Unbeaten: Rocky Marciano's Fight for Perfection in a Crooked World

From the bestselling author of The Prince of Providence, a revelatory biography of Rocky Marciano, the greatest heavyweight champion of all time. The son of poor Italian immigrants, with short arms and stubby legs, Rocky Marciano accomplished a feat that eluded legendary heavyweight champions like Joe Louis, Jack Dempsey, Muhammad Ali, and Mike Tyson: He never lost a professional fight. His record was a perfect 49-0. Unbeaten is the story of this remarkable champion who overcame injury, doubt, and the schemes of corrupt promoters to win the title in a bloody and epic battle with Jersey Joe Walcott in 1952. Rocky packed a devastating punch with an innocent nickname, ?Suzie Q,? against which there was no defense. As the champ, he came to know presidents and movie stars ? and the organized crime figures who dominated the sport, much to his growing disgust. He may have ?stood out in boxing like a rose in a garbage dump,? as one sportswriter said, but he also fought his own private demons. In the hands of the award-winning journalist and biographer Mike Stanton, Unbeaten is more than just a boxing story. It?s a classic American tale of immigrant dreams, exceptional talent wedded to exceptional ambitions, compromises in the service of a greater good, astounding success, disillusionment, and a quest to discover what it all meant. Like Suzie Q, it will knock you off your feet.

Author: Mike Stanton

Publisher: Picador

Publication Date: August 27, 2019

Number of Pages: 416 pages

Language: English

Binding: Paperback

ISBN-10: 1250210879

ISBN-13: 9781250210876