Graciano Rocchigiani

Graciano Rocchigiani was a German boxer who worked as a professional boxer between 1983 and 2003. Born in Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany, in 1963, Graciano was known as "Rocky" and alternated between middleweight, super-middleweight, and light-heavyweight weight classes.

During Graciano's professional career, he achieved a total of 48 fights. Of these fights, he won 41, including 19 KO wins, lost 6 times, had 1 draw, and no no-contests. Rocchigiani's success in the ring saw him win two world titles at two weight classes. He held the IBF super-middleweight title from 1988 to 1989 and won the WBC light-heavyweight title in 1998. Additionally, he held the European light-heavyweight title from 1991 to 1992.

Graciano Rocchigiani's career highlights include winning his first world title by defeating Vincent Boulware via an 8th round TKO on March 11, 1988. He became the IBF super-middleweight champion at that time. Rocchigiani also won the WBC light-heavyweight title from Michael Nunn by beating him via a 12 round split-decision on March 21, 1998.

Professional Career

Graciano Rocchigiani began his boxing career in 1983 after an impressive amateur career. He quickly captured the vacant IBF super-middleweight title in 1988 by defeating Vincent Boulware. He went on to defend this title three times before he stepped up to light-heavyweight. However, despite becoming the European champion at light-heavyweight, he was unable to get a shot at a world title in that category. Consequently, he moved back down to the super-middleweight category in February 1994 to challenge WBO champion Chris Eubank in Berlin, Germany. He, however, lost the title fight via unanimous decision.

After boxing to a draw with Frederic Seillier for the European super-middleweight title in December 1994, Rocchigiani returned to the light-heavyweight category to challenge Henry Maske in May 1995 for the IBF title. Although Rocchigiani had Maske reeling several times towards the end of the fight, the match ended in a controversial unanimous decision against him. He, however, lost a rematch to Maske later that year, again by unanimous decision.

On August 10, 1996, Rocchigiani lost via disqualification to Dariusz Michalczewski after hitting Michalczewski on the break during round seven. Although the result was initially a technical draw, it was later changed to a disqualification. Three weeks after the fight, it was reported that Rocchigiani had tested positive for traces of ephedrine and methylephedrine. However, the German boxing association did not request a follow-up test.

Rocchigiani captured the vacant WBC light-heavyweight title by defeating Michael Nunn by split decision in March 1998. Three months later, after inexplicable claims that were seen as typographical errors by the WBC, he was demoted to an "interim champion." Rocchigiani challenged Roy Jones Jr., the unified WBA, WBC, and IBF titleholder, in November 1999 after filing a lawsuit against Jones' promotional companies for refusing to get into the ring with him. However, Jones' promoter, Murad Muhammad, canceled the fight after Rocchigiani missed a scheduled press conference. Initially, the WBC threatened to strip Jones of his title if he failed to arrange another match with Rocchigiani. The WBC, however, stripped Rocchigiani outright and removed him from their rankings due to inactivity. This prompted Rocchigiani to file a lawsuit against the WBC, which he won, and was awarded $31 million.

Rocchigiani challenged Michalczewski for the lineal and WBO titles in April 2000. Rocchigiani, by that time, was an ageing fighter and despite putting up a great performance, he lost via corner retirement after nine rounds. He later made a comeback in 2003 after a two-year layoff but lost to Thomas Ulrich, a German boxer, via a 12 round unanimous decision. Rocchigiani retired from professional boxing with a record of 41-6-1, which included 19 knockout wins and one loss via knockout and two title wins.

Death and Legacy

Graciano Rocchigiani died aged 54 years on October 1, 2018, in Belpasso, Italy, after being hit by a car while taking a walk. Rocchigiani's death led many to remember his charismatic personality, which charmed audiences inside and outside the boxing ring.

The German boxer was known as one of the country's most successful fighters during his professional career. He fought a total of 48 times in the ring, winning 41 fights and becoming a double world champion in two different weight classes. Additionally, he won the European light-heavyweight title and the German national amateur championship in the light-middleweight division.

Rocchigiani's impressive record and charismatic personality ensured that his legacy lived on even after his death. He remains one of Germany's most celebrated boxers and is still remembered for his milestone victories in the ring.

Graciano Rocchigiani Fight Record