What was the deal with Marciano and Allie Colombo?

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by Barberboy, Nov 16, 2017.


  1. Barberboy

    Barberboy Member Full Member

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    As iv got older I have grown more sceptical of the 'friendship' between Rocky and Allie Colombo.
    Iv read numerous books with detailed accounts of how they were childhood buddies who grew up together and the two of them tried to make it as baseball players etc.
    However when Rocky failed to make it in baseball and moved on to try his hand at boxing, Allie tagged along as a unofficial manager/adviser right from his debut to his ring retirement.
    Allie,to my knowledge, had absolutely no boxing background or contacts in the fight game, his only qualifications were seemly he was Rockys pal.
    It is well known that Marciano was very careful with money to the point of being miserly. Yet apparently he paid Colombo a percentage of his own end of the take after paying Al Weill.
    With Weill as his manager/matchmaker and gold man as his trainer clearly there was no use for Allie as far as I can see.
    Rocky was known for being loyal to his friends but this seems to be well over the top.
    After Rockys retirement it seems they drifted apart although there's no mention of a fall out as such, the once ubiquitous Colombo is rarely mentioned in Rockys life after he quit boxing.
    Can anybody shed any light on his curious relationship/arrangement?
     
  2. choklab

    choklab cocoon of horror Full Member

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    Allie wrote letters to managers and things for Rocky. He seems to have devoted his life to Rocky becoming a great fighter. But I don't really understand why he was initially so committed. He was a bit older than Rocky as well. It is unusual for somebody to be so sold on any novice becoming a champion, who had no boxing background. Perhaps Rocky had Allie around to negotiate for him?

    I think it was old pro boxer joe monte (Arthur mercantes uncle) who gave them the tip or introduction to meet Al Weill. I think they were fortunate to hook up with Weill just as he became really influential in the business.

    But even Weill wasn't too keen on Rocky initially. He had wanted to take on Marciano only if he came to New York "full time" but when Rocky would not agree to this an unusual compromise was agreed upon whereby Marciano would commute to NewYork for training (courtesy of a lift with a truck driver) part of the week then fight at Providence. The other unlikely thing was that Rocky was trained "one on one" with Goldman at a YMCA gym in newyork rather than at Stillmans with the rest of Weills stable. I don't buy that Rocky was so special that early on.

    Unbelievably under this arrangement Weill would barely manage Rocky. He had Sam Solomon put on fights that he was making for Rocky. He was sending the opponents over to Providence. Allie was kind of shadowing Weill as a manager in Al wiell's absence.

    I wonder if Allie Colombo was instrumental in bargaining this whole set up. If he did I don't understand how he had such clout to do so as just a mere pal of Rocky? And like you say Allie Colombos wages came out of Rockys end. Not Weills.

    No wonder Weill wanted to get Rocky beat up after a couple of fights just so he could terminate the contract. I cannot see what was in it for Weill as a New York manager in the beginning to persevere with a novice who refused to leave New England.

    After Rocky beat the two guys that were supposed to beat him Weill decided to send Charlie Goldman down to work the corner with Colombo for the remainder of Rockys career. Until then they had this kid "Allie" traveling around with their fighter, overseeing the training, working their fighters corner for them. I don't know if this happened before?
     
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  3. Barberboy

    Barberboy Member Full Member

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    Fascinating stuff! To me it sounds like a very strange set up! You think Colombo had a iI don't know maybe a 'mob' influence? Who was the two guys you say Weill thought would beat Rocky?
     
  4. mcvey

    mcvey VIP Member Full Member

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    Charlie Goldman died in Nov 1968,Allie Colombo Jan1969,Marciano Aug 1969,Al Weill Oct1969.
    All that history gone in the space of a year.
     
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  5. Barberboy

    Barberboy Member Full Member

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    Yes that adds to the strangeness Marciano including his corner all died within a year. I heard old Charlie was found wearing Rockys old boxing robe when he died.
     
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  6. mcvey

    mcvey VIP Member Full Member

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    Colombo was only 50.
     
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  7. choklab

    choklab cocoon of horror Full Member

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    There was a few times Weill expected Rocky to lose, most notably against Rex Layne and Joe Louis. Weill was a matchmaker really and he saw Rocky as nothing more than a sideline. a guy he could build up a bit of a record for then cash him in.

    Weill knew managers with boxers like that, guys being groomed who had not fought anyone yet that were a bit further on into the process than Rocky was. The managers of Eddie Ross and bobby Quin were like that.

    Weill had matched Rocky soft for his first two fights. But Weill obviously wasn't convinced with this out of town Rocky kid and this long distance arrangement. What was the point of him? When the managers of Quin and Ross asked for a easy match for their boys weill offered them Rocky. having only met two guys with losing records it was either ambitious or suicide for Rocky to take on a 8-0 guy then a 15-0-1 guy.

    But Rocky won both fights so Weill was forced to continue grooming him. it was back to the drawing board.
     
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  8. Barberboy

    Barberboy Member Full Member

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    I diddnt know he was 5 years older than Rocky! That puts the childhood friendship thing into a little doubt doesnt it? How many kids knock about with anyone 5 years their senior? It was a car or truck accident that killed him wasn't it?
     
  9. choklab

    choklab cocoon of horror Full Member

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    I think it's not unreasonable to assume somebody from Brockton was financing Rocky in the beginning because he was not costing Weill anything. They needed Weill because he could deliver a route to the title. That is for sure.

    I read that Weill had his stable of fighters lodge at a boarding house and gave them food vouchers to spend at a diner he had an arrangement with. This meant he kept the kids training, eating and sleeping with no money to spend. This was taken out of the purses the fighters made. They literally would not have seen much profit. but Rocky was fighting for just $40 a time hundreds of miles away. What was in it for Weill?

    Perhaps Colombo was sub letting his asset to Weill? Or he was representing somebody from Brockton. It's not unusual for fighters of that era to own a lot less of themselves than people realise. Unofficial tax free mangers and such like. The fighter gets hit with the tax for the larger official percentage of himself than he might have. And this could explain Rockys thriftiness.
     
    Last edited: Nov 16, 2017
  10. mcvey

    mcvey VIP Member Full Member

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    I've read that
    1.Colombo was his next door neighbour
    2,Combo's $1,500 Army severance pay financed Rocky's early career.
    I don't know if either are true.
     
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  11. Chuck1052

    Chuck1052 Well-Known Member Full Member

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    Based on what I have read, Allie Columbo was a devoted friend of Rocky Marciano, one who went out of his way to help Rocky in just about every way, notably in terms of companionship, during the latter's boxing career. Once Al Weill became fully interested in Rocky's career, I believe Columbo didn't have any financial interest or power afterwards. But Rocky seemed determined to have Columbo around.

    - Chuck Johnston
     
  12. Barberboy

    Barberboy Member Full Member

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    If that's true about columbo financing his early career that would go some way to explaining Rockys loyalty towards him that's for sure!
     
  13. choklab

    choklab cocoon of horror Full Member

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    Yes, that seems to add up. I don't know how far $1,500 went in those days.
     
  14. Nighttrain

    Nighttrain 'BOUT IT 'BOUT IT Full Member

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    1947 US prices.
    Car: $1,500
    Gasoline: 23 cents/gal
    House: $13,000
    Bread: 12 cents/loaf
    Milk: 80 cents/gal
    Postage Stamp: 3 cents
    Average Annual Salary: $3,500
    Minimum Wage: 40 cents per hour
     
  15. janitor

    janitor VIP Member Full Member

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    This should all be noted, when acknowledging that Marciano was carefully matched, on his way to the title.

    It wasn't all plain sailing!