Ringside Boxing Show: Marciano biographer Mike Stanton on the sunny and shady sides of ‘The Rock’

The only undefeated heavyweight champ in boxing history walked a minefield during his career through a sport that was owned by organized crime.

Rocky Marciano was amiable around ruthless gangsters (Frankie Carbo, infamous hit man for Murder Inc., visited his house once), while somehow maintaining a relatively safe distance … he once said F-you to his friend Frank Sinatra, who was rude to Rocky’s driver … he partied with a Catholic priest at Hef’s Playboy Mansion …

Author Mike Stanton, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist, spins spectacular stories about a remarkable, exceptionally time in America, and an era when boxing was king.

This interview is a must for aficionados of the rich history of the sweet science.

We also tap the wisdom of expert analysts Rizwaan Zahid and John J. Raspanti, who discuss Demetrius Andrade’s place in the pecking order of the talent-laden middleweight division, the stunning impact of Eddie Hearn’s 11-fight DAZN deal with Canelo Alvarez, the jaw-breaking knockout punch Deontay Wilder laid on a guy in a giant burrito suit on ESPN Deportes, plus Pacquiao’s busy week: signing with Al Haymon to clear a path to a Mayweather rematch, and pursuing Adrien Broner for his next fight.

Also, British correspondent Paul McLaughlin joins us to discuss David Haye’s odd pairing with an old enemy, Derrick Chisora, whom he plans to manage, among other topics.

Dennis Taylor is host of The Ringside Boxing Show, editor/publisher of www.ringsideboxingshow.com, and co-author (with John J. Raspanti) of “Intimate Warfare: The True Story of the Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward Boxing Trilogy,” an Amazon bestseller.