face in the news. It reminded me, in some ways, of when Aaron passed Babe Ruth’s record. Sports fans often seem to be upset when there are records shattered, myths exposed, or issues of “cheating” are raised.
On another sports forum, I noted how my baseball-playing Grandfather had known Ty Cobb in the deadball era, and how upset Cobb would be to find that any baseball player actually cheated. Only two people responded: one said I obviously disliked Bonds, while the other said that as a boxing fan, I had no right to point fingers.
Does boxing have any controversies that compete with baseball’s? I think we can hold our own. Let’s start with Larry Holmes, one of the best heavyweight champions in boxing’s history. Larry found it was difficult to follow Muhammad Ali, who had gone from being one of the most controversial athletes ever, to a beloved figure at the end of his career.
Larry, who had been an Ali sparring partner, and who was convinced he could have taken Ali , won the title in 1978 in a war against Ken Norton. He defended against tough contenders, such as Mike Weaver, Ernie Shavers, and Trevor Berbick, but did not get the respect he believed that he deserved.
In 1982, in his 12th defense, he fought undefeated powerhouse Gerry Cooney. This was a super fight, that attracted the attention of all sports fans. To a large extent, the fans were divided on roughly racial lines. Larry knocked Gerry out in 13 rounds in a war, but he was still not given his due.
After Cooney, Holmes began defending against guys like Tex Cobb, Scott Frank, and Marvis Frazier. His fans recognized that Larry had cleaned out the division. His detractors were convinced he was padding his record against weak opposition.
In 1985, Holmes defended against Michael Spinks. The defense against the light heavyweight champion was Larry’s chance to tie the great Rocky Marciano’s 49-0 record. But Michael won a close decision. Afterward, when a reporter asked Holmes about Marciano, Larry said that Rocky “couldn’t have carried (his) jock strap.” It was a comment that did not endear Holmes to
the public.
Marciano is one of boxing’s legendary figures. However, his undefeated record is part myth. The Ring Record Book shows that he turned pro on 3-17-47. He knocked Lee Epperson out in 3 rounds, earning $50.
His next fight, according to the RRB, was his 7-12-48 first round knockout. What had Rocky Marciano done in the 16 months between these fights? He boxed!
On 4-15-47, a frustrated Rocky fouled Henry Lester, who was pulling ahead in the second round. Rocky was disqualified. Rocky’s brother told author Everett Skehan that after the fight, Rocky said, “Sure, I kicked the guy. What was I gonna do, let him beat me? It was the only way I could stop him from coming after me.” (Rocky Marciano: Biography of a First Son; Skehan; page 50)
Marciano then fought in an AAU tournement. He won two fights, but injured his hands. In his next fight, he lost a 3-round decision to Joey De Angelis. He was paid $55 for that fight.
On March 1, 1948, Coley Wallace decisioned Rocky in 3 rounds. Marciano was paid $100. After that, he was decisioned by Bob Girard in 3 rounds.
After that, Rocky signed with Armand “Al” Weill. The rest is history. Do the four loses from after Rocky had turned professional make him any less of a great warrior? No. We should judge him by his prime. Any comparison between Marciano and Holmes should be considered only in the context of each champion at their very best.
Larry Holmes continued to be a controversial figure inside and outside the ring. He told journalists that he had solid evidence that another champion was using steroids, but the reporters didn’t want to know at the time.
Today, of course, we know about “Evan Fields,” and James Toney has twice been found to have used steroids before fights.
Controversy is a part of professional sports. It is important for fans to keep in mind that even the greatest athletes have the same human frailties as each and every one of us. While we should be aware of their mistakes and their defeats, we should measure their true greatness by how well they did in their primes. In that case, men like Rocky Marciano and Larry Holmes rank among boxing’s greatest champions.