Very Rare Rocky Marciano and Joe Walcott Signed Magazine Presented in an Exhibition Quality Custom Frame. Heavyweight champions Rocky Marciano and Jersey Joe Walcott fought two historic boxing matches in 1952 and 1953. The first fight saw Marciano, the undefeated challenger, take on the world heavyweight champion Jersey Joe in a hard-fought championship fight. The fight culminated in a 13th round knockout scored by Marciano, in a major comeback victory after Walcott stacked up a wide lead throughout the majority of the bout. The fight and the final round were ranked as 1952's fight and round of the year respectively by The Ring and is now considered one of the greatest heavyweight championship bouts of all time. The two fighters had a rematch the following year, and saw Marciano's first successful defense of his title, winning a quick victory over the former champion. During Jersey Joe Walcott's over two decade long boxing career, he would fight for the heavyweight title several times. In four close fights, he lost championship challenges to Joe Louis and Ezzard Charles (twice to each), before finally winning the undisputed heavyweight title in 1951 after a knockout victory over Charles in a third match. At the age of 37, Walcott was the oldest man to win the heavyweight championship (a record he held for over 30 years until he was surpassed by George Foreman in 1994). He defended his title in a 15-round unanimous decision in a fourth fight with Charles, before facing Marciano. Rocky Marciano had built up an impressive record of 42 straight victories, winning all but 5 in knockout or stoppage. He rose into prominence in the early 1950s, scoring notable victories over several top contenders, including Joe Louis, before facing off with Walcott. Marciano was a slight favorite to beat the older champion, though the more experienced Walcott entered the fight confident of victory. The two fighters met on September 23, 1952, in Philadelphia. The fight proved to be a very hard-fought match for both men. Walcott spent most of the fight using his superior boxing skills and reach to keep the challenger on the outside, where he could more easily pick his shots and effectively counter Rocky's punches. Marciano attempted to close the distance, hoping to wear the champion down with constant punching. Walcott scored knock down in the opening round (the first of only two times Rocky was knocked off his feet), and from there put up a comfortable lead over the challenger, although Marciano kept constant pressure on the champion, scoring heavy blows through the fight. Going into the 13th round, Walcott was ahead on all scorecards (8-4 and 7-5 by the judges and 7-4 by referee Charley Daggert) and seemed poised to win the fight by a decision. This all changed less than a minute into the round, when Marciano landed a devastating right hook (just before Walcott could land one of his own) which knocked the champion out cold. Marciano won via 13th-round knockout and was now the new heavyweight champion of the world. This item has been Forensically authenticated by Guaranteed Forensic Authenticators and comes with their Letter of Authenticity. Guaranteed Forensic Authenticators Guarantees their Opinion. A complete report of the forensic evaluation is available to any owner of the item current and future.

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