Marciano Sparring Partners ..

Hello, he grant.
I do not have a lot of details, but I remember my Grandfather mentioning and including in his papers: "Cesar Brion, Mike Fischer, Gene Gosney, Toxie Hall, Hurricane Jackson, Howard King, Felix Nicholson, J.B. Reed, Keene Simmons, and Nino Valdez," as Rocky Marciano sparring partners. Perhaps some with more knowledge than me can flesh some of those out a bit.

 

There were interesting stories and threads from old timers. Some who said they were even there for sparring events. Heard he made Hurricane puke in the ring with a body shot. That him and Nino did a few and went back and forth. I would love to hear some interesting stories

 

Keene Simmons cut Marciano badly in their fight before being stopped he then became a sparring partner for Rocky.
Rocky Marciano vs. Keene Simmons - BoxRec


Toxie Hall was a spar mate and dropped Marciano with a left hook when Rocky was training for Cockell,Goldman then sent Rocky to the showers .

 

Brion was handled by Charley Goldman.

 

It would be impossible to name all of Marciano's sparring partners, since Boxing was still big in the College system back then, so it wasn't unusual when touring the country for Marty Weill or Allie Columbo to visit a local campus and if they saw a promising heavyweight, light heavyweight, or middleweight to hire him to work with Marciano, since they wanted Marciano to be constantly exposed to different styles.

Some guys that I didn't see already mentioned are Bert Whitehurst, Frankie Daniels, Tommy Harrison, Bob Golden, Ralph Schneider, Sandy Mcpherson, Joe Gannon, Jimmy Delange, Art Swiden, Polly Smith, George Tsaldaris, Ray Wilding, Nash Karahan, Gil Newkirk, Robert (Bob) Middleton, Pearl (Poison) Pollard (Admittedly he mostly likely just worked out with Marciano, since Pollard will still in high school at the time, so I doubt Jenson would've risked him getting hurt). That said Keene Simmons was without a doubt Marciano's top sparring partner.

Here is a picture with Marciano and Bob Middleton, who at the time was just turning pro.
https://imgur.com/9oA5noZ

Here is a piece about Simmons being Marciano's top sparring partner.

What Sears is to Roebuck, Abbott to Costello and Carney to Gleason, that's what Keene Simmons is to Rocky Marciano.

The veteran heavyweight from Bayonne is the most widely known sparring partner since the days of when big George Nicholson was Joe Louis' No. 1 punch absorber.

And, Simmons has earned his reputation as the current heavyweight titleholder's top sparmate for many reasons according to the champion, his pilot, Al Weill, Charley Goldman, chief trainer, and Rocky's boyhood pal and assistant trainer, Al Columbo.

SIMMONS' association with the hard Rock from Brockton, Mass., dates back to 1951 when he faced Rocky in a 10-round match at Providence, R.I. The Oil City slugger is credited with giving Marciano one of the toughest fights of his illustrious career.

Keene floored Rocky for a six-count in the second round, but eventually went the way of all flesh when The Rock got to him for a TKO in the eighth stanza.

However, so impressive was Simmons' performance against Marciano, who was to go on and win the world's heavyweight crown from another Jerseyan, Joe Walcott in 1952, that he was immediately signed as one of Rocky's hired hands.

Keene has been with the champ since Rocky's tiff with Rex Layne in '51. Including that bout, Marciano has engaged in 11 ring tiffs, and with the exception of the Harry Matthews' title defense, Simmons has always been Rocky's No. 1 sparring partner.

'KEENE HAS BEEN with me for six years," Rocky stated as he relaxed on a bed in his training quarters at this Catskill resort after sparring two rounds with Keene. "Simmons has many assets as a sparring partner. He can adapt his style easily, and he never complains, no matter how hard I open up.

"I can box light or go at it heavy and the guy is always there. But, I have to keep my eyes open at all times, because Keene is strong and dangerous. But that's the qualities a good sparmate must have," the champ concluded.

Sitting nearby, Goldman spoke up, "Simmons is the most conscientious and reliable man I've ever known as a sparring partner. I also like Keene because I can work new things out for Rocky with Simmons and I never have to be afraid it's going to get to the enemy."

Puffing an expensive stogie on the porch of the cottage where Rocky lives, Weill, smiled and said, "Keene is a strong boy. He is a steady worker and is capable of roughing up Rocky whenever the occasion calls for it. As far as I'm concerned, Simmons can stay with the champ until he retires form the ring."

'ROCKY GETS most of his heavy gym work with Simmons," Columbo added. "He's one of the most durable guys I've ever seen and a real gentleman. Rocky likes him as a friend as well as a sparring partner."

How does Simmons feel about his association with the champ?

"Rocky is one of the most wonderful guys I've ever known. He is a great champion. I've boxed 2,000 rounds in training camps with Rocky and we've never had a cross word."

What few sports fans know is that the undefeated, hard-punching champion has never been able to floor Simmons in the more than 2,000 rounds they've sparred.

Simmons' success as Rocky's top ring partner will probably be hard for the average fight follower to understand when they discover the Bayonne boy only boxed professionally three years. But in that time Keene engaged in 30 professional bouts, 24 of them main events against all the top names in the heavyweight division.

KEENE GOT a late start in the ring, but was handled wonderfully by Weehawken's Duke Stefano. Simmons learned most of the tricks of the beak-busting trade form trainer Jimmy Collotto, of North Bergen.

With Stefano and Collotto handling his fistic life, it proved to be a very good one for the Bayonne boy. Stefano retired Keene from the ring in 1951. However, Keene did fight on the Marciano-C**kell card in San Francisco, but according to Simmons, "That's the last time I will ever engage in a professional fight. From now on, its me and Rocky up here in camp."
https://imgur.com/H87UzPp

 

I have heard so many sparring stories over the years but also have witnessed quite a few memorable ones, a little off the subject but about sparring.

I remember Lou Saverese Knocking Shannon Briggs cold in a sparring session and years before that middleweight Tom The bomb" Bethea giving Heavyweight Leroy Jones a bad beating - Tom was 5"8 and a bit over 160 and Leroy was 6"5 280 lbs. They had to jump in the ring to stop Tom, there was a gym feud between the two. Tom gave Leory a tongue lashing while battering the big guy. Tom was usually a quiet guy.

 

I would do a search for John Garfield's comments on this, because he is no longer with us but I seem to recall he had some good accounts of being there or talking with people about how bad Marciano looked in sparring, and how sparring partners would make him look silly but step out of the ring and say something to the effect of "You can make him look bad, but you still feel like you were run over by a train when you leave." I know he name-dropped distinct partners at times.

 

He was great! Couldn’t remember his name. He was the one that mentioned Marciano making Hurricane puke all over the ring. I believe he was at a few sparring sessions he mentioned being there for Nino

 

Yeah, he was. The forum really took a hit when he went on to greener pastures, man.

 

Here is a piece talking about Valdez and Jackson being sparring partners for Marciano, but quickly getting fired.

Ex-Marciano Sparmates Clash

A pair of muscular music lovers today anticipated playing a lullaby on each other's chin to get at a critic who snubbed them both.

One is Nino Valdes the mambo-happy heavyweight champion of Cuba. The other, his opponent at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night, is Tommy (Hurricane) Jackson, a triple threat with guitar, harmonica and voice.

The guy on whom they are taking dead aim is heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano - who threw them both out of his camp in the days when they were mere sparring partners.

Valdes drew his walking papers from the Marciano entourage just before the Rock won the title from Jersey Joe Walcott, Jackson was a Marciano sparmate prior to the second Marciano-Walcott "fight" and he, too quickly was handed his discharge.

Such situations occur frequently in the boxing business, where one-time sparmate come along as opponents in the future. But seldom are they former hired hands who were booted out of the camp on one pretext or another.

Valdes contends that he was given his pink slip because he hit too hard in Marciano's drills.

"This guy doesn't speak English," explained Manager Bobby Gleason. "When he puts on the gloves, he knows only one thing - keep punching. He didn't understand it when they told him in the Marciano camp to 'take it easy.' That's why we're certain if we ever get Marciano in the ring we'll knock him out - and that's why they're reluctant to face us."

Jackson apparently was invited to leave the Marciano training camp because of a style which, for lack of a better description, is called "unorthodox." The Hurricane can make anybody look bad because he flurries continually, throwing all the punches in the book and a few that aren't.

Thus each as a keen incentive to win this fight for, while Ezzard Charles is in line for a rematch after putting up a gallant fight against Marciano the last time out, this match still isn't closed. It is possible if Jackson and Valdes put up an excellent brawl, that the winner may get the September shot at the champion.

The 22-year old Jackson is a 9 to 5 favorite in a match between two "whales." The Hurricane stands 6 feet, 2 inches and goes 192 pounds. The 29 year old Valdes is 6 feet, 3 inches tall and scales 205 pounds.

Jackson has won 17 out of 20 bouts, with two losses and one draw, and has kayoed seven of his opponents. Valdes, after years of disappointment, has come on strong with eight straight wins. He has won 30 out of 40 bouts, with eight losses and two draws, and has flattened 21 rivals.
https://imgur.com/xmRQe1T

 

I once went on a rant about someone and called him a dwarf. John Garfield posted Hey Frank I'm 5'4" what's your problem. I responded Oops sorry John. Had mad respect for John G.

 

That definitely tracks as a JG exchange.