Rocky Salvador

Any boxing fans out there? Not many. Whenever I'm asked to name whom I think were the greatest boxers in my lifetime, the questioner is surprised that I don't agree with his offering of Mohammed Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard. Those two were great, but my favorites are Rocky Marciano and Salvador Sanchez.

Marciano was, of course, the world heavyweight champion in the '50s and early '60s. In a time when heavyweights seldom exceeded 200 pounds by much, he still was a small one at only 182. Despite his shortness and lightness, he plowed into heavier men round after round, suffered knockdowns, then k.o'ed them at the end. Unbelievable determination and drive as a slugger---the inspiration for Stallone's later "Rocky" movies. He has been the only heavyweight champ to have retired undefeated, with a whopping 43 k.o.'s in 49 wins with six defenses. A few years after retirement, he encountered premature death in an airplane crash in Iowa.

Sanchez was a Mexican who was world featherweight champ in the '70s. I've never seen such a master boxer with knockout power---like a snake in and out of the opponent's defense, neutralizing the offense until victory was achieved---and without ever seeming to break a sweat nor breathing hard. He had 40+ wins with 30+ k.o.'s, one loss, and seven defenses. Like Marciano he met untimely death, but unlike Rocky it was while he was still in his 20's as still as champion, when he accidentally crashed his sportscar.

Maybe I'm lucky I never became a world champion.

-Old Doc