Ingemar Johansson vs Rocky Marciano 1959

There were quite a few... Layne, Matthews, LaStarza II, Louis, Charles II. For different reasons, but all great performances. And I realize that Charles II was the fight before Cockell. The reason I like it so much is obvious. He showed the true heart of a champ sealing the deal when a stoppage was imminent. I don't know if it was necessarily "peak" in boxing terms but it was freaking awesome.

 

Marciano by '59 was in great danger of being embarrassed by both "Patty or Ingo." Thank Amon-Ra and the goddess Isis Marciano stayed in retirement....... Marciano got out of the biz at the right time in '56 after his '55 KO over Moore...... WORD!

MR.BILL

 

Marciano was in question even as early as '57 for that matter.... IMO!

MR.BILL

 

Their was NO consensus that Rocky would beat Ingo get REAL!!!

 

Rocco was slipping by '55---even though he still KO'd "Cockell & Moore."

Rocco MIGHT have gotten through 1956 if he fought again against a cherry-picked ringer.....

I'd have bet a Nov. '56 Patty of all 182 pounds who KO'd Moore for the vacant belt to have gotten by Marciano at that juncture had Rocco been the champion defending against Patty..... I see that the Nov. '56 Patty being too fast and spry for the slower, yet more powerful Marciano..... Patty on points.....

MR.BILL

 

This is it. Rocky was much greater than Ingemar but coming back after such a long time with a style like that, the problems he had against Johannson who at the time was at the absolute top of his game - and for a short while he was a truely great and dangerous fighter - just is too much of an obstacle to overcome. Even for Marciano. On the other hand, you´ll never know with Rocky he might have pulled it out.

 

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Hm, I didn´t want to but okay.

 

Rocky apparently decided it was too risky to take on Johansson in 1959. He probably felt he had stayed at it a little too long as early as 1956 or even 1955. Rocky was smart enough to stay away from it. Being able to make an adequate living without having to fight again also helped.

 

Since Rocky back was acting up, and he decided not to come back. I
think Ingo wins. It was a good decision by Marciano to stay retired.

 

No one beats Father Time and that would include Marciano who had a style driven my skills that fade early ... however I personally thought he looked terrific against Moore .. Rocky was fighting injuries, disgusted with his manager and very aware that the nose injury suffered against Charles could resurface at any time ... in many ways the Cockell fight was a rare soft title defense because they wanted to test out how the nose healed after the second Charles bout ... I doubt Rocky comes out of three years retirement to defeat a prime Ingo and obviously so did Rocky or he would have done it for the money .. his love of money was legendary and he would have taken the fight if he felt he would win ... Marciano on top of everything else was a very smart guy, in the ring and out .. he knew better and had the discipline to say no.

 

Check out boxing magazines from the '60s, in addition to the biographies of Marciano. Always the writings imply that Johansson (and Patterson, for that matter) would be beaten by Marciano if the latter was serious about a comeback. It was just a question of whether Marciano was motivated, which apparently he was not.

Only when Liston appeared on the world scene was it clear that Rock could not to make a successful comeback (assuming he ever wanted to).

As for Patterson and Johansson, they simply lacked the durability to hang in there with any version of Marciano.

 

Was Johansson really that good? Sure, he could bang with his right, but othewise, what did he bring to the table?

Many years ago I bought a bunch of old boxing magazines left over from the 1960s. It was fascinating to read about that era in retrospect. It seems to me that the journalists just didn't have that much respect for Johansson. When Quarry appeared in '67, they wrote that he was the best "white heavyweight" (an absurd term to use today, but not then) since Marciano.

 

I think this is probably about the best answer anyone can give on this topic.

 

Hard to say how the layoff would have hurt Marciano, Rocky was walking around at about 250 + lbs, he looked solid but there is no way he could get back down to 190lbs...with Marciano's style you had to be it tip-top form always.....Frazier dipped from the FOTC to the the 2nd and 3rd Ali fights and look at the difference

Marciano was unique and Ingo could be hurt KO'd and frightened but comebacks are not for everyone and don't usually suit a swarmer so not an easy task for anyone and Like Marciano said" if the Great Joe Louis could not do it I will not try"