Rocky Marciano: The Brockton Blockbuster

Say hello to Rocky Marciano, the world's only undefeated heavyweight champion, a guy called Rocky Marciano. With just a 67-inch reach, two left feet and under six feet tall, Marciano blasted his way to 49 wins, 43 inside the distance. You could knock him down but you couldn't knock him out. Marciano KO'd Jersey Joe Walcott in a 1952 thriller to become world champion. Defending his title five times, he brought the million-dollar gate back to boxing in 1955 when he crushed Archie Moore in his final fight. He then criss-crossed the U.S. making public appearances, for cash only. He built a network of friends, businessmen and Mob guys who willingly paid his way and flew him around. And that's how he died, hitching a ride in a plane that crashed in an Iowa cornfield in 1969, on the eve of his 46th birthday. His mantra was, "If you want to live a full life, then live dangerously." Rocky did that, all right! Read more