Rocky Graziano

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Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox boxer Thomas Rocco Barbella (January 1, 1919<ref>Alternative birth dates have been cited; however his gravestone states January 1, 1919, and his widow confirmed that this as the correct date</ref> – May 22, 1990), better known as Rocky Graziano, was an American professional boxer and actor who held the World Middleweight title.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Graziano is considered one of the greatest knockout artists in boxing history, often displaying the capacity to take his opponent out with a single punch. He was ranked 23rd on The Ring magazine list of the greatest punchers of all time. He fought many of the best middleweights of the era including Sugar Ray Robinson. He was the subject of the 1956 film, Somebody Up There Likes Me, based on his 1955 autobiography, starring Paul Newman as Graziano.

Early life

Graziano was the son of Ida Scinto and Nicola Barbella. The elder Barbella, nicknamed Fighting Nick Bob, was a boxer with a brief fighting record. Born in Brooklyn, New York City, Rocky later moved to an Italian enclave centered on East 10th Street, between First Avenue and Avenue A in Manhattan's East Village. He grew up as a street fighter and learned to look after himself before he could read or write. He spent years in reform school, jail, and Catholic protectories.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Barbella Sr., who got occasional work as a horseback rider,Template:How kept boxing gloves around the house and encouraged Rocky and his brothers to fight one another. When he was three years old, Barbella would make Rocky and his brother, Joe (three years his senior), fight almost every night. At age 18 Rocky won the Metropolitan A.A.U. welterweight championship. Despite the fame and money that professional fighting seemed to offer, Rocky did not want to become a serious prize fighter. He did not like the discipline of training any more than he liked the discipline of school or the Army.<ref name=sport/>

Graziano heard from a couple of his friends about a tournament going on with a gold medal for the winner. He fought four matches and ended up winning the New York Metropolitan Amateur Athletic Union Boxing Competition (1939). He sold the gold medal for $15 and decided that boxing was a good way to make cash.<ref name=BergerP-NYT-RG-OBIT/>

File:Confidential Magazine cover November 1956 - Rocky Graziano (cropped).jpg
Graziano, undated

In 1940, just weeks into his amateur fighting career, Graziano was arrested for stealing from a school. He went to Coxsackie Correctional Facility, where he spent three weeks with boyhood friend Jake LaMotta, and then he went on to the New York City Reformatory, where he spent five months. After he got out of the reformatory, he headed back to the gym to earn money, and while there met Eddie Cocco who started his professional career. He entered the ring under the name Robert Barber. A couple of weeks later, Graziano was charged with a probation violation and sent back to reform school where he was charged with starting a minor riot. He was then sent to Rikers Island.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

When Graziano got out of jail, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and went AWOL after punching a captain. He escaped from Fort Dix in New Jersey and started his real boxing career under the name of "Rocky Graziano." He won his first couple of bouts. After gaining popularity under the name of Graziano, he was found by the Army. After his fourth bout, he was called into a manager's office to speak with a couple of military personnel. Expecting to be prosecuted and sent back to the Army or jail, he fled, but he returned to the Army a week later. In 1941, he surrendered himself, was court-martialed and dishonorably discharged from the Army, then sent to the Federal Penitentiary (nicknamed the "Big Top" for its dome), founded in 1875 as a military prison (now known as USP Leavenworth). Fort Leavenworth is where Rocky Graziano started his boxing career while housed at the FCP (minimum/low) building adjacent to the main facility.

Ultimately he was pardoned and given the opportunity to fight under the Army's authority.<ref name=BergerP-NYT-RG-OBIT/>

Professional career

File:Rocky Graziano 1946.jpg
Graziano, circa 1946

Around the time he absconded from military service, Barbella began boxing under the management of Irving Cohen, a relationship that would endure for the remainder of his professional career. Cohen arranged a debut bout and billed the young fighter under his grandfather's surname as Rocky Graziano. Despite his notoriously lax approach to training, Graziano leveraged his untutored, brawling style and powerful punching ability to win by knockout. Cohen scheduled fights against increasingly challenging opponents with the apparent goal of overmatching Graziano to teach him the value of conditioning. He even demanded a match against Sugar Ray Robinson.<ref name=sport>Template:Cite journal</ref>

In March 1945 at Madison Square Garden in New York City Graziano scored a major upset over Billy Arnold, whose style was similar to that of Sugar Ray Robinson: he was a slick boxer with lightning-fast combinations and a knockout punch. The Ring magazine and various newspapers across the United States touted Arnold as the next Joe Louis or Sugar Ray Robinson. Arnold was a heavy favorite to defeat Graziano and to then fight for the world title. Graziano absorbed a beating in the early going, before going on to batter and knock Arnold out in the third round of the scheduled eight-round bout.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Following his loss to Graziano, Arnold was never the same.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Graziano fought three middleweight title bouts against Tony Zale, losing the first before capturing then surrendering the championship.

In their first match (September 27, 1946), after flooring Graziano in the first round, Zale took a savage beating from him and was on the verge of losing the fight by TKO. However, Zale rallied and knocked him out in the sixth round to retain his title.

The rematch, a year later in Chicago (July 16, 1947), was a mirror image of their first fight. The referee almost stopped the second fight in the third round because of a severe cut over Graziano's left eye, but Graziano's cutman, Morris ("Whitey") Bimstein, was able to stop the bleeding. Battered around the ring, his eye closed and appearing ready to lose by a knockout, Graziano rallied to knock Zale out in the sixth, earning the title.<ref name=BergerP-NYT-RG-OBIT>Template:Cite news</ref>

Their last fight was held in New Jersey June 10, 1948. Zale regained his crown, winning the match by a knockout in the third round. The knockout blows consisted of a perfect combination of a right to Graziano's body, then a left hook to his jaw, knocking him unconscious.

Graziano's last shot at the middleweight title came against Sugar Ray Robinson in April 1952. He dropped Robinson to his knee with a right in the third round. Less than a minute later, Robinson KO'd him with a right to the jaw.

Graziano retired after losing his very next fight, a 10-round decision to Chuck Davey.<ref name=BergerP-NYT-RG-OBIT/>

Suspensions

In 1946, Graziano was suspended by the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) for failure to report a bribe attempt. In 1948 Graziano was suspended for "running out" on a scheduled December 1 bout with Ruben Shank. Abe Green, then-National Boxing Association's President, announced that they were indefinitely suspending him in all parts of the world under NBA supervision, following similar action by the California State Athletic Commission. The suspension covered all of the American States, Great Britain, the European Boxing Federation, Cuba, Mexico, and Canada. Boxing promoter Ralph Tribuani got him a license to box in Delaware, which led to his reinstatement by both the NBA and NYSAC and Rocky's return to the ring.Template:Citation needed

Post-boxing career

After his retirement from boxing, Graziano cohosted a short-lived series, The Henny and Rocky Show (1955) with famous comedian Henny Youngman. He was a semi-regular on The Martha Raye Show, as Raye's boyfriend.<ref name="nyt531129">Template:Cite news</ref> He appeared as a regular on the United Artists TV series Miami Undercover for its entire run, and appeared in several series and shows, including The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom, Car 54, Where Are You?, I've Got a Secret, and Naked City. He portrayed Packy, an ex-boxer, in the 1967 film Tony Rome.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In the 1960s, Graziano opened a pizza restaurant, Rocky Graziano's Pizza Ring, on Second Avenue in Kips Bay, Manhattan, creating a modest franchise for the restaurant in the New York City area.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He briefly operated a bowling alley in North Babylon, New York.Template:Citation needed

Personal life

Graziano married Norma Unger, of German-Jewish descent, on August 10, 1943. By all accounts, the two had a very happy marriage, and they remained together until his death from cardiopulmonary failure on May 22, 1990, in New York City at age 71. According to his biographer, Graziano remained faithful to his wife during the entirety of their marriage, something which was not particularly common among celebrities.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> They had two children, both of whom married and had children. Graziano's funeral was held at St. Patrick's Cathedral.<ref>SPORTS OF THE TIMES; Leave Your Worry on The Doorstep, The New York Times, May 26, 1990.</ref> He is interred at the Locust Valley Cemetery along with his wife, who died in 2009.

Legacy

Professional boxing record

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Template:Abbr Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
83 Template:No2Loss Template:Nowrap Chuck Davey UD 10 September 17, 1952 Template:Small
82 Template:No2Loss 67–9–6 Sugar Ray Robinson KO 3 (15), Template:Small April 16, 1952 Template:Small Template:Small
81 Template:Yes2Win 67–8–6 Roy Wouters TKO 1 (10), Template:Small March 27, 1952 Template:Small
80 Template:Yes2Win 66–8–6 Eddie O'Neill TKO 4 (10), Template:Small February 18, 1952 Template:Small
79 Template:Yes2Win 65–8–6 Tony Janiro TKO 10 (10), Template:Small September 19, 1951 Template:Small
78 Template:Yes2Win 64–8–6 Chuck Hunter DQ 2 (10) August 6, 1951 Template:Small
77 Template:Yes2Win 63–8–6 Cecil Hudson TKO 3 (10) July 10, 1951 Template:Small
76 Template:Yes2Win 62–8–6 Freddie Lott KO 5 (10), Template:Small June 18, 1951 Template:Small
75 Template:Yes2Win 61–8–6 Johnny Greco KO 3 (10), Template:Small May 21, 1951 Template:Small
74 Template:Yes2Win 60–8–6 Reuben Jones KO 3 (10), Template:Small March 19, 1951 Template:Small
73 Template:Yes2Win 59–8–6 Honeychile Johnson KO 4 (10), Template:Small November 27, 1950 Template:Small
72 Template:Yes2Win 58–8–6 Tony Janiro UD 10 October 27, 1950 Template:Small
71 Template:Yes2Win 57–8–6 Pete Mead KO 3 (10) October 16, 1950 Template:Small
70 Template:Yes2Win 56–8–6 Gene Burton KO 7 (10), Template:Small October 4, 1950 Template:Small
69 Template:Yes2Win 55–8–6 Henry Brimm KO 4 (10), Template:Small May 16, 1950 Template:Small
68 Template:Yes2Win 54–8–6 Vinnie Cidone TKO 3 (10), Template:Small May 9, 1950 Template:Small
67 Template:Yes2Win 53–8–6 Danny Williams KO 3 (10), Template:Small April 24, 1950 Template:Small
66 Template:DrawDraw 52–8–6 Tony Janiro SD 10 March 31, 1950 Template:Small
65 Template:Yes2Win 52–8–5 Joe Curcio KO 1 (10), Template:Small March 6, 1950 Template:Small
64 Template:Yes2Win 51–8–5 Sonny Horne MD 10 December 6, 1949 Template:Small
63 Template:Yes2Win 50–8–5 Charley Fusari TKO 10 (10), Template:Small September 14, 1949 Template:Small
62 Template:Yes2Win 49–8–5 Joe Agosta KO 2 (10), Template:Small July 18, 1949 Template:Small
61 Template:Yes2Win 48–8–5 Bobby Claus KO 2 (10), Template:Small June 21, 1949 Template:Small
60 Template:No2Loss 47–8–5 Tony Zale KO 3 (15), Template:Small June 10, 1948 Template:Small Template:Small
59 Template:Yes2Win 47–7–5 Sonny Horne UD 10 April 5, 1948 Template:Small
58 Template:Yes2Win 46–7–5 Tony Zale TKO 6 (15), Template:Small July 17, 1947 Template:Small Template:Small
57 Template:Yes2Win 45–7–5 Jerry Fiorello TKO 5 (10), Template:Small June 16, 1947 Template:Small
56 Template:Yes2Win 44–7–5 Eddie Finazzo TKO 1 (10), Template:Small June 10, 1947 Template:Small
55 Template:No2Loss 43–7–5 Tony Zale KO 6 (15), Template:Small September 27, 1946 Template:Small Template:Small
54 Template:Yes2Win 43–6–5 Marty Servo TKO 2 (10), Template:Small March 29, 1946 Template:Small
53 Template:Yes2Win 42–6–5 Sonny Horne UD 10 January 18, 1946 Template:Small
52 Template:Yes2Win 41–6–5 Harold Green KO 3 (10), Template:Small September 28, 1945 Template:Small
51 Template:Yes2Win 40–6–5 Freddie 'Red' Cochrane KO 10 (10), Template:Small August 24, 1945 Template:Small
50 Template:Yes2Win 39–6–5 Freddie 'Red' Cochrane KO 10 (10), Template:Small June 29, 1945 Template:Small
49 Template:Yes2Win 38–6–5 Al 'Bummy' Davis TKO 4 (10), Template:Small May 25, 1945 Template:Small
48 Template:Yes2Win 37–6–5 Solomon Stewart KO 4 (10) April 17, 1945 Template:Small
47 Template:Yes2Win 36–6–5 Billy Arnold TKO 3 (8) March 9, 1945 Template:Small
46 Template:No2Loss 35–6–5 Harold Green MD 10 December 22, 1944 Template:Small
45 Template:No2Loss 35–5–5 Harold Green UD 10 November 3, 1944 Template:Small
44 Template:Yes2Win 35–4–5 Bernie Miller KO 2 (8), Template:Small October 24, 1944 Template:Small
43 Template:DrawDraw 34–4–5 Danny Kapilow PTS 10 October 6, 1944 Template:Small
42 Template:DrawDraw 34–4–4 Frankie Terry PTS 8 September 15, 1944 Template:Small
41 Template:Yes2Win 34–4–3 Jerry Fiorello SD 8 August 14, 1944 Template:Small
40 Template:Yes2Win 33–4–3 Tony Reno UD 8 July 21, 1944 Template:Small
39 Template:Yes2Win 32–4–3 Frankie Terry TKO 6 (8) June 27, 1944 Template:Small
38 Template:Yes2Win 31–4–3 Larney Moore TKO 2 (8) June 7, 1944 Template:Small
37 Template:Yes2Win 30–4–3 Tommy Mollis TKO 7 (10) May 29, 1944 Template:Small
36 Template:Yes2Win 29–4–3 Freddie Graham KO 3 (8) May 9, 1944 Template:Small
35 Template:Yes2Win 28–4–3 Bobby Brown KO 5 (10) April 10, 1944 Template:Small
34 Template:Yes2Win 27–4–3 Ray Rovelli PTS 8 March 14, 1944 Template:Small
33 Template:Yes2Win 26–4–3 Harold Gary PTS 6 March 8, 1944 Template:Small
32 Template:Yes2Win 25–4–3 Leon Anthony KO 1 (8) March 4, 1944 Template:Small
31 Template:Yes2Win 24–4–3 Nick Calder KO 4 (6) February 24, 1944 Template:Small
30 Template:No2Loss 23–4–3 Steve Riggio PTS 6 February 9, 1944 Template:Small
29 Template:Yes2Win 23–3–3 Phil Enzenga TKO 5 (8) January 18, 1944 Template:Small
28 Template:Yes2Win 22–3–3 Jerry Pittro TKO 1 (6) January 7, 1944 Template:Small
27 Template:Yes2Win 21–3–3 Harold Gary PTS 8 January 4, 1944 Template:Small
26 Template:Yes2Win 20–3–3 Milo Theodorescu TKO 1 (8) December 27, 1943 Template:Small
25 Template:Yes2Win 19–3–3 Charley McPherson PTS 6 December 6, 1943 Template:Small
24 Template:Yes2Win 18–3–3 Freddie Graham PTS 8 November 30, 1943 Template:Small
23 Template:No2Loss 17–3–3 Steve Riggio PTS 6 November 12, 1943 Template:Small
22 Template:DrawDraw 17–2–3 Charley McPherson PTS 6 October 27, 1943 Template:Small
21 Template:Yes2Win 17–2–2 Jimmy Williams TKO 2 (6) October 13, 1943 Template:Small
20 Template:Yes2Win 16–2–2 Freddie Graham KO 1 (8) October 5, 1943 Template:Small
19 Template:Yes2Win 15–2–2 George Wilson PTS 8 September 21, 1943 Template:Small
18 Template:No2Loss 14–2–2 Joe Agosta PTS 6 September 10, 1943 Template:Small
17 Template:Yes2Win 14–1–2 Tony Grey KO 6 (6) August 24, 1943 Template:Small
16 Template:Yes2Win 13–1–2 Ted Apostoli PTS 4 August 20, 1943 Template:Small
15 Template:Yes2Win 12–1–2 Charley McPherson PTS 6 August 12, 1943 Template:Small
14 Template:Yes2Win 11–1–2 Randy Drew KO 1 (6) July 27, 1943 Template:Small
13 Template:Yes2Win 10–1–2 George Stevens KO 1 (6) July 22, 1943 Template:Small
12 Template:Yes2Win 9–1–2 Johnny Atteley RTD 2 (6) July 8, 1943 Template:Small
11 Template:Yes2Win 8–1–2 Frankie Falco KO 5 (6) June 24, 1943 Template:Small
10 Template:Yes2Win 7–1–2 Joe Curcio TKO 4 (6) June 16, 1943 Template:Small
9 Template:Yes2Win 6–1–2 Gilberto Ramirez Vasquez KO 1 (6) June 11, 1943 Template:Small
8 Template:DrawDraw 5–1–2 Lou Miller PTS 6 May 25, 1942 Template:Small
7 Template:Yes2Win 5–1–1 Godfrey Howell TKO 4 (4) May 12, 1942 Template:Small
6 Template:Yes2Win 4–1–1 Eddie Lee KO 4 (4) May 4, 1942 Template:Small
5 Template:No2Loss 3–1–1 Charles Ferguson PTS 4 April 28, 1942 Template:Small
4 Template:DrawDraw 3–0–1 Godfrey Howell PTS 4 April 20, 1942 Template:Small
3 Template:Yes2Win 3–0 Kenny Blackmar KO 1 (4), Template:Small April 14, 1942 Template:Small
2 Template:Yes2Win 2–0 Mike Mastandrea KO 3 (4), Template:Small April 6, 1942 Template:Small
1 Template:Yes2Win 1–0 Curtis Hightower TKO 2 (4), Template:Small March 31, 1942 Template:Small

See also

References

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