When you talk about the greatest in boxing, Rocky Marciano is a name that you just can’t miss. The only heavyweight champion in history to retire undefeated is an icon of the sport, and his talent and devotion to the sport are still unparalleled.
However, there was one person who was even more important to him than his boxing. His mother, Pasqualina Picciuto, was a significant influence on his life and the Brockton native held her in very high regard. He would go to any lengths to honor and protect her, including not only hiding his love for the sport from his mother and making a promise to her that could have ended his career at any point.
Rocky Marciano’s insane promise
On Sunday, an Instagram page called Source Of Boxing posted a picture of Rocky Marciano and his mother and revealed some interesting facts about the boxer’s career. It revealed that ‘The Brockton Blockbuster’ promised his mother that he would stop boxing completely as soon as he lost.
Coming from an Italian immigrant family with traditional values, Pasqualina was very protective of her children. She despised violence and wanted her kids to stay away from any type of physical sports. Therefore, Marciano used to play baseball in his initial years.
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But living in a tough neighborhood while being an immigrant put the 49-0 boxer in front of some tough situations. That is when he found boxing and started enjoying it. It later became an obsession, and he devoted his everything to the sport. The more he climbed into the boxing world, the more his mother used to worry. Therefore, once he turned pro, he made the promise to his mother.
However, he never lost and finished his career with an astonishing record of 49-0, becoming the only heavyweight champion in history to retire undefeated. But, things were not so simple during his amateur days before he made it big. Marciano used to fight in amateur circuits without telling his mother and had to take extreme measures to hide the secrets.
Risking his body
Reportedly, Rocky Marciano used to leave his body unguarded during amateur fights, inviting body blows. It was not because his defense was weak, rather he did it to protect his face as his mother could have seen the punches and injuries on his face. However, he could have easily hidden the marks on the body.
This not only put his body in jeopardy but also put him at risk of losing the match. However, The Brockton Blockbuster had belief in his skills and his power, which could have knocked anyone out.
This is not the only measure he took to hide boxing from Pasqualina. Even during his training days, something which his mother loathed, Marciano and his lifelong friend and trainer Allie Colombo, used to carry a football with them so that their mother wouldn’t have any doubts. In fact, his brother Louis “Sonny” Marchegiano used to issue constant threats to reveal his ambition of becoming a boxer to their mother.
However, he did not let these hurdles slow him down. He not only hid his obsession for boxing from his mother till he turned pro, but also dominated the amateur circuit. Even when he turned pro, there was no stopping him, and remained undefeated till the end.
Marciano died in 1969 in a plane crash. However, he left a legacy in boxing that no one can match. What are your thoughts on Rocky Marciano and his career? Do you think he did the right thing by hiding it from his mother? Let us know your thoughts down below.
The post Late Rocky Marciano Kept Boxing Career a Secret from His Mother Until He Made a Bold Promise appeared first on EssentiallySports.
