Editing Rocky Marciano (section)

===Marciano vs. Roland La Starza===
{{main|Rocky Marciano vs. Roland La Starza}}
On March 24, 1950, Marciano met his first ranked opponent when he fought [[Roland La Starza]] (37-0), winning by a close split decision. La Starza may have come closer than any other boxer to defeating Marciano as a professional. The scoring for the bout was 5–4, 4–5, and 5–5. Marciano won on a supplemental point system used by New York and Massachusetts at that time. The contemporary scoring system did not award extra points for a knockdown, which Marciano scored when he knocked down La Starza in the fourth round. Referee Watson decided the bout, scoring it for Marciano.