Roy Jones Jr vs Rocky Marciano

Very Bad matchup for Roy, a slugger, swarmer with great punching power, great chin and infinite stamina. The second Marciano tags him with a half decent shot he's gonna be pouring punches on Jones until he gives in. RJJ would be fighting in survival mode for as long as this fight goes, Marciano will always be coming in always throwing shots where ever the hell he could land them with a power RJJ has never tasted. Marciano KO.

 

With a modern diet Marciano would be considerably heavier than 187 lbs. He walked around before camp at around 200 lbs and even at this weight was in terrific shape with all the training he did while not in camp. He'd only eat one big meal a day, and really had to bust his ass to get below his more natural weight as he gained weight very easily. If he born and raised in modern times I could see him coming in for fights at around 205-210 like Frazier.

 

Oh we are playing 'Jeopardy!'. What is an example 'fantasy'?

 

No fantasy. Roy Jones is just levels above Marciano in class and talent. Roc isn't big enough to overcome the physical and ring IQ advantages like a real big heavyweight could. Easy work for Roy.

 

Roy Jones was around 182 for his LHW fights and 198 for HW fights, maybe less if he weighed in with clothes. So he doesn't suffer much in terms of size in this match up with Rocky been between 182 and 190 himself.

I'd pick Jones by decision, the only advantage Marciano has is chin/durability and maybe stronger, but the speed difference would be massive. I'd contend a 185lb Jones is better than anyone Marciano faced and has the power to knock Rocky out if he's pressured and unloads his best arsenal

I'm a big Marciano fan but I rate Jones as the best 185 and down, how good he was at his best seems to either be forgot or minimalised.

At 200lbs Rocky was out of shape. If he bulked up and ate lots of protein he'd weigh more, but then we're talking about another fighter. If Marciano bulked up to a solid 210 and maintained his stamina then I'd favour him but that isn't the fighter he was

The LHWs Jones fought came in the ring between 180-195, some were bigger than Rocky

 

Roy would perhaps be the best opponent Rocky ever faced (hard to say as jersey was quality and bigger).

The difference in skill level is huge. Jones would win every early round but I pick Rocky to grind him down and score a come from behind knockout.

 

I agree Burt, this is ridiculous now...I really do despair. I really don't think many people actually understand what a beast Marciano was.

To think that somebody like Jones would have a chance against a powerful, strong guy like Marciano with endless stamina is ridiculous to me. I doubt Jones could take even glancing punches from Marciano. Marciano would throw Jones around like a rag doll and knock him out, imo.

Cue accusations of Marciano nut-huggery...

 

I'm one of the most vocal jones nut huggers on here, have been for years. i pick marciano by KO but by no means count jones out. disrespect goes both ways and the fact that jones has SUCH an advantage in speed of both hand and foot, as well as other skills, should lead most objective observers to believe he'd have a lot of early success. could he outpoint rocky? yes. but if they fought 10 times, rocky would knock him out more than jones lasts to the bell for a UD

 

fast hands and burt need to relax. yes, you are correct about marciano being a beast but jones was probably the most talented fighter to ever step in a ring. you don't win fights on talent alone but jones' skill level is much higher than rocky's. if you can't see that by watching their fights then you can stop reading here. also remember these guys are basically the same size when they get in the ring. jones was 5'11" and had day before weigh-ins at light heavy. he'd usually be around 185 at fight time. maricano was 5"10" and also around 185. jones also has a 7" reach advantage.

conventional wisdom would say if jones can move and box, he wins a decision. if he can't, rocky will eventually stop him. if this was a prime vs prime matchup, each fighter would be facing the best opponent they ever stepped in the ring with.

the marciano mystique will cause a lot of people on here to feel that rocky was unbeatable. his 49-0 record is remarkable and overrated at the same time. as a pro, you get to pick and choose who and when you fight them. at the same time, marciano fought everyone that was there. he beat 4 atg fighters but they were all a little past their primes. i have no problem with those that pick rocky to win here but if you're saying he'd run right through jones, you're lying to yourself.

 

suits Rocky better if it were 15 rounds obviously

 

Forget size, Roy never set foot in a ring with a pressure fighter anywhere near Marciano's caliber. Rocky'd lose every second up until he landed big, but he would absolutely land big. Roy wilts under the pressure and gets his head taken off somewhere in the middle rounds.

 

Jones was a 160lb man and the clue is the amateur class he fought at in the Olympics. There has never been a more artificial looking physique for a fighter than that of Roy Jones.

This is bold when Jones has no pedigree at heavyweight at all. Yes many Marciano opponents were a similar weight to the fight night weights of Jones’s men but Rockys era was bigger men boiled down. They hit as hard as bigger men but with smaller gloves and with twice the seasoning.

Jones was an excellent and intelligent boxer. The traps he set and the reflexes he had was something else. But for his most breathtaking wins Jones was beating on a lot of disadvantaged guys who were lacking in pedigree, experience, size, skill or all four. In all of his key fights jones was safty first because he was afraid of exposing himself to hard shots, he simply did not have the drive to ever press for the big win when in a big chalenge. He avoided quite a few of the best in his day so why would he be so confident against one of the best of all time?

And not a single one was stronger than Marciano.
200LB was not the weight Rocky wanted to fight at because the elite fighters of his day were faster and lighter than 200lb. Back the big meant slow. To compete Rocky needed to be lighter so he took more off than the 200lb plus starting point when he went into training. Marciano would have been a chopping block against 1950s classic sized heavyweights if he was any heavier than 190 …and so would most. Against slower men Rocky would be even more lethal.

 

No concerns over 15 rounds, SJ, that The Rock wouldn't land the same shot that flattened Walcott?

 

Thanks kmac, but I'm really quite relaxed actually, I don't need guidance from you on that front:good, and I'm not lying to myself, I just feel strongly about the result of this fight...RJJ was nowhere the quality HEAVYWEIGHT of say, the JJW that Marciano won the title from, and I just don't think you can go up against a beast like Marciano when, among other things, you have the punch resistance of Roy Jones.

Jones form at HW is what, a decision over Ruiz, a fringe contender in better eras; a handpicked opponent selected to showcase RJJ at his best...

RJJ the most talented fighter to ever step into a ring? Hmmmmm...more talented than SRR for example? What do you mean by "talent" exactly? Hearns had a talent for knocking people out; La Motta had talent for taking a punch...talent comes in many forms...

I think you are underselling Marciano, he had subtleties, particularly defensively, that are often overlooked.

I see Jones just not being able to withstand the pressure, strength and power and stamina that Marciano brings. I think Marciano would knock Jones out, and Jones would never be the same again.

I do not see a man floored by Del Valle and sparked by Glen Johnson and Tarver being physically robust to cope with the physical aspects of Marciano.

I would expect the Moore, Charles, Louis and Walcott that faced Marciano to beat Jones...I could not say the same the other way around...

All imo of course...

 

This. Whilst RJJ definitely has the speed advantage and will be able to evade the majority of Rocky's shots, sooner or later one will land, and Jones will go down HARD. Remember Rocky's ability to take punishment was legendary, and his stamina was just ridiculous. He wouldn't stop, and would keep coming like the terminator. Jones will eventually realise this, and **** his pants, as we all would if we were facing Marciano.