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Brockton, Mass. honors Rocky Marciano with 22-foot statue
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(NECN: John Moroney, Brockton, Mass.) - In the city of champions, they like to say Rocky Marciano is home. After years of planning, a 22-foot statue is now dedicated to the life, achievements and contributions of the Brockton Blockbuster.
The larger-than-life Rocky Marciano is now a permanent part of the landscape and city he loved -- coming 60 years to the day he first captured the heavyweight title.
Thousands filled the stadium at Brockton High School that bears Marciano's name for a dedication that included some of the biggest names in boxing such as Larry Holmes and Don King.
They all came to honor the only undefeated champion who retired in 1956 with 49 wins. Seventeen years later, Marciano was killed in a plane crash at the age of 46.
The tribute was years in the making -- with a number of disputes over where to locate the $300,000 statue, which was financed by the World Boxing Council. In the end, the WBC's president Jose Sulaiman agreed it should be in Marciano's hometown.
The city is now working to create a park for the statue, and possibly a museum so Rocky Marciano remains Brockton's hometown hero for generations to come.
Tags: statue, Brockton, John Moroney, Rocky Marciano
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