Was the Layne fight Rocky's most impressive performance ?

[he grant]

We know he fought better guys to come but as a sheer display of hunger, youth, strength, stamina, defense and firepower the way he cut through Layne , to me, is extremely impressive ... I doubt I have seen him ever look faster ( granted he was fighting Layne) .. he pushed Layne all over the place like he was nothing, he took a few flush rights and did not blink and beat the crap out of a young, prime, pretty decent and decent sized cruiserweight who would give some pretty good fighters some very rough moments ... and of course the final KO is a classic .. when you watch that fight , without romanticizing him but imaging him fighting guys 200 or so and under, you realize how tough he was in a pound for pound sense .. it was a terrific performance ..

[janitor]

You could certainly make the case, given the sucess Layne had against Walcott and Charles.

[he grant]

Originally Posted by janitor

You could certainly make the case, given the sucess Layne had against Walcott and Charles.

Kind of my point. Layne was , for then, big and strong ... he was in very good shape ( for him ) ... he was young ... Marciano just tore him to pieces ... after the way Layne fought on even terms w Walcott and Charles you could see he had something going for him .. he was obviously a good stylistic match up as he was not fast but he was a strong guy, a young guy, a man with a good right hand and Marciano simply crushed him ...

[The Mongoose]

he grant starting a positive thread about Marciano?

Nah, I don't buy it. There's a punchline here somewhere.

[RockyJim]

Layne was Marciano's first big test...and lots of boxing beat writers were comparing him to Jack Dempsey...and saying that he was the next champ...

[Danmann]

I spoke years ago to someone who was in boxing, and saw th efight. He called it most impressive of Maricano's wins. I go with Walcott fight, due to Marciano overcoming the eye problems in middle rounds. Lyne was considered the next great heavyweight, ahd beaten Walcott, had convincing beat 3 other top contenders of era. He got not just beaten by Marciano, but ruined, unfortuently. Would have been good to see him come back and challenge in rematch, but he lost some reflexes and abiltiy to take punch after. The layoff of only five months was mistake and carless of his management.

[he grant]

It showed how strong he was , how solid his chin was, how decent his defense could be predicated upon his style and how he could bust up guys who came at him .. BY no means do I see him excelling with this style against much bugger guys like a Foreman/Liston/Tyson but in the 200 pound or less he was a beast .. I can honestly say he could spot Frazier eighteen pounds and it's still pick em to me .. if Dempsey fought him stupid, say like he did Firpo opposed to Willard I see him rocking Jack's world too ..

[RockysSplitNose]

Charley Goldman called it "his perfect fight" or "his masterpiece" something like that? Maybe the quote can be put up but I'm sure it was something along the lines of not having to tell Marciano to do anything in that fight or not having to get him to correct anything he was doing wrong

[TheGreatA]

It was messy in the beginning, although it always was with Layne. Marciano brought it to a brutal end though. He hit harder, he took a better punch, he had a more effective defense and his stamina was better and that's what it came down to.

[Vic-JofreBRASIL]

It´s my favorite Marciano fight !

[he grant]

Originally Posted by TheGreatA

It was messy in the beginning, although it always was with Layne. Marciano brought it to a brutal end though. He hit harder, he took a better punch, he had a more effective defense and his stamina was better and that's what it came down to.

Funny but I do not see it messy in the beginning at all .. if anything Rocky was a tiny bit wild in the fourth and fifth but at no real exposure to himself and in some ways he was just trying to be spectacular ... I cannot remember him looking faster, sharper and stronger .. his center of gravity was excellent .. he just shoved the bigger guy around like nothing .. Layne was sucking wind after three rounds ..

[Bummy Davis]

Originally Posted by The Mongoose

he grant starting a positive thread about Marciano?

Nah, I don't buy it. There's a punchline here somewhere.

[he grant]

Originally Posted by Bummy Davis

The drumbeats of the nuthuggers ... ...

[Bummy Davis]

Layne was Nat Fleischer's pick as the next Dempsey and next champ, he was 34-1 and beat the only man to beat him in a close fight 3X, he got off the floor to KO Bob Satterfield (Something that big heavyweights Big Cat Williams,Bob Baker,and Nino Valdes could not do....and Marciano right hand was short and precise but severed Layne's top teeth and stopped him in mid-air ....that fight ruined Layne mentally but then again getting stopped like that has an affect on a man ask Walcott and Charles

[Bummy Davis]

Originally Posted by he grant

The drumbeats of the nuthuggers .. know SQ is in a basement somewhere plotting when to join the boys ... ...

I guess we can just smell an agenda from a subtle hater with left-handed compliments