Campaign to bring Marciano statue to Brockton started

The Enterprise of Brockton, Mass.
www.enterprisenews.com

By Maria Papadopoulos, Enterprise staff writer
BROCKTON — Mike Cappiello stood near a towering wall mural of boxing legend Rocky Marciano at his Main Street gym, which he named after the Brockton Blockbuster.

The 37-year-old business owner wants to see a statue commissioned by the World Boxing Council to honor Marciano erected in Brockton rather than 22 miles to the north in Boston.

The council, which approved the statue last month at its 45th convention in Manila, said it will seek permission from Boston officials to put the statue there because members believe more people would see it in Boston.

That choice is not sitting well with a lot of folks in the City of Champions, a moniker that stems partly from Marciano's boxing prowess.

"Rocky put Brockton on the map," said Cappiello, co-owner of Cappiello Bros. Boxing and Fitness in memory of Rocky Marciano. "Rocky is the city's champion ... Where else should the statue go? It should go in Brockton."

To help make that happen, The Enterprise today is launching a campaign to bring the Rocky statue to Brockton.

The newspaper is spearheading a letter-writing campaign asking Boston Mayor Tom Menino to reject the World Boxing Council's proposal to put the statue in Boston — and to request that it be located instead in the boxing champ's hometown.

Readers can join the fight by signing a letter published in the newspaper and posted on its Web site, and mail or e-mail it to The Enterprise, which will forward the requests to Menino.

Category:

News & Politics

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