1952-53 Rocky Marciano Fight Worn & Signed Gloves from Both Fights vs. "Jersey Joe" Walcott....

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The first and second bouts of his Heavyweight Championship reign!

1952-53 Rocky Marciano Fight Worn & Signed Gloves from Both Fights vs. "Jersey Joe" Walcott. Their first meeting, and the last round thereof, were identified by Ring Magazine as the greatest match and greatest round of the 1952 calendar year, and produced one of the most famous photographs ever captured in gloved combat. In that image, a spray of sweat takes flight from Walcott's head as he absorbs the fight-ending blow from Marciano, whose own face is swollen from the brutal punishment absorbed through the previous twelve and a half rounds. The September 23, 1952 image captured at Municipal Stadium in Philadelphia provides a clear look at the "Benlee Sporting Goods" label turned to the camera at Marciano's left wrist, a perfect match to the first of two pairs of gloves on offer in this lot.

As remains standard operating procedure to this day, the dethroned former champion was quickly granted a rematch, but the second bout failed to live up to the excitement of the first. On May 15, 1953, the new and former titleholder circled each other with few punches thrown until Marciano uncorked a wide left hook and right uppercut in quick succession, sending Walcott to the mat. Though the downed challenger appeared fully lucid, he remained seated and watched the referee as he counted to ten. Only then did Walcott rise, with the bewildering reaction that the count had been too fast, although the film footage clearly belies that claim.

Both pairs of gloves worn in Marciano's meetings with Walcott--his title assumption and first defense--are on offer in this lot, each pair having been gifted to P.T. "Ted" Cheff, the president of the Holland Furnace Company. The earlier pair is inscribed and signed to Cheff and his wife--the right reading, "Sept 23 1952, 'Ted,' Best Wishes to you, Rocky Marciano," and the left, "To Katie, Very best to you, Rocky Marciano." Each glove exhibits considerable surface wear that allows the horsehair padding to be seen, although the inscriptions evade the worst of the damage. The latter pair is the same brand, the right and left inscribed "May 15, Rocky Marciano at Chicago" and "To 'Ted' For your [illegible] on May at Chicago, Rocky Marciano. The interior wrists bear handwritten "Rocky Marciano" text. The condition of this second pair is considerably better than the first, although the blue ink contrasts poorly against the red leather. The second pair includes magazine photographs of Marciano presenting the gloves to Cheff.

We must note that the Brockton (MA) Historical Society in Marciano's hometown claims to have his gloves from the first Walcott bout, but we are unaware of the purported provenance and have been unable to reach them for an answer. A rival auctioneer sold what they claimed to be the Marciano gloves from the second Walcott bout, but those can be definitively excluded as the "707-8" stamping on the rival auctioneer gloves indicates an eight-ounce weight, and six-ounce gloves were used in both Marciano vs. Walcott bouts. Both pairs in this lot are six ounces.

All of this research was done by leading boxing collectibles expert Craig Hamilton, whose included letters of authenticity confirm his belief that the gloves on offer here are the genuine article. We recommend visiting our online listing to view his lengthy paperwork, which is far too extensive to present fully in this text. Letter of provenance from Craig Hamilton for each pair of gloves. Full LOA from Beckett for each glove. LOA from Heritage Auctions. Full LOA from PSA/DNA.