That's probably my favorite KO ever. But are you saying that Walcott retired because he had so much left in the tank? He was toast. It's also kinda funny how he tries to set up Rocky for the same shot multiple times but misses. Its something that looks great when pulled off but is not always realized.
I think wars take their tolls on fighters and certain fighters are fortunate that they can avoid them, safety first fighters have a good chance at doing this but in an era where the competition is deep you are going to run into a style that presents a problem. SRR was almost a perfect fighter and he had his Waterloos. Walcott was a master boxer puncher and he could have stayed longer if he took a little less but he took on a man that few fighters are the same for a rematch Marciano and that first fight took a DEEP and severe toll on him. If Hopkins had to fight a Bob Foster or a Michael Spinks or even a 38 year old Archie Moore right now he may not survive the war or ever be the same. Walcott was one of the best physical specimens at the age of 38 ripped, muscled and fluid but the war and the punches he took against Marciano convinced the old warrior that 13 rounds of your best effort and the brutal KO was just enough and the rematch was a quick acknowledgement
Marciano absolutely destroys any version of Bernard Hopkins. Hopkins is fighting today because the lightheavyweight division of today is at it's lowest in ability probably in history....Does anyone think that Hopkins at 48 would beat the Hopkins of age 28 ? Does anyone believe that Hopkins would survive a bout against a powerful Jersey Joe Walcott,at age 48, nor an Ezzard Charles,or Archie Moore, all who were kod by the powerful sledge hammer blows of Rocky Marciano then in his prime ? Which version of Hopkins are you going to trot in the ring against Marciano. ? The prime Hopkins as a MW or the 45-48 year old LH of today ? Hopkins at his zenith never tackled the top lightheavies of his time ,because they were so superior to the lightheavies of today with the possible exception of Andre Ward... Many years ago I spoke to referee Ruby Goldstein who refereed the Marciano/Ezzard Charles bout. He told a few of us that Marciano battered Charles's biceps so hard that he saw the broken purple blood vessels on Ezzard's arms,making Charles lower his guard, and Charles at 188 lbs was younger, bigger, better than the 48 year old Hopkins... A fight between the 48 year old LH Hopkins and the Rocky Marciano who flattened Walcott, Charles and Archie Moore,would never have been made in the real world... An exercise in futility !