Purchased this yesterday. Boxing News have brought some great, One off, specials recently. Mayweather. Tyson. Ali V Frazier. Hagler. Pac Man. This latest one is full of Marciano story's and articles from the time they were covered in BN Intresting to see some of the BN preview of his title fights. On Don Cockell,, we do feel that Don can bamboozle Rocky sufficiently to stay the 15 rounds and maybe sneak the verdict!!!!
Cockell was better than given credit for. In his last 22 fights going back to 1950, Co-ckell had gone 20-2, losing only to the former champion Turpin and the in the top five Slade. He had beaten 9 fighters who were rated at one time or another, and beat four who had fought for the heavyweight championship. Lloyd Marshall, Albert Yvel, Freddie Beshore, Nick Barone, Albert Finch, Tommy Farr, Johnny Williams, Harry Matthews, and Roland LaStarza. Today it’s easier to assume Nino Valdes would have been a more deserving challenger, but back then, when Valdes had all those losses to light heavyweights and that stinker of a fight against J. Parker in New York Don seemed at least as good. Robert Christenberry, chairmanof the New York State Athletic Commission, and America's "Mr. Boxing," said on Sunday that world heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano should fight either Britain's Don Cockell or Nino Valdes, of Cuba, for the title. Mr. Christenberry said that Marciano, who was "a great champion," should choose his next opponent."If you take the records of Cockell and Valdes there is very little between them,"
I wonder if others despise deliberate spin by omission as much as I do? Yvel was a light heavy, never ranked at heavy. Marshall was a super middle/light heavy,never ranked at heavy. Slade was a light heavy who floored Cockell 6 times in a one sided rout. Tommy Farr was a 40 years old bankrupt fighting out of financial necessity he said himself, "I was prostituting myself really ,but it was very necessary." Albert Finch was a middleweight cum light heavy.not ranked at the heavier weight nor at lhvy till some years later.He weighed 173 lbs for the Cockell fight. Barone was a lhy where he was briefly ranked,he had won just 1 of his last 4 fights, he retired after this fight. Mathews was a middle/lhvy never ranked at heavy. Lastarza, like Mathews, never recaptured his pre Marciano form. Beshore a mob owned fighter was having his last fight,the contract for which stipulated he come in at a limit of 182lbs he couldn't make it and was fined for being 3 lbs over,his day , brief as it was, had been and gone years earlier.He had managed to win just 1 of his last 6 fights. Bottom line ,Cockell beat a collection of shop spoiled retreads and came drastically unstuck when he took on some of the other guys like Turpin and Slade,despite receiving weight from them. Nino Valdes? He stopped Cockell in 3 rds. In1950 Cockell was bombed out by journeyman Aaron Wilson 12-3-0
Would you say against Valdes, Cockell (Like Lastarza and Mathews) never recaptured his pre Marciano form?
Don’t argue with the drunkenly mad Marciano haters. Certain people can’t comment on anything unless it’s to slight Marciano or any opponent he may have faced. The same people that praise fighters who often fight just one ranked opponent before a title shot will sit here and slam a guy who fought 9. They're hypocrites who wouldn’t rationally dare judge other fighters in this asinine way. Wasting your breath with that one.