Boxing · 1952 · Philadelphia, USA
One Punch, One Champion
Knocked down in the first round and losing on every card, an undefeated challenger lands one right hand in the thirteenth and is heavyweight champion.
Marciano def. Walcott, KO round 13
Result
Walcott ahead on all 3
Scorecards before KO
49-0
Marciano's eventual record
Jersey Joe Walcott, the reigning heavyweight champion, put the challenger Rocky Marciano on the floor in the first round of their title fight at Philadelphia's Municipal Stadium on 23 September 1952, and outboxed him for long stretches afterwards, holding a clear lead on all three judges' scorecards into the later rounds.
In the thirteenth, Marciano landed one short right hand flush on the jaw. Walcott dropped where he stood and was counted out, in what is still shown as one of the most perfectly delivered knockout punches the division has produced.
Marciano defended the title six times and retired at 49-0, the only heavyweight champion in history to finish a career without a single loss or draw. That thirteenth-round right hand is where the unbeaten run turned into something else.
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