Rocky Marciano 1965 US Passport: Undefeated Champion
A reader’s email from brought in a remarkable piece: the original US passport of Rocco Francis Marchegiano, known worldwide as Rocky Marciano. Issued in 1965, this document belonged to the only heavyweight champion in boxing history to retire completely undefeated.
Marciano competed professionally from 1947 to 1955, holding the world heavyweight title from 1952 to 1956. He went 49-0, with 43 knockouts, and his career knockout-to-win ratio of 87.8% remains the highest in heavyweight title fight history.
Undefeated
in 49 fights, Rocky Marciano didn’t just beat his opponents. He broke them, defying the odds with relentless power, an iron will, and a story that still punches through time.
Early Life
Born September 1, 1923, in Brockton, Massachusetts, to Italian immigrants Pierino Marchegiano and Pasqualina Picciuto, Marciano grew up across from the James Edgar Playground, where he spent hours playing baseball. He trained on homemade weights from an early age. After dropping out of school in the 10th grade, he held several jobs before being drafted into the Army in 1943 and sent to Wales, where he ferried supplies across the English Channel to Normandy. He completed his service in March 1946.
Career Highlights
Marciano turned professional in 1948, defeating Harry Bilizarian in his first bout. He won his first 16 fights before capturing the world heavyweight championship in 1952 by defeating Jersey Joe Walcott. He defended the title six times before retiring in 1956, the only heavyweight champion to leave the sport undefeated.
Personal Life
Marciano met Barbara Cousins in 1947 and they married on December 31, 1950. They had one daughter, Mary Ann, and adopted a son, Rocco Kevin.
Death
After retiring, Marciano worked as a boxing commentator, referee, and hosted a weekly boxing TV show beginning in 1961. On August 31, 1969, the eve of his 46th birthday, he was killed in a small plane crash near Newton, Iowa, along with family friend Frankie Farrell and pilot Glenn Belz. The plane departed Midway Airport in Chicago bound for Des Moines despite known poor weather conditions. The pilot was not certified for night flying. A post-crash investigation concluded the accident was preventable.
Barbara Marciano died five years later of lung cancer, aged 46.
The 1965 Passport
The US passport shown here was issued in 1965, four years before his death and nine years after his retirement. Unfortunately, a deal with the owner could not be reached, but the document is preserved here in the passport-collector.com archive for historical reference and is now at auction.
Currently at $26,000. I had doubts the $25,000 estimate would be reached, but it has already been surpassed with 7 days still remaining. I will be watching closely for the final result. Given the price decline the vintage passport market has seen since 2019, $26k is a remarkable result.
Related: Joe Frazier’s Passport (1984)
Tom Topol | Passport Historian & Author
Featured in media incl. CNN, BBC, Newsweek. Awarded by the U.S. Dept. of State
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