Marciano made Brockton, Mass., matter

[TheOneIsHere2008]

If Rocky Marciano did nothing else in his career, his first fight with Jersey Joe Walcott still would have guaranteed him a secure place in boxing history.

With one mighty wallop, Marciano simultaneously sent Jersey Joe to the canvas ("like flour out of a chute," wrote author A.J. Liebling) and put his hometown of Brockton, Mass., on the map in glowing letters.

Go there now and you'll still find some of the faithful -- old Italian men, ex-pugs, gym rats, long-retired New Englanders, and Marciano's neighbors and relatives -- and they'll regale you with tales of the Rock.

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