Rocky's Loss to Joe DeAngelis
August 23, 1946
Rocky Marciano, though unbeaten as a pro, was not so successful as an
amatuer. His inexperiance against much more seasoned and skilled fighters showed in his amatuer bouts. On August 23, 1946, he fought Joe DeAngelis in the AAU National championships in Portland, Oregon. Joe was 6'3" and had won the New England Golden Gloves Heavyweight Title in 1944 and was selected two years later to represent New Engalnd for the National Title.
The following is Joe's account of that meeting:
"Three of us went to Portland Oregon for the Nationals in 1946. The first night there we were having supper in the cafeteria of the
former Kaiser shipyards when the Army group came in and a blocky aggressive fellow came over, introduced himself as Rocky
Marciano, and asked if we were from Boston. We said we were. Rocky looked at me - - - at 5'10" he was the shortest man to win the
world title - - - and remarked: 'You must be Joe DeAngelis. I've been reading about you. You're good. You'll make the finals here,
and when you do, I'm going to stiffen you.' I was startled".
"To win the championship it was necessary to have six fights in three nights. Rocky hammered his first and third opponents
unconscious in less than a minute. In between he drew a bye. The newspapers went wild, nick naming him, "Rock-a-Bye Rocky".
His fourth and fifth opponents refused to fight him, putting Rocky in the finals with me.
"I beat two guys the first night and two the second, knocking three of them out. The final night I won a decision over Freddy Ross,
who was older and more experienced...... Then Rocky!!
"When we received instructions in the middle of the ring, I got a chance to size Rocky up real close. He was the most solid, hard,
muscular man I had ever seen, yet his hands were like lightning. When the bell rang, he charged at me, his head lowered like a
bull, swinging those looping right and left hands, boring in all the time. I weighed 195 - he was a bit heavier - but I soon realized I
was the better boxer. I held him off with lefts, saw a good opening for a right, and belted him square on the jaw as hard as I've ever
hit anyone. He didn't even shake his head! Later in the round I got him with a few more good shots which he ignored. I've knocked
out a lot of men in my day, but never hit anyone so hard and so often as Rocky, but with no result. I was afraid I would break my
hand! Rocky kept coming and swinging with everything he had: I kept moving and trying to time his rush, let go a few punches
and then move again.
The round ended before I expected... time had gone by fast. Micky McGuire was in my corner. He said, "Joe,
the guy didn't hit you once, keep it up, you're doin' great".
"Midway through the second round, after Rocky had missed a series of punches, someone at ringside razzed him. Rocky was
enraged. He walked over to the edge of the ropes and yelled down: "If you can do any better, come up here! The kid won't stand
still."
"The place was in an uproar as the second round ended. Rocky was really mad. He had counted on a quick KO. He was over
anxious and was making mistakes.
The third round was the wildest. Knowing how hard Rocky could punch, I was very careful. I knew I had the fight won, I just
couldn't make a mistake. Then Micky yells: "Fifteen seconds Joe... you won...then, bam, bam! Rocky caught me with a left and a
right square on top of my head. I moved out and the bell rang. It was a unanimous decision. The referee raised my hand. Rocky
hated to lose, but just the same, he congradulated me.
"Later in the dressing room, Rocky was sitting on a table looking at his hand. He had broken a knuckle with that last couple of
punches. He looked at me and said: "Joe, look what you did to my hand".
"I sat with Rocky in October of 1950 at the Sugar Ray Robinson - Joe Rindone fight at the Boston Garden. By then, Rocky had
won 29 fights, 27 by way of knockout. Less than two years later, he won the title from Walcott."
Joe DeAngelis
Thanks to Ring 4 Boston for this transcript from Joe DeAngelis.
There is a link to their excellent site on the Marciano Homepage.
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