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Rocky Graziano

Thomas Rocco Barbella (January 1, 1919[1] – May 22, 1990), better known as Rocky Graziano, was an American professional boxer and actor who held the World Middleweight title.[2] Graziano is considered one of the greatest knockout artists in boxing history, often displaying the capacity to take his opponent out with a single punch. He was ranked 23rd on The Ring magazine list of the greatest punchers of all time. He fought many of the best middleweights of the era including Sugar Ray Robinson. He was the subject of the 1956 film, Somebody Up There Likes Me, based on his 1955 autobiography, starring Paul Newman as Graziano.

Rocky Graziano
Graziano, undated
Born
Thomas Rocco Barbella

(1919-01-01)January 1, 1919
New York City, U.S.
DiedMay 22, 1990(1990-05-22) (aged 71)
New York City, U.S.
Resting placeLocust Valley Cemetery, Locust Valley, New York
Other namesThe Rock / Rocky / Rockaby
Statistics
Weight(s)Welterweight
Middleweight
Height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Reach68+1⁄2 in (174 cm)
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights83
Wins67
Wins by KO52
Losses10
Draws6

Early life

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Graziano was the son of Ida Scinto and Nicola Barbella. The elder Barbella, nicknamed Fighting Nick Bob, was a boxer with a brief fighting record. Born in Brooklyn, New York City, Rocky later moved to an Italian enclave centered on East 10th Street, between First Avenue and Avenue A in Manhattan's East Village. He grew up as a street fighter and learned to look after himself before he could read or write. He spent years in reform school, jail, and Catholic protectories.[3] Barbella Sr., who got occasional work as a horseback rider,[how?] kept boxing gloves around the house and encouraged Rocky and his brothers to fight one another. When he was three years old, Barbella would make Rocky and his brother, Joe (three years his senior), fight almost every night. At age 18 Rocky won the Metropolitan A.A.U. welterweight championship. Despite the fame and money that professional fighting seemed to offer, Rocky did not want to become a serious prize fighter. He did not like the discipline of training any more than he liked the discipline of school or the Army.[4]

Graziano heard from a couple of his friends about a tournament going on with a gold medal for the winner. He fought four matches and ended up winning the New York Metropolitan Amateur Athletic Union Boxing Competition (1939). He sold the gold medal for $15 and decided that boxing was a good way to make cash.[5]

Graziano, undated

In 1940, just weeks into his amateur fighting career, Graziano was arrested for stealing from a school. He went to Coxsackie Correctional Facility, where he spent three weeks with boyhood friend Jake LaMotta, and then he went on to the New York City Reformatory, where he spent five months. After he got out of the reformatory, he headed back to the gym to earn money, and while there met Eddie Cocco who started his professional career. He entered the ring under the name Robert Barber. A couple of weeks later, Graziano was charged with a probation violation and sent back to reform school where he was charged with starting a minor riot. He was then sent to Rikers Island.[6]

When Graziano got out of jail, he enlisted in the military but went AWOL after punching a captain. He escaped from Fort Dix in New Jersey and started his real boxing career under the name of "Rocky Graziano." He won his first couple of bouts. After gaining popularity under the name of Graziano, he was found by the military. After his fourth bout, he was called into a manager's office to speak with a couple of military personnel. Expecting to be prosecuted and sent back to the military or jail, he fled. He returned to the military a week later. In 1941, he turned himself in, was court-martialed and dishonorably discharged from the Army, then sent to the Federal Penitentiary (nicknamed the "Big Top" for its dome), founded in 1875 as a military prison (now known as USP Leavenworth). Fort Leavenworth is where Rocky Graziano started his boxing career while housed at the FCP (minimum/low) building adjacent to the main facility.

Ultimately he was pardoned and given the opportunity to fight under the Army's aegis.[5]

Professional career

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Graziano, circa 1946

Around the time he absconded from military service, Barbella began boxing under the management of Irving Cohen, a relationship that would endure for the remainder of his professional career. Cohen arranged a debut bout and billed the young fighter under his grandfather's surname as Rocky Graziano. Despite his notoriously lax approach to training, Graziano leveraged his untutored, brawling style and powerful punching ability to win by knockout. Cohen scheduled fights against increasingly challenging opponents with the apparent goal of overmatching Graziano to teach him the value of conditioning. He even demanded a match against Sugar Ray Robinson.[4]

In March 1945 at Madison Square Garden in New York City Graziano scored a major upset over Billy Arnold, whose style was similar to that of Sugar Ray Robinson: he was a slick boxer with lightning-fast combinations and a knockout punch. The Ring magazine and various newspapers across the United States touted Arnold as the next Joe Louis or Sugar Ray Robinson. Arnold was a heavy favorite to defeat Graziano and to then fight for the world title. Graziano absorbed a beating in the early going, before going on to batter and knock Arnold out in the third round of the scheduled eight-round bout.[7] Following his loss to Graziano, Arnold was never the same.[8]

Graziano fought three middleweight title bouts against Tony Zale, losing the first before capturing then surrendering the championship.

In their first match (September 27, 1946), after flooring Graziano in the first round, Zale took a savage beating from him and was on the verge of losing the fight by TKO. However, Zale rallied and knocked him out in the sixth round to retain his title.

The rematch, a year later in Chicago (July 16, 1947), was a mirror image of their first fight. The referee almost stopped the second fight in the third round because of a severe cut over Graziano's left eye, but Graziano's cutman, Morris ("Whitey") Bimstein, was able to stop the bleeding. Battered around the ring, his eye closed and appearing ready to lose by a knockout, Graziano rallied to knock Zale out in the sixth, earning the title.[5]

Their last fight was held in New Jersey June 10, 1948. Zale regained his crown, winning the match by a knockout in the third round. The knockout blows consisted of a perfect combination of a right to Graziano's body, then a left hook to his jaw, knocking him unconscious.

Graziano's last shot at the middleweight title came against Sugar Ray Robinson in April 1952. He dropped Robinson to his knee with a right in the third round. Less than a minute later, Robinson KO'd him with a right to the jaw.

Graziano retired after losing his very next fight, a 10-round decision to Chuck Davey.[5]

Suspensions

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In 1946, Graziano was suspended by the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) for failure to report a bribe attempt. In 1948 Graziano was suspended for "running out" on a scheduled December 1 bout with Ruben Shank. Abe Green, then-National Boxing Association's President, announced that they were indefinitely suspending him in all parts of the world under NBA supervision, following similar action by the California State Athletic Commission. The suspension covered all of the American States, Great Britain, the European Boxing Federation, Cuba, Mexico, and Canada. Boxing promoter Ralph Tribuani got him a license to box in Delaware, which led to his reinstatement by both the NBA and NYSAC and Rocky's return to the ring.[citation needed]

Post-boxing career

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After his retirement from boxing, Graziano cohosted a short-lived series, The Henny and Rocky Show (1955) with famous comedian Henny Youngman. He was a semi-regular on The Martha Raye Show, as Raye's boyfriend.[9] He appeared as a regular on the United Artists TV series Miami Undercover for its entire run, and appeared in several series and shows, including The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom, Car 54, Where Are You?, I've Got a Secret, and Naked City. He portrayed Packy, an ex-boxer, in the 1967 film Tony Rome.[10]

In the 1960s, Graziano opened a pizza restaurant, Rocky Graziano's Pizza Ring, on Second Avenue in Kips Bay, Manhattan, creating a modest franchise for the restaurant in the New York City area.[11][12] He briefly operated a bowling alley in North Babylon, New York.[citation needed]

Personal life

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Graziano married Norma Unger, of German-Jewish descent, on August 10, 1943. By all accounts, the two had a very happy marriage, and they remained together until his death from cardiopulmonary failure on May 22, 1990, in New York City at age 71. According to his biographer, Graziano remained faithful to his wife during the entirety of their marriage, something which was not particularly common among celebrities.[13] They had two children, both of whom married and had children. Graziano's funeral was held at St. Patrick's Cathedral.[14] He is interred at the Locust Valley Cemetery along with his wife, who died in 2009.

Legacy

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Professional boxing record

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83 fights67 wins10 losses
By knockout523
By decision147
By disqualification10
Draws6
No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
83Loss67–10–6Chuck DaveyUD10Sep 17, 1952Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, US
82Loss67–9–6Sugar Ray RobinsonKO3 (15), 1:53Apr 16, 1952Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, USFor NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring middleweight titles
81Win67–8–6Roy WoutersTKO1 (10), 2:45Mar 27, 1952Auditorium, Minneapolis, Minnesota, US
80Win66–8–6Eddie O'NeillTKO4 (10), 2:21Feb 18, 1952Jefferson County Armory, Louisville, Kentucky, US
79Win65–8–6Tony JaniroTKO10 (10), 2:45Sep 19, 1951Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, US
78Win64–8–6Chuck HunterDQ2 (10)Aug 6, 1951Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, US
77Win63–8–6Cecil HudsonTKO3 (10)Jul 10, 1951Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri, US
76Win62–8–6Freddie LottKO5 (10), 2:17Jun 18, 1951Coliseum, Baltimore, Maryland, US
75Win61–8–6Johnny GrecoKO3 (10), 1:56May 21, 1951Forum, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
74Win60–8–6Reuben JonesKO3 (10), 1:18Mar 19, 1951Miami Stadium, Miami, Florida, US
73Win59–8–6Honeychile JohnsonKO4 (10), 0:48Nov 27, 1950Convention Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
72Win58–8–6Tony JaniroUD10Oct 27, 1950Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US
71Win57–8–6Pete MeadKO3 (10)Oct 16, 1950Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US
70Win56–8–6Gene BurtonKO7 (10), 2:10Oct 4, 1950Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, US
69Win55–8–6Henry BrimmKO4 (10), 2:14May 16, 1950Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York, US
68Win54–8–6Vinnie CidoneTKO3 (10), 3:00May 9, 1950Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US
67Win53–8–6Danny WilliamsKO3 (10), 1:03Apr 24, 1950Arena, New Haven, Connecticut, US
66Draw52–8–6Tony JaniroSD10Mar 31, 1950Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US
65Win52–8–5Joe CurcioKO1 (10), 2:21Mar 6, 1950Miami Stadium, Miami, Florida, US
64Win51–8–5Sonny HorneMD10Dec 6, 1949Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, US
63Win50–8–5Charley FusariTKO10 (10), 2:04Sep 14, 1949Polo Grounds, New York City, New York, US
62Win49–8–5Joe AgostaKO2 (10), 2:19Jul 18, 1949Century Stadium, West Springfield, Massachusetts, US
61Win48–8–5Bobby ClausKO2 (10), 0:46Jun 21, 1949Wilmington Park, Wilmington, Delaware, US
60Loss47–8–5Tony ZaleKO3 (15), 1:08Jun 10, 1948Ruppert Stadium, Newark, New Jersey, USLost NBA and The Ring middleweight titles
59Win47–7–5Sonny HorneUD10Apr 5, 1948Uline Arena, Washington, DC, US
58Win46–7–5Tony ZaleTKO6 (15), 2:10Jul 17, 1947Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, USWon NBA and The Ring middleweight titles
57Win45–7–5Jerry FiorelloTKO5 (10), 2:14Jun 16, 1947Swayne Field, Toledo, Ohio, US
56Win44–7–5Eddie FinazzoTKO1 (10), 2:14Jun 10, 1947Fairgrounds Horse Show Arena, Memphis, Tennessee, US
55Loss43–7–5Tony ZaleKO6 (15), 1:43Sep 27, 1946Yankee Stadium, New York City, New York, USFor NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring middleweight titles
54Win43–6–5Marty ServoTKO2 (10), 1:52Mar 29, 1946Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US
53Win42–6–5Sonny HorneUD10Jan 18, 1946Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US
52Win41–6–5Harold GreenKO3 (10), 1:49Sep 28, 1945Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US
51Win40–6–5Freddie 'Red' CochraneKO10 (10), 2:37Aug 24, 1945Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US
50Win39–6–5Freddie 'Red' CochraneKO10 (10), 0:16Jun 29, 1945Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US
49Win38–6–5Al 'Bummy' DavisTKO4 (10), 0:44May 25, 1945Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US
48Win37–6–5Solomon StewartKO4 (10)Apr 17, 1945Uline Arena, Washington, DC, US
47Win36–6–5Billy ArnoldTKO3 (8)Mar 9, 1945Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US
46Loss35–6–5Harold GreenMD10Dec 22, 1944Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US
45Loss35–5–5Harold GreenUD10Nov 3, 1944Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US
44Win35–4–5Bernie MillerKO2 (8), 0:44Oct 24, 1944St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, US
43Draw34–4–5Danny KapilowPTS10Oct 6, 1944St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, US
42Draw34–4–4Frankie TerryPTS8Sep 15, 1944St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, US
41Win34–4–3Jerry FiorelloSD8Aug 14, 1944Queensboro Arena, New York City, New York, US
40Win33–4–3Tony RenoUD8Jul 21, 1944Fort Hamilton Arena, New York City, New York, US
39Win32–4–3Frankie TerryTKO6 (8)Jun 27, 1944Dexter Park Arena, New York City, New York, US
38Win31–4–3Larney MooreTKO2 (8)Jun 7, 1944MacArthur Stadium, New York City, New York, US
37Win30–4–3Tommy MollisTKO7 (10)May 29, 1944Griffith Stadium, Washington, DC, US
36Win29–4–3Freddie GrahamKO3 (8)May 9, 1944Turner's Arena, Washington, DC, US
35Win28–4–3Bobby BrownKO5 (10)Apr 10, 1944Turner's Arena, Washington, DC, US
34Win27–4–3Ray RovelliPTS8Mar 14, 1944Broadway Arena, New York City, New York, US
33Win26–4–3Harold GaryPTS6Mar 8, 1944Scott Hall, Elizabeth, New Jersey, US
32Win25–4–3Leon AnthonyKO1 (8)Mar 4, 1944Ridgewood Grove, New York City, New York, US
31Win24–4–3Nick CalderKO4 (6)Feb 24, 1944Masonic Hall, Highland Park, New Jersey, US
30Loss23–4–3Steve RiggioPTS6Feb 9, 1944Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US
29Win23–3–3Phil EnzengaTKO5 (8)Jan 18, 1944Westchester County Center, White Plains, New York, US
28Win22–3–3Jerry PittroTKO1 (6)Jan 7, 1944Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US
27Win21–3–3Harold GaryPTS8Jan 4, 1944Grotto Auditorium, Jersey City, New Jersey, US
26Win20–3–3Milo TheodorescuTKO1 (8)Dec 27, 1943Laurel Garden, Newark, New Jersey, US
25Win19–3–3Charley McPhersonPTS6Dec 6, 1943St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, US
24Win18–3–3Freddie GrahamPTS8Nov 30, 1943Grotto Auditorium, Jersey City, New Jersey, US
23Loss17–3–3Steve RiggioPTS6Nov 12, 1943Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US
22Draw17–2–3Charley McPhersonPTS6Oct 27, 1943Scott Hall, Elizabeth, New Jersey, US
21Win17–2–2Jimmy WilliamsTKO2 (6)Oct 13, 1943Scott Hall, Elizabeth, New Jersey, US
20Win16–2–2Freddie GrahamKO1 (8)Oct 5, 1943Broadway Arena, New York City, New York, US
19Win15–2–2George WilsonPTS8Sep 21, 1943Broadway Arena, New York City, New York, US
18Loss14–2–2Joe AgostaPTS6Sep 10, 1943Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US
17Win14–1–2Tony GreyKO6 (6)Aug 24, 1943Queensboro Arena, New York City, New York, US
16Win13–1–2Ted ApostoliPTS4Aug 20, 1943Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US
15Win12–1–2Charley McPhersonPTS6Aug 12, 1943Fort Hamilton Arena, New York City, New York, US
14Win11–1–2Randy DrewKO1 (6)Jul 27, 1943Queensboro Arena, New York City, New York, US
13Win10–1–2George StevensKO1 (6)Jul 22, 1943Fort Hamilton Arena, New York City, New York, US
12Win9–1–2Johnny AtteleyRTD2 (6)Jul 8, 1943Fort Hamilton Arena, New York City, New York, US
11Win8–1–2Frankie FalcoKO5 (6)Jun 24, 1943Fort Hamilton Arena, New York City, New York, US
10Win7–1–2Joe CurcioTKO4 (6)Jun 16, 1943Twin City Bowl, Elizabeth, New Jersey, US
9Win6–1–2Gilberto Ramirez VasquezKO1 (6)Jun 11, 1943Fort Hamilton Arena, New York City, New York, US
8Draw5–1–2Lou MillerPTS6May 25, 1942St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, US
7Win5–1–1Godfrey HowellTKO4 (4)May 12, 1942Broadway Arena, New York City, New York, US
6Win4–1–1Eddie LeeKO4 (4)May 4, 1942St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, US
5Loss3–1–1Charles FergusonPTS4Apr 28, 1942Broadway Arena, New York City, New York, US
4Draw3–0–1Godfrey HowellPTS4Apr 20, 1942St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, US
3Win3–0Kenny BlackmarKO1 (4), 1:50Apr 14, 1942Broadway Arena, New York City, New York, US
2Win2–0Mike MastandreaKO3 (4), 1:40Apr 6, 1942St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, US
1Win1–0Curtis HightowerTKO2 (4), 0:40Mar 31, 1942Broadway Arena, New York City, New York, US

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Alternative birth dates have been cited; however his gravestone states January 1, 1919, and his widow confirmed that this as the correct date
  2. ^ "The Lineal Middleweight Champions". The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia.
  3. ^ Graziano, Rocky; Barber, Rowland (1955). Somebody Up There Likes Me. New York: Simon And Schuster.
  4. ^ a b Lardner, Rex (January 1956). "The Improbable Graziano". Sport. Archived from the original on May 29, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
  5. ^ a b c d Berger, Phil (May 23, 1990). "Rocky Graziano, Ex-Ring Champion, Dead at 71". The New York Times.
  6. ^ Yablonsky, Lewis (1998). Gangsters: Fifty Years of Madness, Drugs, and Death on the Streets of America. NYU Press. p. Introduction, XV.
  7. ^ Dawson, James P. (March 10, 1945). "Arnold Is Stopped By Graziano In 3D". The New York Times. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
  8. ^ "Billy Arnold". Philly Boxing History. Archived from the original on June 5, 2012.
  9. ^ Adams, Val (November 29, 1953). "Rocky Graziano: TV Actor and Ex-Fighter". The New York Times. p. X11. Retrieved February 8, 2011.
  10. ^ Ebert, Roger. "TONY ROME".
  11. ^ Young, Dick (November 7, 1969). "Young Ideas". Daily News. New York. p. 111. Retrieved January 18, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Kuban, Adam (April 28, 2011). "Is This the First-Ever 'Best Pizza in NYC' Article?". Serious Eats. Archived from the original on December 29, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  13. ^ Sussman, Jeffrey (March 8, 2018). Rocky Graziano: Fists, Fame, and Fortune. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1538102626.
  14. ^ SPORTS OF THE TIMES; Leave Your Worry on The Doorstep, The New York Times, May 26, 1990.
Achievements
Preceded by World Middleweight Champion
July 16, 1947– June 10, 1948		Succeeded by
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