How Rocky Marciano Became 'The Toughest Boy on the Block'

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Rocky Marciano was the first "great" boxer in the history of the sport, and his glory as an undefeated champion remains intact to this day. Although he himself is not of an aggressive nature, his passion for fighting and boxing was born early in his life.

An incident from his childhood marked the moment when it became clear to him, and to everyone, that he had a bright future in the ring. The incident took place during a baseball game in Boston at a local semi-pro game.

At this time, a boy named Julie Durham is part of the team, but only to tease him. The reason for this is that baseballs were very expensive at the time, and the public often tried to steal them. Durham himself is in his teens and is considered a "bad boy" as well as the "healthiest one on the block."

At a match of the local team, Rocky is with his friend, who falls on a rebound and stuffs it into his clothes. Of course, Durham appear to want the ball back and are quite aggressive in their approach. However, Marciano snubs him and explains that he should choose someone of his size. This drives Julie crazy, who immediately lands a right straight in Rocky's nose and he falls to the ground. But he does not give up, and the two enter into a violent fight, which even ends the baseball match. Everyone rushes to watch Durham beat Marciano, who is significantly smaller than his opponent.

Rocky gets to his feet, but continues to take more punches than he can land himself. Durham is faster, stronger and more dangerous, but Marciano does not give up and until the end looks for a gap to help him turn the tide. Witnesses claim that Rocky was on the verge of tears, but the turning point soon came. Overconfident that he will beat his opponent, Durham decides to divert his attention from the fight to a friend, to whom he throws some words. However, Marciano notices the moment of inadvertence - a lightning right hand right to the cheekbone of Durham - the "scariest in the neighborhood" is on the ground and Marciano stands over him with his fist raised. Everyone applauds him, and from then on no one dares to tease him.

Another interesting thing besides the kind of duel - subsequently, Marciano and Durham became friends at the local school.

The story may sound unreal, but it is absolutely true, as it was first told in the book about Rocky Marciano - "The Undefeated".