The Man Who Rocked The Rock ...

I never liked how much Marciano's ultra close calls with Lowry and LaStarza are given so little credit, as if bringing them up is sacrilege.

I see no reason for, say, Holmes to be crucified because of the Witherspoon or Pinklon fights when Marciano had 2 such calls in a far shorter career.

 

yeah there is a bit about him in a rocky marciano book i read rock of his times, ted said he got robbed in that first fight, rock gave him a rematch and beat him

 

also lets not forget larry's razor thin win against the very under rated carl the truth williams

 

"Almost stopping Marciano" sounds like a bit of a stretch to me, considering he didn't even touch the canvas! But Lowry deserves credit as a tough journeyman who gave Rocky one hell of a fight. Good to see he's still going strong.

 

My mistake. My minds in a million different places right now. atsch

 

I find it funny that Lowry rocked him three seperate times in a 10 round fight and somehow came off with a UD loss. :huh:huh

 

Wow.

What a peice of history there.

 

Marciano fought both Lowry and LaStarza in return matches, and no one disputes he won both clearly. That's a bit different to any close call Larry Holmes was given.

Aside from Marciano's improvement in result and performance against Lowry and LaStarza in the rematches, everyone who followed his career testified to his stark improvement in these years across his fights. He was a relative novice with very limited amateur background and notorious crude in his early years. LaStarza was far more refined and more experienced. Lowry was a veteran and brilliantly cagey and durable, as his record shows, he usually went the distance and had 115 professional fights going into the first Marciano fight.

Lowry may or may not have been robbed the first time, we cant say. It's certain he gave Rocky some SERIOUS problems. And after they fought the 2nd time (which Marciano surely deserved, by all accounts), Marciano figured he could have fought him a hundred times and would never have knocked him out, just couldn't get round Lowry's stye.

 

Mr Lowry might find himself an inadvertant guest on this forum!

 

It does.

Thanks for the thread Hegrant. Very nice thing to do. I have to study the accounts of the Lowry fight. I've never heard he was that hurt at least to the point of a stoppage. It's not really mentioned much in Everhstan book as far as I remember. However, I could've sworn Rocky's good friend Nicky Sylvester said that Marciano was sick with the flu for the Lowry fight which is why he looked so bad. This was on the Rocky A Life Story DVD. I'll have to check that out.

Since there is no footage of the fight, it does appear that this Lowry situation seems to be revisionist history. Almost like how people claim LaStarza was robbed. The fight was a lot closer due to the point deduction for a low blow. In any case, Rocky got the nod and deserved the nod in a real close fight. The only SD of his career.

Ted going the distance with Rocky is no shame. He was a tough journeyman that was a survivor in the ring. He was an alright puncher too - anyone got reports of the fight from newspapers? Would like to read up on it if I can. A lot of assuredness that Ted hurt Rocky 3 times. I'm wondering how this would be known unless Hegrant asked Ted himself. Also He Grant, did you talk to Holmes about the Brian Kenny interview regarding the Marciano being his toughest potential opponent.

 

It's great that he's still going strong at 90! Go for 100+, Ted!!! :good

 

Here's a great article that I read about this fight:

"MARCIANO GETS DECISION OVER LOWRY

ROCKY'S SHOWING IS WEAK AGAINST VETERAN BOXER

Brockton Boy Just Weathers Early Storm, The Foe's Attacks Slackens

There were strange developments and questions left unanswered as Rocky Marciano, undefeated young Brockton heavyweight, was awarded a unanimous decision over Tiger Ted Lowry of New Haven in their 10-rounder at the Auditorium last night. Marciano, in the first place, did not win the fight, as this observer saw it. This reporter gave it to Lowry, 6 rounds to 4, but this wasn't the dilemma - hardly. There were some questions as to whether Lowry, who came close to knocking out Marciano in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th rounds, deliberately had bogged in his attack after the 4th stanza. Many in the crowd felt he had. As it was, the referee, Ben Maculan, warned Lowry three times to open up. In the 5th, he bellowed, "Open up, or I'll toss you out" and twice similiarly threatened him in the 7th. If Lowry had not punched with the vigor he did in the first four stanzas, this observer unhesitantly would say that Lowry intentionally slowed up. But Lowry punched as though bent on making a kill in the early stages. The wonder of it was that Marciano withstood the punishment he took. Lowry stung him with two terrific rights in the 1st. He rocked him with two vicious uppercuts in the 2nd, either of which would have finished a less durable boxer. And in the 4th, Lowry had Marciano in such a bad way that it appeared it would be only a matter of time before he would complete his kill.

Lowry stopped using his uppercut after the 4th, however. He went into a shell and only occasionally landed power shots. He seemed to be carrying Marciano. The crowd booed and Maculan, not liking what he saw, stormed at Lowry, who responded with a passive look. It may have been that Lowry, nine year ring veteran, tired. It may have been that he weakened from Marciano's unending body attack, but whatever the reason, there was an appreciable decline in his offensive operations in the 2nd half of the fight and it didn't look good to the crowd, nor to this observer.

The bout ended on an exciting note, with Marciano tossing a punch after the bell and Lowry, seemingly aroused, wanting to continue. The referee stepped in and stopped the overtime hostilities. Lowry came close to flattening Rocky just before the finish with a right hook. Marciano rocked, but regained his balance. Lowry all but shattered the aura of invincibility that has been built around Marciano by the manner in which he pelted him in the early stanzas. The bout, though it probably will do Marciano much good, showed that he isn't ready for major opoosition. Marciano, who had won 19 of his previous 20 fights on knockouts, did not have his punch last night. Lowry took the steam out of him with his early blitz. There were times when Rocky merely pawed at his opponent and he carried a worried look after the 2nd round. He was much busier of the two however, particularily after the 4th. He landed three punches to Lowry's one from the 5th round on, concentrating wholly on the body. His aggressiveness and constant punching probably was what caught the eye of the three officials, but his thrusts lacked sting to be effective. Many should have been discounted altogether."

- The Providence Journal, Oct 11th, 1949