Unbeaten: Rocky Marciano's Fight for Perfection in a Crooked World
From the bestselling author of The Prince of Providence, a revelatory biography of Rocky Marciano, the greatest heavyweight champion of all time.
The son of poor Italian immigrants, with short arms and stubby legs, Rocky Marciano accomplished a feat that eluded legendary heavyweight champions like Joe Louis, Jack Dempsey, Muhammad Ali, and Mike Tyson: He never lost a professional fight. His record was a perfect 49-0.
Unbeaten is the story of this remarkable champion who overcame injury, doubt, and the schemes of corrupt promoters to win the title in a bloody and epic battle with Jersey Joe Walcott in 1952. Rocky packed a devastating punch with an innocent nickname, “Suzie Q,” against which there was no defense. As the champ, he came to know presidents and movie stars – and the organized crime figures who dominated the sport, much to his growing disgust. He may have “stood out in boxing like a rose in a garbage dump,” as one sportswriter said, but he also fought his own private demons.
In the hands of the award-winning journalist and biographer Mike Stanton, Unbeaten is more than just a boxing story. It’s a classic American tale of immigrant dreams, exceptional talent wedded to exceptional ambitions, compromises in the service of a greater good, astounding success, disillusionment, and a quest to discover what it all meant. Like Suzie Q, it will knock you off your feet.
Reviews (127)
RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: “I WAS A NOBODY,” HE SAID. “IN THE RING, I BECAME A SOMEBODY.”
I have been a fight fan for over fifty-years. I started watching fights as a child on TV with my Dad… and then I went to fights with my Dad as a teenager… I went into the military and did some fighting there… I got out of the service… went to fights… had a son… and watched fights with him on TV… and then… (And still do) take him to the fights. I have read many… many… boxing books in my life… but this is one of the greatest all-around boxing books I have ever read! It has been my experience that most historical boxing books are written as if they were simply copying “play by play” from either an old sports section… or many actually come across as if they’re copied from an old tickertape printout. Most are written by sportswriters (no offense…. I read their work every day of my life) who either put their subject in a room and tape and convert their comments… or simply pound out a story like they’re meeting their weekly deadline. This book by Mike Stanton… is written by a real literary talent… so the reader is blessed with being able to be engulfed simultaneously with a story of the Rocky Marciano… the only undefeated Heavyweight Champion in the world… with all the statistics and accomplishments attached to this once in the world… people’s true undefeated champion… but at the same time… savvy readers… get the added bonus of thoroughly enjoying the written word as it was meant to be… but not often… presented… wrapped and immersed in a classic boxing story. Rocky’s entire hard scrabble life is brought to you… so you can truly understand… grasp… and feel… what made Rocky… Rocky. The hardworking Italian immigrants… the loving… protective Mother… the siblings… and the neighborhood friends… some of whom were by Rocky’s side his entire life. One of the great sub-plots of the story… is how the entire hometown of Brockton, Massachusetts… supported Marciano… both with their love and pride… and many of their paychecks… many betting every single fight of Rocky’s career. Some “pressed”…. bet after bet… and actually bought houses they could never have afforded… without taking the chance and constantly betting on every fight of their hometown hero. The author pulls no punches (Like Rocky!)… And uncovers and reports the good with the bad. As much as I knew about Marciano… I was surprised about Rocky’s trouble in the military during World War II. I never knew about his court martial and serving time for assault and robbery. Great reporting… and happily… Rocky came out better for it on the other side. Rocky’s love of baseball… and his earliest dreams was of being a Major League ballplayer. He actually went to a couple of big league tryout camps. And as every true boxing fan knows… despite the so called experts saying Rocky was too short… his arms too short… his legs too fat… and his speed too slow… Rocky became a legend that will live on forever. FORTY-NINE-FIGHTS… FORTY-THREE-KNOCKOUTS. His fights in the ring were the most visible fights… but he was constantly battling a crooked manager… and the mob that was running boxing at the time. Mike Stanton the author shows the ability to use his prose to get to your heart… soul… or gut… in every imaginable way and situation. The very opening sentence in the book… grabs you like it was created by either Ernest Hemingway… or Jim Murray…. “HE DIED WITH THE BLUNT FORCE HE HAD USED TO DISPATCH SO MANY OPPONENTS IN THE RING—SUDDENLY AND VIOLENTLY, IN A CORNFIELD IN THE MIDDLE OF AMERICA, THE MONTH AFTER MAN FIRST WALKED ON THE MOON.” He is just as eloquent when describing the absolute savagery that erupted immediately… or over time… in so many of his fights. Whether it was against Jersey Joe Walcott… Ezzard Charles… or Archie Moore… the gushing blood… broken and split noses… ballooning eyes… and mouths that combined both… the many broken bones… and the deep down… internal… pride… that makes a champion continue to fight on… despite the odds… the pain… the blood… and other seen and unseen obstacles… it’s also about Rocky crying after he crushed his childhood idol… Joe Louis… or when he went to church and prayed when he almost killed Carmine Vingo in the ring. The writer continues to write… and the reader continues to feel. Just as Rocky continued to throw brutal combinations with his “SUZIE-Q” terminator destroying his opponents… the author never lets up with his combinations of “feelings-facts-and-prose”… this book is a **KNOCKOUT**!
Four Stars Based on My Interest Level
I base my review of four stars on my interest level since I am not a fan of boxing and the part of the book dealing with his initial bouts was not particularly interesting to me. Author Mike Stanton did a very commendable job in researching the life of his subject and I'm sure someone who is more of a boxing fan than myself would rate the book five stars. Rocky Marchano was the first heavyweight boxing champion that I remember and the names of Joe Louis, Ezzard Charles, Jersey Joe Walcott, Archie Moore, and a few others such as Willie Pep and Kid Gavilan were familiar to me. Rocky had an unblemished record of 49 wins and no losses when he retired in 1956. Boxing was and is a vicious sport and Marciano nearly killed an opponent named Carmine Vingo that left him partially paralyzed. The book also covers the role the mob played in professional boxing with gangster Frankie Carbo being considered the boxing commissioner of the underworld. Rocky's manager was a shady character named Al Weill who Rocky felt was stealing money on him. Like several other boxers Rocky had no concept of the value of money. He'd have uncashed checks for many thousands of dollars that went unused yet he would demand payment for loans of much lesser amounts from others. Rocky's distrust of banks led him to squirrel away money in various places and forgetting where he put it. After his death his family had no idea where to look for money he had hidden from himself and others. Although there was nothing stylish about Rocky Marciano as a boxer he will always remain an iconic athlete from the 1950s. If you're a boxing fan this is a book you should have in your library. This will remain one of my five boxing books in my library The book contains eight pages of photographs.
One of the best books I've ever read.
I could not have loved this book more. I used to really love boxing, and people were usually surprised that a "girly girl" like me knew so much about it. It's sad that heavyweight boxing has somewhat been pushed into the background now, to make way for UFC and MMA, etc. What's next, GLADIATORS?? Like, REAL Gladiators? I would not be in the least bit surprised. I was astounded that I had so little knowledge about this magnificent fighter, Rocky Marciano. Granted, he died when I was VERY young...but I know about Joe Louis, James Braddock, Max Baer, Sonny Liston, even John L. Sullivan, and so many more. How Marciano got past me is a complete mystery. He was undefeated, so that's even more embarrassing! However, lucky me, I stumbled on to this INCREDIBLE book and fell into the world of heavyweight boxing's most exciting era, in my opinion. Let me say this; I can't imagine a more well written book. If I had to read a book about this great boxer and person, I'm so glad it was this one. I was literally on the edge of the couch, ready to bite my nails, just reading about Rocky fighting Jersey Joe Wolcott! I mean, I knew Rocky would win, as he was undefeated; ; but I didn't know any of the particular s about that fight. Whew! What a fight! Then again, almost all of Rocky's fights were exciting....if a spectator managed to get to his seat before Rocky landed his famous right, "the Susie Q" knocking out his opponent before the first round was over. This book is about boxing of course, but it also gives us insight into how incredibly difficult, heartbreaking, exhilarating , sad, glorious, and even scary heavyweight boxing can be. What a cast of characters are in this book! Thrilling. I learned so much about boxing. I thought I knew so much, ha! I do NOW. Rocky Marciano was two or three people in one. He was his opponent 's worst nightmare in the ring, a solitary and tenacious all or nothing boxer, who, when we read about his reach, his build, his height, his style.......He should not have been as great as he was. But of course,, that's what makes reading about his fights so exciting and interesting and fun. He was one in a million, there will never be another fighter like him. He was so incredibly well liked. I mean, he had great friends, a loving family, and he never let anyone down if he could help it. Yes, crime had their dirty hands into boxing then, and how. However, this book shows how much Rocky hated that, and stayed as far away as he could from it. His manager did not have the same scruples, and it would be difficult to find a more unlikable man . Marciano's trainer, Chalie Goldman, however, was a gem of a man; he's the one who taught Rocky all he could teach him, then just let him go and fight. Marciano had to come in low and fight like he did, as his opponents were often taller than he was, and they ALL had the reach advantage! I was amazed at Rocky's ability to take a punch. It seemed impossible to hurt him, and if he briefly went down, it's actually because he was caught off guard for a second and slipped! I loved Roland La Starza's quote " I hit him as hard as I could, and It barely faxed him. I thought I was going to break my hands! Outside of the ring, Rocky was so nice and gentlemanly, such a true friend, such a loving son, sibling, and father. I'm glad he retired when he did. It was absolutely the right thing to do. After his boxing career was over, he was in such demand. He was quirky regarding money, but I don't want to give anything away. I guess he was complicated after he quit boxing, but he was still such a great guy. Sometimes I think it was ok that he died yiung, and fast. He never knew what hit him, I'm sure. I was thinking, what else was Rocky going to conquer? Her already done what no one thought he'd ever do. He was a restless guy... fun, funny, generous (most of the time), and was always trying to improve himself in some area of his life. While I was BEYOND sad reading about his death, I guess I took comfort in reading what his opponents, friends, family...just everyone, said about him. I did cry when Joe Louis, upon hearing of Rocky's death, said " this is just so sad. It's the saddest day in the world. " READ THIS BOOK. I wish I hadn't read it so I could read it again.
Best Bio of History's Best Boxer
Okay, maybe Rocky Marciano wasn't history's best boxer, but he had to be the toughest heavyweight to ever lace on a pair of gloves. What he lacked in pugilistic artistry, he more than made up for with strength, stamina, and determination. Had he fought some of his fights a decade or two later, the referee would have stopped the bouts and declared Rocky's opponent the winner by TKO. But referees didn't worry quite so much about cuts, blood, and such in those days, plus Rocky and his cornermen were adamant about continuing. Rocky always came through in the end, eventually retiring with a perfect 49-0 record. This book covers his early life before boxing, his early boxing years (spoiler alert: he wasn't that successful as an amateur), and all of his important fights. I've always admired Rocky and this book solidified by impressions of the man without getting too far into the hero-worship sphere. He had a few warts and problems, and this book tells about them honestly. If you like boxing and especially if you like Rocky Marciano, this book will be as much a treasure to you as it is to me.
Marciano. My Father's fighter.
I cut my teeth on the Hagler-Hearns-Duran-Leonard ring-wars, the greatest damned fights in history, in the golden age of middleweights post Robinson-Lamotta-Basillio; my first "big boy" book was a "History of Boxing" with Hagler on the cover. That and the Stallone Rocky flicks made up my mental universe at ten - 'natch I did not see Rocky in the theater, and IV, well, was sad. My father? He was a Ted Williams (Baseball) / Marciano man. I had my doubts. Even as a kid when aging Ali had his ass handed to him by neighbor Larry Holmes (loved Norton, and Frazier more), I believed Ali would kill Marciano on size alone, but this timely tome, along with some contrarian views from Springs Toledo (who is not a Marciano acolyte even though NO ONE saw Harry Greb fight for longer than five seconds of You-Tube that looks like it's from the time of the Dead Sea Scrolls --- these things have me wondering. As Bert Sugar points out, Marciano did most things wrong. Yet he still stood. He kept coming at you. Leave yourself open and his hits were Liston-fright-train level. Makes me wonder. Great book. A real look at the man - from letters home to his sister - to the hole left in the world when this genuinely good-hearted sportsman left it make this a boxing classic. BUY IT.
A Great Sports Bio, Well Done !
I am a huge boxing fan and very little slips by my radar. When I first heard about this book I was hesitant. I always found Marciano a topic too often covered by idol worshipers and overall a bit of a bore. The books I read on him redundant. Then I started to look at Mr. Stanton's and it intrigued me from the length ( 400 pages, serious research ) and the small segment in a sample. So I went for it. Good thing I did. The research is serious. It is a level headed account of not only an interesting career but a sociological portrait of a time period. It is packed filled with golden nuggets as well. I deeply enjoyed it and highly recommend it.
An Era When Boxing Mattered
This book brought me back to a time when fathers and sons used to huddle in front of the family black and white t.v. set each week to watch ABC's Wednesday night fights and NBC's Friday night bouts. Stanton should be commended for his ability to describe the brutality of Marciano's style inside the ring and his willingness to examine his significant character deficiencies outside the ring. I found his "Note on Sources" section documenting his extensive research much less cumbersome than the footnotes used by many historians. This real life Rocky, much like the fictional Tony Soprano, is able to remain likeable despite his flaws which makes the book an enjoyable reacquaintance with a nearly forgotten sports legend.
So realistic
Stanton beautifully captures the epoch of the 40s and 50s with its immigrant culture in the mill cities and industrial factory towns of the northeast. Rocky so personified that era. Anyone who was growing up then as I did will find memories that stir long ago reminiscences.
a worthy addition to Marciano literature
I was pleased to find that this book uncovers some new (to me, at least) information, both flattering and unflattering, to the great fighter - it is a worthwhile read for novice and historian alike.
A great book for all boxing fans
What I liked so much about this book was the fact that even though Rocky had brutal punching power, he initially lacked the talent to take him to the top. Only by good coaching from seasoned boxing individuals and his own stubborn perseverance did he reach his goals.
Comments
Post a Comment