Rocky Marciano has an unusual honor, being the only heavyweight boxer to retire without tasting defeat. His record was 49-0, including 43 knockouts. He started as a professional in 1947 and was champion from 1952 until he retired in 1956.

Rocco Francis Marchegiano was born in 1923 in Brockton, MA to working-class parents. He used to take his father’s lunch to the shoe factory where the older man worked. He saw the way people lost spirit in factory work and swore he would never make a living that way.

Marciano was drafted in 1943 and took up boxing to avoid working in the Army kitchen. After his discharge, he worked odd jobs while trying to break into professional baseball. He tried out for the Chicago Cubs, but failed.

Marciano returned to boxing and became known as a clumsy but hard-hitting fighter. He turned professional in 1947. He wasn’t especially agile, but he had a powerful punch. He won his first 16 professional fights by knockout. He also married his childhood sweetheart, Barbara Cousins, in 1950. They had one child and adopted another.

Marciano fought Joe Louis in 1951, and the former champion was defeated by Marciano in eight rounds. That opened the door for a title fight with Jersey Joe Walcott, the reigning heavyweight champion. Marciano was knocked down in the first round, but in round 13 he knocked out Walcott.

Marciano defended his title six times and won every time. He retired from the boxing ring in 1956, at just 31 years old. He was tired from coaching and the relationship between him and his manager, Al Weill, was strained. Weill kept 50 percent of all Rocky’s earnings. Marciano then had more time to be with his family. He had managed his earnings carefully, so as not to have to fight past his prime. He was about to come back in 1959, and even trained in secret, but decided against it.

Marciano is the only heavyweight championship boxer to retire without a loss. He spent ten years or so making public appearances. He died in 1969, as a passenger on a private plane that crashed in Iowa. He would have turned 46 the next day.

Rocky’s wife, Barbara, to whom he was married for 19 years, stayed behind with their children, Rocco Kevin and Mary Anne. Rocky had many close friends and was described as a loving father and husband. When he died, he had no written will and much of his fortune was not found, as he had been quite secretive about how he handled his money after retiring from boxing.

Marciano was never noted for his agility or speed, and would even move a bit clumsily in the ring at times. However, he surpassed all of his opponents with determination and drive. He had a tremendously powerful punch that he used to his best advantage.