Rocky Marciano (right) battles Ezzard Charles in their rematch. Photo from The Ring archive
It was never a good idea to face “The Rock” twice.
On September 17, 1954, Rocky Marciano scored an eighth-round knockout penalty over Ezzard Charles to retain the world heavyweight championship at Yankee Stadium in New York. The official time was 2:36.
The couple had met in the same place three months before the day. Although Marciano won the 15 round unanimous decision he was awarded, Charles proved to be a formidable foe. He boxed wonderfully at times and took on everything the champion had to offer.
That was not the case in the sequel.
Marciano, then 46-0, hurt “The Cincinnati Cobra” with a big right hand in Round 2 and scored a knockdown with his follow-up assault. Charles got up quickly, but his night went from bad to worse.
While Marciano suffered a shocking, and potentially fight-ending, cut to his nose in round 6, he was largely dominant. Charles, an all-time light heavyweight great and former heavyweight champion, returned fire valiantly, but was overwhelmed.
Another cut opened around Marciano’s left eye in the seventh and his face was a mess. However, the blood had no effect on the champion’s vision. He hit his foe with a brutal series of power shots and dropped him again with another right hand in the eighth. Brave to the last, Charles faced the inevitable and ultimately succumbed to a brutal six-punch combination. He was counted out by referee Al Bearl.
The Marciano-Charles rematch was later named The Ring Fight of the Year.
