NO. 6 ROCKY MARCIANO
Years active: 1947-55
Record: 49-0
KOs: 43
KO percentage (of wins): 88
KOs inside 3 rounds: 26
Notable KO victims: Ezzard Charles, Roland LaStarza, Joe Louis, Archie Moore, Jersey Joe Walcott (twice)
Background: Marciano’s primary strengths might’ve been his inhuman stamina, volume of hard punches and durability, but make no mistake: The man could crack. All you have to do is watch a video of his one-punch destruction of Hall of Famer Jersey Joe Walcott on September 23, 1952, which is arguably the greatest single shot in the history of the sport. Walcott, who also fought Louis, was asked who punched harder. He responded, “Marciano was a one-punch artist. He threw every punch like you throw a baseball, as hard as he could. I have to say, with all respect to Joe, Marciano hit harder.” Of course, Marciano was very small by today’s standards. He generally fought between 184 and 189 pounds, which would make him a small cruiserweight today. Thus, you have to look at Marciano’s place here as a sort of pound-for-pound designation. That acknowledged, it might not be a good idea to count Rocky out of any fight in any era. Contemporary Carmen Basilio, who died in 2012, said Marciano would’ve done just fine in this era. “Today he’d look like a midget against some of those heavyweights around, but he’d clobber them all. A great fighter, very tough.” Watch the punch that put Walcott to sleep. Then tell us what you think.
More quotes: Jack Dempsey (in 1953): “I’ve scored my share of knockouts along the way, but more often than not my opponents got up after being knocked down and had to be knocked down repeatedly. The same is true of Joe Louis. But Marciano needs only one solid smash and it’s all over. That’s why I say Rocky Marciano is the hardest-hitting heavyweight champion I have seen.” … Ezzard Charles: “Rocky numbs you all over. Wherever he hits you, he hurts you; on the arms, the shoulders, the neck and the head.”