Rocky Graziano

Thomas Rocco Barbella (January 1, 1919[1] – May 22, 1990), better known as Rocky Graziano, was an Italian-American professional boxer 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. His turbulent and violent life story was the basis of the 1956 Oscar-winning drama film, Somebody Up There Likes Me, based on his 1955 autobiography of the same title.

Not to be confused with Rocky Marciano.
Rocky Graziano
Statistics
Real nameThomas Rocco Barbella
Nickname(s)The Rock / Rocky / Rockaby
Weight(s)Welterweight
Middleweight
Height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Reach68 1⁄2 in (174 cm)
NationalityAmerican
Born(1919-01-01)January 1, 1919
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
DiedMay 22, 1990(1990-05-22) (aged 71)
New York City, New York, U.S.
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Wins67
Wins by KO52
Losses10
Draws6
No contests0

Early life

Graziano was the son of Ida Scinto and Nicola Barbella. Barbella, nicknamed Fighting Nick Bob, was a boxer with a brief fighting record. Born in Brooklyn, Graziano 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, who got occasional work as a horseback rider, kept boxing gloves around the house and encouraged Graziano and his brothers to fight one another. When he was three years old, Barbella would make him and his brother, Joe (three years his senior), fight almost every night in boxing gloves. At age 18 he won the Metropolitan A.A.U. welterweight championship. Despite the fame and money that professional fighting seemed to offer, he didn't want to become a serious prize fighter. He didn't like the discipline of training any more than he liked the discipline of school or the Army.[4]

Amateur career

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]

A couple of weeks into amateur fighting, 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 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. He turned himself in, but he was pardoned and given the opportunity to fight under the army's aegis.[5]

Professional career

As he grew older and seeing no other way to raise his standard of living, Graziano signed a few boxing contracts, but the rigors of training disinterested him. He and his early managers went their separate ways but eventually, he was picked up by Irving Cohen who had the sense to give him a long leash. Cohen changed the young fighter's name from Barbella to Graziano (his grandfather's surname) and lined up a fight. Refusing to train much, Graziano nevertheless showed his killer instinct and won by a knockout. Other fights were lined up with Cohen trying, in his subtle way, to overmatch Graziano, get him defeated, and thereby show him the value of getting into condition. He even demanded a match against Sugar Ray Robinson.[4]

In March 1945, at Madison Square Garden, 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 then to go on to fight for the world title, but 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. 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, which would have awarded the victory to Zale, but Graziano's cutman, Morris ("Whitey") Bimstein, was able to stop the bleeding to let the fight continue. Graziano was battered around the ring, suffered a closed eye and appeared ready to lose by a knockout, then rallied and knocked Zale out in the sixth round, becoming world middleweight champion.[5] Their last fight was held in New Jersey the following year (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. He was knocked unconscious. His last attempt at the middleweight title came in April 1952, when he fought Sugar Ray Robinson. He dropped him to his knee with a right in the third round. Less than a minute later, Robinson knocked him out for the count with a right to the jaw. He retired after losing his very next fight, a 10-round decision to Chuck Davey.[5]

Career trouble

In 1946, Graziano was suspended by the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) for failure to report a bribe attempt. In 1948, 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. This was due to his "running out" on a scheduled December 1 bout with Fred Apostoli. 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 prosperity.

Post-boxing career

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?, 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]

Personal life

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.[12] They had two children, both of whom married and had children. Graziano's funeral was held at St. Patrick's Cathedral.[13] He is interred at the Locust Valley Cemetery along with his wife, who died in 2009.

Accolades

Professional boxing record
67 Wins (52 knockouts), 10 Losses (3 knockouts), 6 draws[14]
Res. Record Opponent Type Round
Time		 Date Location Notes
Loss67–10–6 Chuck Davey UD 10 1952–09–17 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Loss67–9–6 Sugar Ray Robinson KO 3 (15)
1:53		 1952–04–16 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois For The Ring and lineal middleweight title
Win67–8–6 Roy Wouters TKO 1 (10)
2:45		 1952–03–27 Minneapolis Auditorium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Win66–8–6 Eddie O'Neill TKO 4 (10)
2:21		 1952–02–18 Jefferson County Armory, Louisville, Kentucky
Win65–8–6 Tony Janiro TKO 10
2:45		 1951–09–19 Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan
Win64–8–6 Chuck Hunter DQ 2 (10) 1951–08–06 Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri
Win63–8–6 Cecil Hudson TKO 3 (10) 1951–07–10 Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri
Win62–8–6 Freddie Lott KO 5 (10)
2:17		 1951–06–18 Baltimore Coliseum, Baltimore, Maryland
Win61–8–6 Johnny Greco KO 3 (10)
1:56		 1951–05–21 Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec
Win60–8–6 Reuben Jones KO 3 (10)
1:18		 1951–03–19 Miami Stadium, Miami, Florida
Win59–8–6 Honeychile Johnson KO 4 (10)
0:48		 1950–11–27 Philadelphia Convention Hall,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Win58–8–6 Tony Janiro UD 10 1950–10–27 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Win57–8–6 Pete Mead KO 3 (10)
2:25		 1950–10–16 Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Win56–8–6 Gene Burton KO 7 (10)
2:10		 1950–10–04 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Win55–8–6 Henry Brimm KO 4 (10)
2:14		 1950–05–16 Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York
Win54–8–6 Vinnie Cidone TKO 3 (10) 1950–05–09 Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Win53–8–6 Danny Williams KO 3 (10)
1:03		 1950–04–24 New Haven Arena, New Haven, Connecticut
Draw52–8–6 Tony Janiro SD 10 1950–03–31 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Win52–8–5 Joe Curcio KO 1 (10)
2:21		 1950–03–06 Miami Stadium, Miami, Florida
Win51–8–5 Sonny Horne MD 10 1949–12–06 Cleveland Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Win50–8–5 Charley Fusari TKO 10 1949–09–14 Polo Grounds, New York City, New York
Win49–8–5 Joe Agosta KO 2 (10)
2:19		 1949–07–18 Century Stadium, West Springfield, Massachusetts
Win48–8–5 Bobby Claus KO 2 (10)
0:46		 1949–06–21 Wilmington Park, Wilmington, Delaware
Loss47–8–5 Tony Zale KO 3 (15) 1948–06–10 Ruppert Stadium, Newark, New Jersey Lost The Ring and lineal middleweight title
Win47–7–5 Sonny Horne UD 10 1948–04–05 Uline Arena, Washington, D.C.
Win46–7–5 Tony Zale TKO 6 (15) 1947–07–16 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois Won The Ring and lineal middleweight title
The Ring Fight of the Year
Win45–7–5 Jerry Fiorello TKO 5 (10) 1947–06–16 Swayne Field, Toledo, Ohio
Win44–7–5 Eddie Finazzo TKO 1 (10) 1947–06–10
2:14		 Fairgrounds Arena, Memphis, Tennessee
Loss43–7–5 Tony Zale KO 6 (15) 1946–09–27 Yankee Stadium, New York City, New York For The Ring and lineal middleweight titles
The Ring Fight of the Year
Win43–6–5 Marty Servo TKO 2 (10)
1:52		 1946–03–29 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Win42–6–5 Sonny Horne UD 10 1946–01–18 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Win41–6–5 Harold Green KO 3 (10)
1:49		 1945–09–28 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Win40–6–5 Freddie Cochrane KO 10
2:37		 1945–08–24 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Win39–6–5 Freddie Cochrane KO 10
0:16		 1945–06–29 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York The Ring Fight of the Year
Win38–6–5 Al Davis TKO 4 (10) 1945–05–25 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Win37–6–5 Solomon Stewart TKO 4 (10) 1945–04–17 Uline Arena, Washington, D.C.
Win36–6–5 Billy Arnold TKO 3 (8) 1945–03–09 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Loss35–6–5 Harold Green MD 10 1944–12–22 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Loss35–5–5 Harold Green UD 10 1944–11–03 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Win35–4–5 Bernie Miller TKO 2 (8)
0:44		 1944–10–24 Broadway Arena, Brooklyn, New York
Draw34–4–5 Danny Kapilow PTS 10 1944–10–06 St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York
Draw34–4–4 Frankie Terry PTS 8 1944–09–15 St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York
Win34–4–3 Jerry Fiorello SD 8 1944–08–14 Queensboro Arena, Queens, New York
Win33–4–3 Tony Reno PTS 8 1944–07–21 Fort Hamilton Arena, Brooklyn, New York
Win32–4–3 Frankie Terry TKO 6 (8)
2:47		 1944–06–27 Dexter Park Arena, Queens, New York
Win31–4–3 Larney Moore KO 2 (8) 1944–06–07 MacArthur Stadium, Brooklyn, New York
Win30–4–3 Tommy Mollis TKO 7 (10) 1944–05–29 Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C.
Win29–4–3 Freddie Graham KO 3 (8) 1944–05–09 Turner's Arena, Washington, D.C.
Win28–4–3 Bobby Brown KO 5 (10) 1944–04–10 Turner's Arena, Washington, D.C.
Win27–4–3 Ray Rovelli PTS 8 1944–03–14 Broadway Arena, Brooklyn, New York
Win26–4–3 Harold Gary PTS 6 1944–03–08 Scott Hall, Elizabeth, New Jersey
Win25–4–3 Leon Anthony KO 1 (8)
1:20		 1944–03–04 Ridgewood Grove, Brooklyn, New York
Win24–4–3 Nick Calder KO 4 (8) 1944–02–24 Masonic Hall, Highland Park, New Jersey
Loss23–4–3 Steve Riggio PTS 6 1944–02–09 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Win23–3–3 Phil Enzenga TKO 5 (8) 1944–01–18 Westchester County Center, White Plains, New York
Win22–3–3 Jerry Pittro TKO 1 (6)
2:31		 1944–01–07 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Win21–3–3 Harold Gary PTS 8 1944–01–04 Grotto Auditorium, Jersey City, New Jersey
Win20–3–3 Milo Theodorescu TKO 1 (8)
2:52		 1943–12–27 Laurel Garden, Newark, New Jersey
Win19–3–3 Freddie Graham PTS 6 1943–12–06 St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York
Win18–3–3 Freddie Graham PTS 8 1943–11–30 Paterson, New Jersey
Loss17–3–3 Steve Riggio PTS 6 1943–11–12 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Draw17–2–3 Charley McPherson PTS 6 1943–10–27 Scott Hall, Elizabeth, New Jersey
Win17–2–2 Jimmy Williams TKO 2 (6) 1943–10–13 Scott Hall, Elizabeth, New Jersey
Win16–2–2 Freddie Graham KO 1 (8)
1:02		 1943–10–05 Broadway Arena, Brooklyn, New York
Win15–2–2 George Wilson PTS 8 1943–09–21 Broadway Arena, Brooklyn, New York
Loss14–2–2 Joe Agosta PTS 6 1943–09–10 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Win14–1–2 Tony Grey PTS 6 1943–08–24 Queensboro Arena, Queens, New York
Win13–1–2 Ted Apostoli PTS 4 1943–08–20 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Win12–1–2 Charley McPherson PTS 6 1943–08–12 Fort Hamilton Arena, Brooklyn, New York
Win11–1–2 Randy Drew KO 1 (6)
2:16		 1943–07–27 Queensboro Arena, Queens, New York
Win10–1–2 George Stevens KO 1 (6) 1943–07–22 Fort Hamilton Arena, Brooklyn, New York
Win9–1–2 Johnny Atteley TKO 2 (6) 1943–07–08 Fort Hamilton Arena, Brooklyn, New York
Win8–1–2 Frankie Falco KO 5 (6)
1:37		 1943–06–24 Fort Hamilton Arena, Brooklyn, New York
Win7–1–2 Joe Curcio TKO 4 (6)
0:39		 1943–06–16 Twin City Bowl, Elizabeth, New Jersey
Win6–1–2 Gilberto Vasquez KO 1 (6)
1:45		 1943–06–11 Fort Hamilton Arena, Brooklyn, New York
Draw5–1–2 Lou Miller PTS 6 1942–05–25 St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York
Win5–1–1 Godfrey Howell KO 4 1942–05–12 Broadway Arena, Brooklyn, New York
Win4–1–1 Eddie Lee KO 4 1942–05–04 St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York
Loss3–1–1 Charles Ferguson PTS 6 1942–04–28 Broadway Arena, Brooklyn, New York
Draw3–0–1 Godfrey Howell PTS 4 1942–04–20 St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York
Win3–0 Kenny Blackmar KO 1 (4) 1942–04–14 Broadway Arena, Brooklyn, New York
Win2–0 Mike Mastandrea KO 3 (4) 1942–04–06 St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York
Win1–0 Curtis Hightower TKO 2 (4) 1942–03–31 Broadway Arena, Brooklyn, New York

See also
  • List of middleweight boxing champions

Notes
  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. Lardner, Rex (January 1956). "The Improbable Graziano". Sport. Archived from the original on May 29, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
  5. 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 2012-06-05.
  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. "Is This the First-Ever 'Best Pizza in NYC' Article?".
  12. Sussman, Jeffrey (2018-03-08). Rocky Graziano: Fists, Fame, and Fortune. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1538102626.
  13. SPORTS OF THE TIMES; Leave Your Worry on The Doorstep, The New York Times, May 26, 1990.
  14. "Rocky Graziano Professional boxing record". BoxRec.com.
Achievements
Preceded by
Tony Zale		 World Middleweight Champion
July 16, 1947– June 10, 1948		 Succeeded by
Tony Zale
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