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At several points La Starza complained that
Marciano was fouling, and the champion even lost the 6th round due to this, but by the mid rounds the momentum of the fight turned in Marciano’s favor. The champion’s constant pressure began to beat the challenger down, landing heavy blows to the head, body
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had a rule that allowed the referee to award one extra point in order to break ties, and awarded the point to
Marciano on account of his aggression and scoring the fight's only knockdown (a right hook floored LaStarza in the 4th round). The split decision victory was one of Marciano's closest fights
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The fight saw both men's clashing styles, with
Marciano being the aggressor attempting to knockout his opponent, while La Starza put his footwork and counter punching to work in an attempt to neutralize Rocky's pressure. The fight was very close and went the distance, with the final scorecards
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LaStarza was never the same after the title fight. The punches to his arms left them so badly injured that he had to get surgery to repair the damaged bones, muscles and nerves. Although he fought nine more times, he lost five of them (including a loss to future
Marciano opponent
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One minute into round 11, a solid left–right combination by the champion sent LaStarza backwards through the ropes and out of the ring. The challenger beat the count, but
Marciano went in for the finish, landing several more hard blows before referee
264:. At the time going into the fight, both men were young and undefeated rising stars, garnering much public interest from boxing fans. Marciano's record going into the fight was 25–0 with 23 knockouts and La Starza's was 37–0 with 18 knockouts.
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After his first defeat, La Starza went on to win 16 more fights, and lost two (both of which he avenged, leaving Rocky as the only one of his opponents he still had yet to beat). In 1953 he defeated top contender
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and even La Starza's arms (which made it increasingly difficult to properly defend himself). By round 10, LaStarza was badly beaten, spitting blood and had several cuts on his face, but gamely fought on.
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fought each other on two separate occasions, the first time in 1950 both as undefeated contenders and the second in a heavyweight championship fight in 1953. Rocky won both fights, the first by a narrow
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After the fight both men went their separate ways and continued to rise through the ranks. Marciano scored knockout wins over several top contenders including former champions
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which earned him a title shot against
Marciano later that year. It would be the champion's second title defense after a winning a rematch with Walcott earlier that year.
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reading 5–4, 4-5 and 5-5 respectively. This could have resulted in the fight being declared a draw, but
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was the champion’s 40th knockout and the first time La Starza was ever stopped in the ring.
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The two men first fought each other in a scheduled 10 round fight on March 24, 1950, at
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Marciano sends La Starza through the ropes in the 11 round of their championship fight
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407:"One this day: Rocky Marciano smashes Roland LaStarza in 11 rounds"
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The championship fight took place on
September 24, 1953, at the
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Rocky
Marciano vs. Roland LaStarza (1st meeting) - BoxRec
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Rocky
Marciano vs. Roland LaStarza (2nd meeting) - BoxRec
388:"Marciano Decisions LaStarza, May Get Summer Title Shot"
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369:"Boxing History: Marciano TKO's LaStarza"
504:Boxing matches at Madison Square Garden
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425:"A Champ Too Tough For Anyone Around"
367:Ecksel, Robert (September 24, 2016).
42:March 24, 1950 and September 24, 1953
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386:Associated Press (March 25, 1950).
20:Rocky Marciano vs. Roland La Starza
291:taking the world heavyweight title
159:5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
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405:BN Staff (September 24, 2019).
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443:"Boxer: Roland LaStarza"
244:1953's Fight of the Year
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170:185 lb (84 kg)
494:1950 in American sports
333:stopped the fight. The
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130:Brockton, Massachusetts
212:No. 1 Ranked contender
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51:Madison Square Garden
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392:The Associated Press
341:Aftermath and legacy
209:heavyweight champion
66:Title(s) on the line
238:and the second via
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295:Jersey Joe Walcott
240:technical knockout
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309:Title fight
256:First fight
193:Recognition
478:Categories
354:References
287:Lee Savold
447:BoxerList
319:Manhattan
303:Rex Layne
297:in 1952.
289:, before
283:Joe Louis
277:Interlude
135:The Bronx
270:New York
249:The Ring
206:The Ring
187:Orthodox
182:Orthodox
139:New York
126:Hometown
80:The Ring
203:, and
167:Weight
156:Height
77:, and
293:from
197:NYSAC
178:Style
97:Boxer
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429:Life
285:and
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335:TKO
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201:NBA
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