Rocky Graziano was a professional boxer and actor from the United States who held the World Middleweight championship. Graziano is regarded as one of the best knockout artists in boxing history, often demonstrating the ability to knock out his opponent with a single blow.
Quick Facts
| Full Real Name | Rocky Graziano |
| Nickname | Rocky |
| Age | 71 years old (At the time of his death) |
| Birthdate | January 1, 1919 |
| Profession | Boxer |
| Place of Birth | Brooklyn, New York, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Mixed |
| Religion | Christian. |
| Wife | Norma Unger (m. 1943–1990) |
| Net worth | $1 million- $ 5 million |
| Height (approx.) | 5 ft 7 inches |
| Weight (approx.) | 65 Kg |
Rocky Graziano Age & Early Life
Rocky Graziano was born on January 1, 1919. He was Ida Scinto and Nicola Barbella’s son. Barbella, also known as Combat Nick Bob, was a boxer who had a short fighting career. He was born in Brooklyn and later moved to an Italian enclave centered on East 10th Street in Manhattan’s East Village, between First Avenue and Avenue A. He was raised as a street warrior and learned to care for himself before he could read or write. Years were spent in reform schools, jails, and Catholic protectorates.
Barbella, who worked as a horseback rider on the side, kept boxing gloves around the home and encouraged Graziano and his brothers to fight. Barbella had him and his three-year-old brother, Joe (three years his senior), fight practically every night in boxing gloves when he was three years old. He won the Metropolitan A.A.U. welterweight title when he was 18 years old. Despite the prestige and money that professional boxing seemed to provide, he was not interested in becoming a real prizefighter. He despised the discipline of training as much as he despised the rigors of school or the Army. He was 71 years old at the time of his death.
Rocky Graziano Height & Weight
Rocky Graziano is 5 feet 7 inches tall. He weighs approximately 65 kg. He has lovely warm black eyes and Black locks. There is no information on his chest-waist-hip measurements, dress size, shoe size, biceps, and so on.
Rocky Graziano Net Worth
How much is Rocky Graziano’s net worth? According to Wikipedia, Forbes, IMDb, and other online sources, famed boxer Rocky Graziano’s net worth before his death were between $1 and $5 million. He made his money as a professional boxer.
Career
- Graziano learned about a competition going on with a gold medal for the winner from a few of his pals. He competed in four fights and won the New York Metropolitan Amateur Athletic Union Boxing Competition (1939). He sold the gold medal for $15 and thought that boxing was a lucrative business.
- Graziano accepted a couple of boxing contracts as he got older, seeing no other way to improve his quality of life, but the rigors of training uninterested him. He and his early handlers parted ways, but he was later taken up by Irving Cohen, who had the foresight to give him a long leash.
- Graziano achieved a stunning upset against Billy Arnold in March 1945 at Madison Square Garden, whose style was comparable to Sugar Ray Robinson’s: he was a slick fighter with lightning-fast combinations and a knockout blow. Arnold was billed as the “next Joe Louis” or “Sugar Ray Robinson” by The Ring magazine and many publications around the United States. Arnold was the overwhelming favorite to overcome Graziano and then compete for the world championship.
- Graziano faced Tony Zale three times for the middleweight belt. After flooring Graziano in the first round of their first fight (September 27, 1946), Zale received a severe thrashing from him and was on the brink of losing the bout by TKO. Zale, on the other hand, regrouped and knocked him out in the sixth round to retain his championship.
- Their last bout took place the next year in New Jersey (June 10, 1948). Zale reclaimed his title after knocking out the opponent in the third round. The knockout strikes were a flawless combination of a right to Graziano’s midsection followed by a left hook to his jaw. He was knocked out cold. In April 1952, he challenged Sugar Ray Robinson for the middleweight championship for the last time. In the third round, he dropped him to his knee with a right. Robinson put him down for the count with a right to the jawless than a minute later. He retired following his next bout, a 10-round decision loss against Chuck Davey.
Rocky Graziano Wife & Marriage
Who is Rocky Graziano’s wife? On August 10, 1943, Graziano married Norma Unger of German-Jewish origin. According to all accounts, the couple had a very happy marriage, and they stayed together until his death from cardiac failure on May 22, 1990, in New York City, at the age of 71. According to his biographer, Graziano stayed true to his wife throughout their marriage, which was unusual among celebrities at the time. They had two children, both of whom married and had children of their own. The funeral for Graziano was held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. He is buried with his wife, who died in 2009, in the Locust Valley Cemetery.
