Were all Marciano's fights on the level

[Beanflicker]

Who knows with fights back then. Fight fixing has always been around in boxing and will always be around, but back then when the mob was controlling it and forcing guys to throw fights, it really was the wild west.

[beenKOed]

Who knows with fights back then. Fight fixing has always been around in boxing and will always be around, but back then when the mob was controlling it and forcing guys to throw fights, it really was the wild west.

I don't know if I can agree with that, entirely.
It seems like Rocky's ZERO would have been an irresistible opportunity for the mob to score a monster payday. Maybe you think Rocky was connected/protected? If that was true, wouldn't they have expected him to go along with the plan, for considerable compensation? Just wondering like everyone else.
What do you think?

[Bill Paxtom]

There were a few set ups in the early part of the career.

* Bob Jefferson
* Johnny Pretzie
* Don Mogard

[Beanflicker]

I don't know if I can agree with that, entirely.
It seems like Rocky's ZERO would have been an irresistible opportunity for the mob to score a monster payday. Maybe you think Rocky was connected/protected? If that was true, wouldn't they have expected him to go along with the plan, for considerable compensation? Just wondering like everyone else.
What do you think?

I just don't know. Who knows what went on behind closed doors, especially 70 years ago.

Hypothetically, if Rocky was property of the mob and a guaranteed cash cow, there'd be that incentive to fix fights and protect Rocky. If they were taking a slice of Rocky's purse and were taking a slice of the ticket sales and proceeds (or taking all of it, who knows), making Rocky take a dive for one big pay day would probably have been small change compared to what they would make off of him in the long run. Also, bookies would often get wind of a fix when big or unusual bets started coming in and close down the betting, so if large quantites of cash were suddenly put on Don Cockell to upset Marciano, there's no guarantee they'd take the bet.

That's all conjecture though, and unless there was evidence that was the case I wouldn't want to speak ill of Rocky's amazing career.

[Bill Paxtom]

Funny Business

Monday ~ March 21, 1949

Rhode Island Auditorium ~ Rhode Island

Rocky Marciano ~ 12-0-0 {12 KO's} ~ 182 lbs.
vs.
Johnny Pretzie ~ 9-5-0 {7 KO's} ~ 195 lbs.

Johnny Pretzie, a 29 year-old Boston-based Heavyweight was a 'tough and rugged'
guy who could rumble.

The Fight Bill stated that his record was 16-4-0 {13 KO's}.

Rocky, who had not fought in 3-Months, was reportedly having a rough time in
Training-Sessions.

Rocky had opened as a {4-1} Betting-Favorite.

Johnny Pretzie had only been stopped 'once' in his career, and that was in the 10th
Round of a bout that he was winning by a wide-margin, until he got caught
by a 'Lucky Punch'.

Before 'fight chatter' had Johnny as a 'Live Opponent' who could beat Rocky.

Money was 'dumped' on Johnny, and the Odds dropped down to {2-1} for Rocky.

Suddenly out of nowhere, 2-Days before the Bout, the Odds went from {2-1} for
Rocky Marciano to {7-1}.

The 'street-chatter' was, that Johnny was planning a middle-round dive.