After traveling more than 3,000 miles from Mexico, a much-anticipated statue of legendary heavyweight boxing champion Rocky Marciano finally arrived in Brockton on Thursday. In six pieces.
A team of sculptors will arrive next week to assemble the $250,000 statue, which depicts Marciano landing the knockout punch against Jersey Joe Walcott, capturing the heavyweight crown in a 1952 bout in Philadelphia.
He reigned as heavyweight champion of the world from Sept. 23, 1952, until he retired April 27, 1956. He was the only heavyweight champion to retire undefeated, going 49-0 in his professional career. Marciano died in a plane crash on August 31, 1969, the day before his 46th birthday.
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"I feel like in the last few months, I've been walking from cloud to cloud. That's how exciting this is for me," said the boxer's son, Rocky Marciano Jr. "This would be his proudest moment if he were still alive."
The statue is a gift to the city from the World Boxing Council, which says it is believed to be the world's largest statue of an athlete. It weighs approximately 2 tons and will stand over 20 feet tall on top of a granite platform once it is put together.
The statue will be a part of the new Champions Park, a landscaped reflection area, adorned with brick and wrought iron fencing, at Brockton High School. The school's football stadium is also named after Marciano.
Fans of the Brockton Blockbuster can participate in a myriad of dedication events leading up to the unveiling of the statue on Sept. 23 at 1 p.m., includingfootball and boxing.
"It will be very exciting. I wish his parents were alive to see this," said Linda Marciano, the boxer's sister-in-law. The entire Marciano family, including some residents of the Italian town Marciano's father came from, will attend the unveiling, she said.
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"He was a gentle giant; he would've loved the statue," Linda Marciano said of Rocky.
The statue was designed by Mario Rendon and Victor Gutierrez. According to Linda Marciano, the project was spearheaded by Jose Sulaimán, president of the World Boxing Council
"The WBC is recognizing my father as one of the great ones," said Rocky Jr., "This is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime event."
Sarah N. Mattero can be reached at sarah.mattero@globe.com.