One of the greatest boxers ever to don the gloves, the inimitable Rocky Marciano is the only undefeated and untied champion in history of the sport.

Son of Italian immigrants, he was born on this day in 1923, and died tragically in a plane crash exactly 45 years later on August 31, 1969.

Slightly built for a heavyweight boxer ( just 190 pounds), he was nevertheless known for his incredible stamina and a chin that could have withstood a wrecking ball. And he had ferocious punching power that eventually resulted in him winning 87.75 per cent of his fights by knock-outs.

Marciano tried out for Chicago Cubs in 1947 as a catcher and failed, and only turned a professional boxer after that. He finished with a record of 49-0, 43 of which came by way of knockouts.

His life, obviously, was the inspiration behind Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa.

1962: Ruud Gullit, legendary former Netherlands midfielder who also starred for AC Milan and Chelsea (53).

1966: Tim Hardaway, a five-time NBA All-Star during his glittering playing career and current Pistons assistant (49).

1971: Hakan Sukur, the greatest footballer Turkey has ever produced and a dominant centre forward (44).

1992: Kirani James, a sprinter who became Grenada’s first Olympic medalist with victory in the 400m in 2012 (23).