Known for his relentless fighting style, formidable punching power, stamina, and exceptionally durable chin, Marciano is considered one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time.

Born Rocco Francis Marchegiano on September 1, 1923, Rocky was raised on the south side of Brockton, Massachusetts.

[13] While awaiting discharge, Marciano represented the Army and won the 1946 Amateur Armed Forces boxing tournament.

His amateur career was briefly interrupted on March 17, 1947, when Marciano stepped into the ring as a professional competitor at the Valley Arena Gardens of Holyoke, Massachusetts, being billed as "Rocky Mackianno of Westover Field".

In an unusual move, Marciano returned to the amateur ranks and fought in the Golden Gloves All-East Championship Tournament in March 1948.

After failing to find a spot on another team, he returned to Brockton and began boxing training with longtime friend Allie Colombo.

Don Mogard (17–9–1) became the first boxer to last the distance (full 10 rounds scheduled) with "The Rock", but Marciano won by unanimous decision.

The ring announcer in Providence, Rhode Island, could not pronounce it, so Marciano's handler, Al Weill, suggested they create a pseudonym.

Four more knockout wins then followed, including a five-rounder on December 19, 1949, with Phil Muscato (56–20–0), an experienced heavyweight from Buffalo, New York, being the first "name fighter" Marciano faced.

Three weeks after the Phil Muscato fight, Marciano defeated Carmine Vingo (16–1–0) by a sixth-round knockout in New York.

After that, he scored four more knockouts and, after a decision over Red Applegate (11–14–2) in late April 1951, he was showcased on national television for the first time, knocking out Rex Layne (34–1–2) in six rounds on July 12, 1951.

[22] Marciano knocked Louis out in the eighth round, sending the former champion collapsing out of the ring in what would be his final fight.

After four more wins in 1952, including knockout victories over former European heavyweight champion Lee Savold (96–37–3) and top contender Harry Matthews (81–3–5), Marciano received a shot at the world title later that year.

Unable to get the bleeding to stop, and fearing a possible stoppage by the fight doctor, Marciano went in for the finish, and soon succeeded, knocking Charles out in the eighth round.

Marciano's next title defense came in May 1955, against British and European Champion Don Cockell in San Francisco.

Marciano's final title defense was against the number one contender and light-heavyweight champion, Archie Moore, on September 21, 1955.

Marciano considered a comeback in 1959 when Ingemar Johansson won the Heavyweight Championship from Floyd Patterson on June 26, 1959.

[25] After his retirement, Marciano entered the world of television, first hosting a weekly boxing show on TV in 1961 and later appearing in the Combat!

He was also active in business as a partner and vice president of Papa Luigi Spaghetti Dens, a San Francisco-based franchise company formed by Joe Kearns and James Braly.

Mary Anne had several run-ins with the law in Florida in the 1980s and 1990s, getting arrested and charged with assault and armed robbery after previously serving jail time for cocaine possession.

[33] On August 31, 1969 (the day before his 46th birthday), Marciano was a passenger in a small private plane, a Cessna 172[34] heading to Des Moines, Iowa from Chicago Midway.

The pilot, Glenn Belz, had only 231 total hours of flying time, 35 of them at night, and had no instrument rating.

Belz tried to land the plane at a small airfield outside Newton, Iowa but the aircraft hit a tree two miles short of the runway.

[35][36][nb 2] The National Transportation Safety Board report said, "The pilot attempted an operation exceeding his experience and ability level, continued visual flight rules under adverse weather conditions and experienced spatial disorientation in the last moments of the flight.

Despite his perfect record and retiring as champion, Marciano has sometimes been criticized for the allegedly low quality of opposition he faced during his career.

[45] In 1971, Nat Fleischer, a boxing historian and founder of The Ring, named Marciano as the 10th all-time greatest heavyweight champion.

A bronze statue of Marciano was planned for a 2009 completion date in his hometown of Brockton, Massachusetts, as a gift to the city by the World Boxing Council.

The artist, Mario Rendon, head of the Instituto Universitario de las Bellas Artes in Colima, Mexico, was selected to sculpt the statue.

[52] After years of delays in the planning stages,[53] the groundbreaking for the statue was held on April 1, 2012, on the grounds of Brockton High School.