Boxing council official: Marciano statue to be ready next year

October 7, 2008 07:08 PM Email| Comments (0)| Text size – +

(Courtesy Photo)

A shot of the prototype of the statue that WBC officials brought to Brockton yesterday.

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

A statue of Rocky Marciano that will stand over 30 feet tall will be erected near City Hall in his hometown of Brockton sometime in the first half of next year, an official of the World Boxing Council said today.

“There’s not a single boxer with the record that Rocky Marciano has,” said Gabriel Penagaricano, estimating the height of the proposed statue at 10 meters, or about 33 feet. “I think it’s long, long overdue.”

Penagaricano, who is co-chairman of the WBC committee that is overseeing the development of the statue, said he and other WBC officials visited Brockton Monday to talk with local officials.

He said the project, intended to “honor a great champion,” was on track.

Peter Marciano, 67, of Plymouth, Marciano’s youngest brother, who attended a meeting at the mayor’s office with the WBC officials, said, “How can you not be pleased with something like this? They’re honoring my brother and it’s just a wonderful thing.”

Penagaricano said officials had brought a model of the statue for officials to inspect, but it was just a “generic representation” and facial features and other details would be added later. “It’s going to look exactly like him,” he said.