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Rocky Marciano’s Lost Title Fight!

posted by Kathleen Holland on June 8, 2008, in Features

By Ted Luzzi

Here in the San Francisco bay area the glory days of boxing in our city seem behind us. Nearby Las Vegas is supreme. However some still gather around and talk boxing and great fighters and fights. Recently it was about the greatest of Italian fighters and when he came to town.

Rocky Marciano is whom I speak of. Its hard to remember and believe that a world heavyweight title fight happened live in our fair city. A title fight with Rocky Marciano as champion no less! Its Rocky’s lost and largely a fight fans forget with British and Europe champion Don Cockell.

Britian has produced many boxers of international fame. Cockell had left a strong imprint on European heavyweights and he had became number three rated in the world. It was the start of the Television era and the idea of a British big boy fighting in the United States was not so strange. It was a fight held outdoors at Kezar stadium and 15,235 fans showed up, many of them Italians, a reflection of the large Italian community in the City.

British hopes were high. Marciano was one of the most popular heavyweight champions ever in the United States, yet for some reason was not so highly regarded in England. They called him a rough, foul fighter who would be disqualified in a European ring. As Ring magazine put it, "scarcely a word of praise for Rocky from the reporters who traveled to the Pacific to cover the battle!" Local reporters countered the British press saying that Rocky was not a uncouth character inside or outside the ring.

Fight night British flags flew, Italian flags flew and so did the United States flag. The fans were confrontational and wild and at the bell so were the fighters. Ring magazine called it "from a fistic angle the Marciano-Cockell fight was a splendid success.

"Rocky came out showing no mercy and Cockell showed he was not there to play tiddle-winks either" .Don Cockell was very aggressive attacking Marciano’s body as Rocky charged forward and both started tearing into each other. Marciano was a devastating hitter but Don Cockell took what Marciano hit him with and would strike back with a whirlwind of punches trying to stem the tide. Cockell wanted the fight at his distance, a distance that would put the shorter armed Marciano at a disadvantage. Marciano, of course, wanted to get in with his short arm kicks, that as one opponent stated were "godawful".

Cockell would sometimes reach out and just shove Rocky off balance, as Marciano came in. Sometimes Cockell would time his jabs to hit Rocky just as he was off balance. These tactics surprised and disconcerted the powerful Marciano and he began to miss and miss and miss again as he was kept just out of punching range.

Marciano won the first round . Cockell sent his British rooters into a wave of excitement by winning the second. All fighters are human. Sometimes odd ideas get into their heads. This happened to Marciano just before the fight as he himself later told the story. Just before they left the dressing room a guy came in and said to Marciano that everyone was talking about how Cockell was a bum and Rocky was going to have to knock him out in two or three rounds to look good. Marciano said that he kept thinking about this in the fight and it made him not fight his usual fight and just go for a one shot knockout. "Who the hell let this guy in my dressing room !" Rocky was to say even years later.
Marciano was a decent guy. However, he also had, as his trainer described it, "this ambition and competitiveness just spilling out of him.” Marciano said he thought he needed knockouts to keep the fans coming back. He was proud but a bit insecure about his skills. Now as the fight went on Cockell had gone four rounds and not even come close to being down. British fans were singing and yelling their admiration. Don Cockell was standing up to the greatest puncher since Joe Louis and being competitive. Don Cockell however was getting tired . He moved just a little slower now in the fifth and the punches that Marciano was just missing before began to land.

Rocky was pushing forward with a furious onslaught and crashing in his punches and Cockell was feeling the effects. The gong rang for the start of the sixth and both men advanced from their corners. Marciano delivered a right and then a left that made Cockell hold and the crowd gasp. Don Cockell came back with a fighting attitude and suddenly Marciano was the one shaken! Marciano then fought back himself with a glorious rally and it was an overall even round as the crowd was on its feet in ovation. A lot of Cockell’s vitality had been used up by the all out action packed punch out in the sixth and he needed rest.

Marciano the owner of the greatest stamina of any heavyweight champion in history was still eager. Marciano seeing that Cockell was finally tired began to turn it all lose in the seventh and hammer Cockell . The eighth was brutal. Cockell kept trying to push Marciano away. Marciano got annoyed and hammered home a right cross that staggered Cockell. Another terrific right wallop from Marciano, and Cockell was clearly in distress.

Then Marciano finally got in the punch he wanted .Marciano socked in a right that landed so accurately that it had all the weight of Marcianos body behind it. Cockell went spinning over the middle strand of the ropes halfway out of the ring and it was only the bell that saved him from a KO then and there.

The ninth was 54 seconds of dreadful punishment. Marciano smashed blow upon blow on Cockell until it was stopped. Marciano was never one to let them go once he had them. The fight at Kezar stadium was a thriller. As ring put it "the fans were treated to as good a spectacle of fighting as in any of Rocky’s previous contests". The bruised and battered Cockell won respect for his brave and very determined effort and actually was thought to be better as a fighter.

Rocky Marciano had 49 pro fights. Six of them were for the World’s Heavyweight title. The Cockell one was a thriller that is often overlooked and I thought many readers would be interested in it.

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