Rocky Marciano: The Rock of His Times

Sport and Society

by Russell Sullivan

A portrait of an American sports icon retraces the rise of Marciano from obscurity to nail one of the greatest records in boxing--49-0--while exploring his strengths and weaknesses as a boxer.

Genres: Biography, Sports, History

400 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Ilena Holder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a female boxing, UFC, MMA fan. I know, sort of an oddity. This was a great book. Told about how poor Marciano was growing up. Also why he changed his name. He was a sort of self-taught boxer. When he gaining momentum in his career, his coach had to get him to "unlearn" his bad habits and relearn the correct way to box. He was one of the first boxers to train in a swimming pool. Also he would jump into very cold water in lakes to toughen up his body. Though he retired as undefeated in his career, he was quite a skinflint. He would regularly go to the local airport (think it was Boston) dressed very well. He would pretend he had missed his flight and would go around talking to wealthy travelers (who were getting ready to board private planes) and based on his star power, they would believe his story and offer him an empty seat just because of who he was. Also tells of an out-of-wedlock son he later adopted. It was always rumored that the boy was his, but never verified in the book.

[David Goode · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good solid biography of history's only undefeated heavyweight champion.

[Bobby24 · Rating 5 out of 5]

First class book on a legendary boxer, you could not wish to read a better biog on his life. I hope it gets a wide readership.

[Dan Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very insightful

[Cwn_annwn_13 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good bio of Rocky Marciano. There really never was a more unlikely guy to become one the great heavyweight champions if you think about it. He had very little in the way of amateur fights and really didn't start boxing till he was in his mid 20's. He was very small for a heavyweight, even for that time. Marciano was the only heavyweight champion to never lose a fight and retire undefeated. He was one of a small handful of boxers that transcended the sport and became American icons that were synonymous with the times in which they were champion. Anybody that disparages his ring accomplishments either has an anti-white agenda or knows NOTHING about boxing. He had victories over fighters who are arguably the three most skilled, ringwise and crafty heavyweights to ever get in the ring, Joe Walcott, Ezzard Charles (he beat Walcott and Charles twice) and Archie Moore. I do not consider Marciano to be the greatest heavyweight ever but his ring accomplishments can't be denied.

But besides his big fights which were talked about in depth among other things it also goes into his life growing up in a poor Italian-American family. The very methodical process in which he was brought up through the ranks of the fight game after he turned pro. The likliehood that the main reason he retired was because he was sick of dealing with his over controlling manager. His penchant for being incredibly cheap and frugal. As well as his tragic death in an airplane crash.

[Nathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The emphasis here is on Marciano's persona and his relationship to the zeitgeist of Cold War-era America, to the neglect of any really substantive analysis of his success as a boxer. I thought that made this book flat and uninteresting, especially when coupled with Sulivan's unabashed admiration for his subject that sometimes seems to stand in the way of objectivity. A passable, if soulless and stylistically indifferent, effort.

[F. John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a little about the man. I learned that his handler was a good one and knew how to steer him early on so that he fought the fights he was ready to fight. But in the end, Rocky had heart. You can't steer a person all the way to the top. I also learned that he was cheap. Finally, boxing was an important sport back then. People followed local talent at the local ring as he worked his way up. That kind of thing doesn't exist the way it used to.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

NICE

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An almost blow by blow account of the Rock's life. It also serves as a window to the 50s and how the champ exemplified the supposedly simple nature of the decade.