Who was Rocky Marciano, and when did he achieve his unbeaten 49-0 fight record?
Floyd Mayweather goes into his bout with Conor McGregor unbeaten with same tally
FLOYD MAYWEATHER is looking to surpass one of the true greats when he takes on Conor McGregor in Las Vegas.
Unbeaten superstar Money has a perfect fight record of 49-0 - level with legendary heavyweight Rocky Marciano.
After retiring in September 2015, Floyd Jnr's long awaited comeback against the MMA fighter has been a long drawn-out affair, but will finally become reality on August 26.
Who was Rocky Marciano?
BORN in 1923, Rocky Marciano didn't get into boxing until he was conscripted into the army during WW2.
He didn't have a massively successful amateur career, finishing with 8-4 and trying his hand at baseball once the war ended.
But after longtime friend Allie Colombo convinced him to give boxing another go, he began a professional career in 1948 under the guidance of Charley Goldman.
When did he achieve the unbeaten 49-0 fight record?
AFTER impressing in his early bouts, Marciano went head-t0-head with the highly-regarded Carmine Vingo in 1949 - and nearly killed him after knocking him out and leaving him partially paralysed.
He continued to beat all comers, before defeating Jersey Joe Walcott in 1952 to take the world heavyweight crown.
Marciano retained that title SIX times over the next three years, bringing up his 49-0 record with a ninth round stoppage of Archie Moore in 1955.
Aged just 32, he called time on his career after that and died in a plane crash in 1969.