It's interesting how little this discussed in comparison to Ali being blinded in the Liston fight. Is it because Marciano wasn't as effected as Ali was? What was the cause of Marciano having partial vision for several rounds? Can anyone provide more info on this?
Ali said that this guy approached him, an old Italian guy, who said he had something that “for a fee” could temporarily blind an opponent during a fight... and they turned him down. He said The guy then went over to Listons camp and sold them the gear instead because Ali was temporarily blinded by something on Liston. That was his belief anyway. It is my opinion This guy obviously did the rounds and was old enough to have Supplied other corners including walcotts. I think he was identified in a thread on here some time ago.
Angelo Dundee refutes the idea that the Liston corner deliberately tried to blind Ali. He thinks Joe Polino used Monsel's Solution on Liston's cuts and either this got onto Ali's gloves and then his eyes or the Oil of Wintergreen they put on Liston's injured shoulder likewise got transferred from him to Ali.When Ali came back to the corner complaining about his eyes burning Dundee put his little figher into Ali's eye and then into his own eye ,he confirmed that it burned.He told Bundini to go over and inspect Liston's gloves ,but the referee Barney Felix did it and found nothing wrong. I can understand those who are historically not fans of Liston being only too ready to believe the worst however.
Marciano's own corner did the damage,that is the opinion of several well known press men and boxing guys such as Sam Silverman,and Jimmy Breslin. Marciano had accidentally butted Walcott.Walcott came out of it with a cut left eyebrow, Rocky with a cut in his hairline. The story is Marciano's corner were prompted to panic by Al Weill getting almost hysterical,he was always a liability in the corner, a forerunner of Lou Duva imo.Rocky came back to his corner and said matter of factly."Im having trouble with my eyes,can you do something?" Weill then hit his forehead with the sponge, moving all the blood and **** down from his cut into his eyes making things a lot worse.Between the 7th and 8th rounds Freddie Brown who had been hired as a cut man that morning for $50,squeezed little sponges filled with cold water directly into Rocky's eyes flushing them out.Brown calmly repeated this between the next two rounds whilst even Goldman had become unnerved by Weill's screaming earlier.Jimmy Breslin, a famous old fight guy said,"Freddie Brown saved his ass in the Walcott fight,when he couldn't see they're all screaming,Weill is screaming,"you gotta knock him out".."Goldman got nervous,or at least the closest thing to,And they're all screaming at once,and Freddie just spoke to Marciano,got in front of him and spoke very quietly.I remember seeing him do it" "Now listen you don't have to see.Don't worry about it.Just get your hands on the guys body so you know where he is and then ****in pound." It's very telling that in all of this, Rocky never once lost his composure ,panicked, or contemplated quitting.
