Rocky Marciano has an unblemished 49-0 record, but are those numbers a reflection of reality?
In his remarkable career, ‘The Brockton Blockbuster’ cemented his status as one of the greatest of all time, utilizing his unrivalled engine and granite chin to dominate his era.
Following a tremendous victory over Archie Moore, Marciano hung up the gloves, heading off into the sunset, with nothing left to prove.
However, there was one fighter left furious that he wasn’t the lone defeat on the boxer’s record.
WOW: ‘Tyson Fury was the toughest sparring I had’… Eddie Chambers on his experience with the icon
Roland La Starza could’ve beaten Rocky Marciano
On March 24, 1950, at the world-famous Madison Square Garden in New York, USA, Rocky Marciano and Roland La Starza went to war in a brawl for the ages.
The fight was a thrilling affair, with the Italian-American dropping his opponent en route to winning a unanimous decision.
However, the result was shrouded in controversy, with many believing La Starza, who’d had lots of success counterpunching his rival, ought to have gotten his hand raised.
At the time, Jesse Abramson of the New York Daily Herald branded Marciano’s win a ‘paper-thin and exceedingly odd decision’.
La Starza was still fuming 50 years later, telling the New York Herald Tribune: “I won that fight. The fact is, his manager, Al Weill, was matchmaker for the Garden. I would say that had a lot to do with the decision.”
With so much backlash surrounding the result, the pair ran it back three years later, with Marciano scoring a knockout in the 11th round.
Is Rocky Marciano in the top five heavyweights of all time?
Marciano’s career was undeniably fantastic.
Whether he lost the first time around to La Starza or not, he settled the rivalry once and for all in the rematch.
In addition, he picked up massive wins over the likes of Jersey Joe Walcott and Joe Louis.
But where does he stand among the best to have ever done it?
We’ve ranked the greatest competitors in the history of his division, but does Marciano make our top five heavyweights of all-time?