The BAWLI Papers
(Boxing As We Liked It)
Edited by J Michael Kenyon
Issue Number 86
Sunday, May 23, 1999
New York City, New York, US of A
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IN THIS ISSUE: ROCKY MARCIANO MOVIE NOT EVERYONE'S FAVORITE CUP OF TEA
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'ROCKY MARCIANO' A RAGING FAILURE
(Philadelphia Daily News, May 12, 1999)
By Bernard Fernandez
All right, all right, I know the late Rocky Marciano was not the
personification of elegance. His crude boxing style reminded everyone of a
charging rhinoceros.
But, as the only heavyweight champion to retire undefeated, you'd think The
Rock, who died in a plane crash in 1969, merits a television movie that at
least comes within a wild left hook of befitting his stature. Nobody expects
a timeless classic along the lines of, say, "Raging Bull," but don't give us
a flick that's so weak on the action sequences it can't punch its way out of
a wet paper bag.
"Rocky Marciano," which premieres Saturday night on Showtime, is the second
attempt to capture the life of Rocco Marchegiano on celluloid.
The first, "Marciano," debuted in 1979 and cast a pretty decent actor, Tony
Lo Bianco, as the streetwise son of a shoe-factory worker in blue-collar
Brockton, Mass., who dreamed of following in the footsteps of his fistic
hero, Joe Louis. That tele-movie -- shot on a tight schedule and a tighter
budget -- was an artistic, first-round knockout victim because Lo Bianco,
adept at delivering lines, delivered punches that wouldn't have knocked down
a third-grader.
Lo Bianco gets a second chance at The Rock here, but not in the title role.
He plays sleazy power broker Frankie Carbo, whose behind-the-scenes
machinations in the 1940s and '50s further fouled the sewer in which boxing
still seems to be splashing (see the Evander Holyfield-Lennox Lewis fight).
Lo Bianco is part of an impressive cast --Academy Award winner George C.
Scott as Rocky's father, Piero; Judd Hirsch as his manager, Al Weill; the
scrumptious Penelope Ann Miller as his wife, Barbara -- but ultimately the
film succeeds or fails on the performance of its lead, Jon Favreau, in and
out of the ring. Favreau seems to have been selected because he's short and
thickly muscled, as was Marciano, but he's in over his head when he does
scenes with the likes of Scott, and in deeper still when he's trying to
replicate a legendary, lights-out puncher.
Favreau apparently was taught boxing technique by the same guy who spent 30
seconds or so instructing Lo Bianco 20 years ago.
In Rocky's pro debut, he knocks his opponent unconscious with a shot that
packs less bang than a wet firecracker, but trainer Charley Goldman (played
by Aron Tager) turns to Weill and says, with the awe of Moses glimpsing the
burning bush, "He's too small, too light and awkward as all hell. But he's
got a right like a falling safe."
Well, it's a right that definitely appears to be safe to opponents.
If the dubious action sequences and blatant thievery (music stolen from
"Raging Bull") don't turn you off, there are some insights into Marciano and
why he was -- is -- viewed by Italian-Americans as a hero in much the same
manner Louis was by blacks and, indeed, all Americans. Each fight he won
represented, in a way, a small victory over ignorance and bigotry.
"I came to America on the same boat as your grandpa," Scott tells the young
Rocco in an early scene. "Oh, the promises we had ringing in our ears. We
couldn't hear nothing else. Instead, we become dagos, wops. They say we're
lazy, or worse -- the Black Hand, the Mafia. The only thing that matters is
what you've got inside you, Rocco -- your pride."
The Rock took his pride from his father, who'd rather go hungry than use
food stamps, and also his belief that some cash in hand (and stuffed inside
mattresses and picture frames) is far better than a check made out to a
larger amount. To Marciano, a check was a worthless piece of paper; a
fistful of bills was money.
Showtime has good intentions, but "Rocky Marciano" is a check made out to
viewers it doesn't have the visceral funds to cover, or maybe it's just a
fistful of Monopoly money. The lead-in to a night of boxing, expect slightly
more from the live-action bouts (Henry Akinwande vs. Najee Shaheed, Tim
Austin vs. Steve Dotse) that follow, and much more from the superb "Raging
Bull," starring Robert De Niro as flawed but compelling former middleweight
champion Jake La Motta, which closes the card. Not only is "Raging Bull" the
best boxing movie ever made, it's one of the best movies of any kind and a
spellbinding character study.
It should be noted that members of Marciano's family disavow the Showtime
production's "inaccuracies."
"It's difficult to sit and watch and see things and you'd say, 'That's a
lie, that's not factual,"' Rocky Marciano Jr. told The Enterprise, of
Brockton.
"Rocky Marciano" was made by Columbia Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,
which defended the movie in a statement. "The film has effectively captured
the extraordinary spirit and accomplishments of Marciano's personal and
professional life."
YOU CAN LICK THE ROCK
On May 26, the U.S. Postal Service will issue a commemorative "Rocky
Marciano" stamp as part of a sheet of stamps representing the most
significant people, places, events and trends of the 1950s. It's the first
set of stamps that the public was able to select as part of the Postal
Service's "Celebrate the Century" stamp program.
TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES
Alvin B. Davis, an attorney for promoter Don King, has threatened to sue WBC
/WBA light-heavyweight champion Roy Jones Jr. over comments Jones, in his
role of analyst, made during the pay-per-view telecast of Holyfield- Lewis.
Said Jones after the controversial draw was announced: "Any time Don King is
involved, you can expect a draw to come from somewhere. Ask Pernell Whitaker
about the Julio Cesar Chavez fight. You know something like that was in the
air if [King is] there. I mean, that's just the way it goes."
Davis claims Jones's comments are "false and defamatory" and were "intended
to imply that Mr. King and his company engaged in illegal or improper
conduct that influenced or controlled the judging of the Holyfield-Lewis
fight, the Whitaker-Chavez fight and other unidentified fights."
Fred Levin, Jones's attorney, fired off the following response to Davis:
"I saw both of these fights. There is no way that any reasonable person
could possibly believe that Lennox Lewis and Pernell Whitaker did not
overwhelmingly win their respective matches. . .Roy just called me and told
me to 'circle the wagons.' I guess that means, 'Let's get ready to rumble."'
To fill in the time until he dukes it out with King in court, Jones (39-1,
33 KOs) will face IBF light-heavyweight champ Reggie Johnson (39-5-1, 24
KOs) for the unified title June 5 in Biloxi, Miss.
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THE TWO FRANKS LAUNCH AN ALLIANCE
(London Evening Standard, May 13, 1999)
By David Smith
Frank Warren and Frank Maloney, once the worst of enemies, today asked the
boxing world to believe they have become the firmest of friends in a new
promotional alliance.
The two Franks, formerly fierce rivals in the promotion and management of
boxers, have shaken hands on a "gentleman's agreement" to co-operate in
future championship bouts and shows.
Nothing has been put in writing, and the two Londoners will continue to
operate out of separate headquarters promoting their own shows.
But Warren said:
"Who knows where it might lead? At the moment we are only courting but it
may come to something permanent."
Warren and Maloney clearly hope the news of their accord will cause alarm
among rival operations, especially the new one set up by world featherweight
champion Naseem Hamed, his brother Riath and Leyton Orient owner Barry
Hearn, and that of emerging West country promoter Chris Sanigar. It is
understood that Hearn, seeking to reestablish a foothold in boxing and
Hamed's Prince Promotions have secured lucrative dates for shows which will
be broadcast by Sky Sports.
Warren and Maloney are scathing about the strength of the challenge offered
by Hearn and Hamed but they are sufficiently concerned to believe that
pulling in the same direction can be more productive than pulling each other
apart.
Maloney, manager of World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis,
outlined the fights that may become products of his partnership with Warren.
He said that his British heavyweight champion, Julius Francis, could earn a
challenge to Warren's World Boxing Organisation title-holder, Herbie Hide,
if Francis beats Scott Welch at the London Arena on 26 June. Maloney's
British middleweight champion, Howard Eastman, could agree to go in against
Warren's former world title contender, Ryan Rhodes.
And British flyweight champion Damaen Kelly, signed to Maloney, could defend
against Warren's former amateur prospect Ian Napa. Maloney said: "I believe
we are the only real promoters left in this country who do the game justice
and do it full-time. The others are playing at it."
Maloney claimed that the future of Prince Promotions rests solely on the
continued success of the unbeaten Hamed.
"They are one fight away from disaster," he said. Warren, who revealed he
has struck a deal to promote shows on the Showtime television station in the
United States, was recently involved in an acrimonious split with Hamed
after guiding the Sheffield boxer to two world titles and a succession of
successful defences.
He agreed with Maloney that the Hamed promotional threat was built around
the boxing talents of one man. He warned: "You cannot put all your eggs in
one basket. I've got seven world champions on my books and God knows how
many British champions. "Frank has done a tremendous job with Lennox Lewis,
I have done a tremendous job with my fighters.
"Don't tell me that Chris Sanigar or the Hamed brothers are going to do
better at bringing their fighters through. As for Barry Hearn, I don't
believe he is a man who has got boxing in his blood.
"I know that I will go from strength to strength, I know that Frank will do
the same thing. Together, we'll do even better."
Warren, of course, is on the rebound following the break-up of his dalliance
with controversial American promoter Don King. Whether his surprising
flirtation with Maloney results in something more than a brief marriage of
convenience remains to be seen.
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TV FLICK QUICK-COUNTS MARCIANO
(New York Post, May 16, 1999)
By Jack Newfield
Last night the Showtime cable network premiered the docudrama "Marciano," a
film bio of the only heavyweight champ in history never to lose a fight.
It's a case of mistaken identity. The film concocts a slander about one of
America's greatest sports champions, one who was also a special source of
pride to a generation of Italian-Americans.
"Marciano" is beautifully acted by George C. Scott, Penelope Ann Miller and
Tony LoBianco. But it invents a lie, a blood libel, that Marciano was a
puppet of the Mafia. Movies are such a powerful and enduring art
form --especially for the young -- that this dramatic device may obliterate
the truth.
Nobody under 50 saw The Rock fight. Nobody under 50 knows his real story,
which is rich and sad enough to make a fine movie.
This movie depicts the hoodlum killer and fixer, Frankie Carbo, as
Marciano's puppet master. It shows him bullying the champ, threatening him,
giving him orders with a sneer -- and Rocky meekly submitting. Never
happened.
The mob owned a lot of fighters in the 1940s and 1950s, including Rocky
Graziano, Jake LaMotta and Sonny Liston.
But there has never been a hint of scandal attached to Marciano, who died in
a plane crash in 1969.
He never lost. The mob was in boxing to fix fights so it could bet on sure
things. If the mob had a piece of you, they eventually put a gun to your
head and told you to lose.
Jack Bonomi is the best living expert on the underworld's influence in
boxing during this era. He was chief counsel to the Kefauver Committee,
which held televised hearings into boxing corruption and got LaMotta to
confess that he took a dive against mob-controlled fighter Billy Fox in
1947.
Bonomi was also an assistant DA working for notoriously tough Frank Hogan.
He listened to boxing wiretaps for two years -- the best education. He
convicted Gabe Genovese, the nephew of legendary mobster Vito Genovese, for
being a front manager for Carbo.
"Marciano was honest," Bonomi said. The mob controlled Graziano's career.
The mob financed the Floyd Patterson-Ingemar Johansson rematch. The mob
owned Johnny Saxton.
"Gabe Genovese muscled in on Carmen Basilio and took $70,000 of Carmen's
earnings, although Carmen never did anything wrong. LaMotta admitted to me
he took a $100,000 bribe from Carbo's henchmen to lose the [Billy] Fox
fight.
"But Rocky Marciano never did business." Peter Marciano, 58, the champ's
youngest brother, now resides in Plymouth, Mass. He saw a tape of the
Showtime film. "It hurts me and my whole family deep inside," he said.
"The people who produced this film never even spoke to anyone in my family.
They didn't want to know the truth. They never tried to buy our rights.
"[The movie] shows Carbo treating my brother like a piece of crap. Rocky
wouldn't let anybody talk to him like that, much less a gangster."
"The lawyers tell me I can't even sue over these lies. They say my brother
is dead and in the public domain. Hollywood can make up any crap they want
about my brother.
"The lawyers tell me that MGM, Columbia Pictures and Showtime are too big.
They have 100 lawyers on their payrolls. I can't afford to sue."
Jimmy Breslin worked for Marciano in 1957, writing his commentary for fight
films shown on TV. Breslin says, "Carbo didn't own Rocky, Carbo owned the
Garden. Rocky shylocked money to wiseguys, and if they didn't pay, he went
after them personally. No hood could disrespect him."
"Marciano" gets a lot of little things wrong. It romanticizes his
relationship with Joe Louis. It shrinks his ring skill into crude bar
fighter. Marciano was a thinking fighter, hard to hit in a crouch, who
often feinted with the right, and knocked you dead with a sneak left hook.
There is no disputing that Marciano knew Carbo and dined with him. But I
know gangsters, too.
The film accurately portrays Marciano's resentment of his manager, Al Weill,
as a bloodsucking control freak. But Weill was not Carbo.
The one time I had a meal with Marciano, in 1967, he told me he retired
because he had a chronic sore back, and because Weill was taking 50 percent
of his boxing and non-boxing income.
The docudrama is always a problematic form. It often sacrifices historical
and emotional truth for script simplicity and chronological convenience.
This year, HBO aired an awful film about Meyer Lansky that made him look
like Anne Frank -- a victim of anti-Semitism. HBO also aired a dishonest
film about Walter Winchell that didn't mention most of his vile smears of
his innocent betters, like Josephine Baker. HBO also made an Emmy-winning
docudrama on Don King, based on my book.
I had to document every negative fact in the film to HBO's lawyers. I had to
produce the Cleveland cop who arrested King for homicide in 1966. But
Showtime didn't even interview Marciano's family.
King is alive.
Lansky, Winchell and Marciano are dead.
Dead people have no rights.
Nobody is perfect. Marciano had his flaws. He was eccentric and
pathologically cheap. He fathered a son out of wedlock, whom he later
legally adopted.
But compared to Ty Cobb, Mike Tyson or Mickey Mantle, Marciano was Gregory
Peck. He was a modest role model who was never arrested, never struck a
civilian, never embarrassed his family.
As an athlete, he was the essence of courage, integrity and persistence,
fighting through blood and pain, getting off the floor to KO Joe Walcott and
Archie Moore.
Rocky Marciano, dead 30 years, never lost. But Hollywood beat him with a low
blow last night.