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" T h e   S p i r i t   o f   t h e   S w e e t   S c i e n c e "

American Association for the Improvement of Boxing

86 Fletcher Avenue, Mount Vernon, NY 10552-3319

Tel 914.664.4571   Fax 914.664.3164

h t t p : / / w w w . a a i b . o r g

email: aaib@worldnet.att.net

Marciano . . .

more than

just a Boxer!

He was first of seven children - preceding three sisters Alice, Conge and Elisabeth and brothers Louis a.k.a. Sonny and Peter - born to an Italian immigrant couple.

He won his first battle at the age of 19 months, winning the fight for life over pneumonia.

He was forced to end his formal education at 16, but graduated from the school of hard knocks and his street smarts made him a much beloved public figure.

He was green as grass and crude as oil when he became a professional pugilist at the rather advanced age of 24.

He was one of the shortest champions in heavyweight history at 5-foot-10 1/2 - only Tommy Burns (5-foot-) and John L. Sullivan (-foot-10 1/4) were shorter.

He had the shortest reach (68 inches) of all the men who have ruled the heavyweight roost from John L. Sullivan to Larry Holmes.

He learned his lessons well under the tuteledge of `Professor´ Charley Goldman and managerial guidance of Al Weill and when he retired on April 27, 1956, he boasted a perfect professional ring record, 49 wins with 43 by knockouts.

He was the only heavyweight champion who was never forced to swallow the bitter pill of defeat as a pro, and was only one of three titleholders to retire undefeated - batamweight Jimmy Barry (59 wins, nine draws and two no contests) and lightweight Jack McAuliffe (41 wins, nine draws and three no contests) were the others.

He was a living legend, yet never forgot his common roots.

He was brawler in the ring, but a gentleman in every sense of the word outside the swaured circle.

He was elected to boxing´s Hall of Fame in 1959.

He died before his time, the victim of an airplane crash on Aug. 31, 1969, as the Grim Reaper wiped out his entire fistic `Family´, second Allie Colombo (Jan 6, 1969), trainer Charley Goldman (Nov. 11, 1968) and manager Al Weill (Oct. 22, 1969) in less than one year.

He wasn´t the original `Rocky´, but gave the name more distinction than any of his predecessors or successores.

He was the one and only, late, great . . . ROCKY MARCIANO!

Rocky Marciano hits "the punch that is heard around the world" to knock out Joe Walcott.

ROCKY MARCIANO CHAMPIONSHIP RECORD