Prime Joe Louis Beats Rocky Marciano --- Convince Me

Marcianos misses even hurt!

 

My dad and I first saw Marciano in 1949 at MsG, when Marciano almost killed a terrific punching prospect from the Bronx, Ny named Carmine Vingo. 'We had great seats overlooking the ring and it was a fight I will never forget. In the very 1st round the towering Vingo caught the smaller Marciano with a right hand uppercut that would have most likeky kod anyone else, but to our surprise at MSG, we learned that this out of towner from Brockton, Mass. was the real goods...Marciano proceeded to batter Vingo very very badly til the 6th rd, when Vingo collapsed on his back
with his right foot twitching violently...They put Vingo on a stretcher and carried him to the nearest hospital a few bocks away, where the doctors
administered to Vingo who was in a coma for a long time. Carmine survived but I believe had to use a cane for the rest of his long life...Rocky Marciano was a human block of granite for sure...

 

:good:bbb:good

 

I like both fighters and think a fight between them in their primes would be tough for both of them. I agree that people are underrating Louis's power, though. He turned Buddy Baer AROUND with one shot; I mean, how often do you see that?! The punches he landed against Max Baer included some tremendous single blows, too.

It's so hard comparing power between fighters, though: A shot Louis still had the power to hurt Charles in their fight although he couldn't finish Ezzard off. Rocky hit Charles with the kitchen sink in their first fight and couldn't stop him, either. I think BOTH guys went for an accumulation of punches, but still hit very hard with one shot; overall pretty even for me.

I pick Louis on points in the fight, maybe 9-6 in rounds. I just feel Louis is the best I have seen, and find it hard to pick against him! Great, tough fight, though.

 

More power than Marciano? I think you should clarify that statement because I do believe Joe Louis landed a harder shot than the Suzie Q on Walcott.

 

I think Marciano gives Louis problems with his style. He may be able to take Joes leverage away. On the other hand Louis was faster and had both hands in his prime.

I think my $ would be on Louis to win because his right hand would be a factor.

 

The Suzie Q Marciano landed on Walcott was a shot in the 13th against a tired, old man bouncing off the ropes and into the punch. It was a great shot but really needs to be appreciated in context. He landed the same sort of right hands (minus the bouncing off the ropes) earlier in the fight.

 

What about the context of Rocky being half blind, bust up and realistically shouldn't of been packing such heat after 13 rounds of a hard fight.

You can't hope for a guys head to be stagnant before throwing a knockout blow and he hardly bounced off the ropes to the point where it would of doubled the power of the shot. The same short hook put him to sleep in the rematch. He knew the shot would ko him so he landed it and it did, minus the bouncing off the ropes.

 

All credit to Rocky. He did exactly what he had to do. Above anything tangible, he was a winner first and foremost.

But the factors did line up for it to happen... not the least of which was Rocky's clout.

 

Joe Louis was quoted as saying, "very few people knew this, but I had a weakness, a bad weakness. I didn't like to be crowded. And that was Marciano's thing. He always crowded. I knew I could never beat Rocky."

 

Though I don't agree with the outcome, despite some very good insights, here is an educated proposal of this match.... quoting our very own, late John Garfield...

http://www.thesweetscience.com/news...arciano-vs-joe-louis-a-peak-for-peak-analysis

 

1. The main point was comparitive power. I don't think Louis hit harder except if you can clarify what the definition of what hit harder really means.
2. If you understand Physics you will understand that the speed Walcott was heading towards the punch was insignificant compared to the punch heading in the opposite direction. Ie the bouncing off the rope makes no difference at all.

 

With all the esteemed opinions of boxing experts quoted here, and knowing that
"any puncher has a chance", in my minds eye I believe that the Joe Louis of the Max Baer
era would have capitalized on Rocky Marciano's misses and stopped Rocky in the middle rounds...Yes Marciano was rock hard, could take a punch, but not anymore than a Max Baer who had a cast iron chin but a playboy mentality, or the iron man of the early 1930s
Paolino Uzcudun, an earlier version of George Chuvalo who a prime Joe Louis drove his right hand on Uzcudun's jaw, knocking out Paolino's front teeth and mouthpiece and
rendering Uzcudun unconscious in the process...Of course Marciano a favorite of mine after I saw him ko Carmine Vingo in 1949,was a powerful attrition puncher hit hard enough to ko anyone, he missed too often his punches and against the young prime
Brown Bomber, it would prove to be fatal. IMO...

 

If you have ever been hit walking into a punch rather than anticipating that punch, you will know there is a world of difference. Walcott was fading badly, partly due to Marciano's pressure, partly due to his age perhaps. He got sloppy and walked into a devastating punch. Had he hung on the ropes or pivoted rather than throwing at the same time he might have survived a bit longer.

 

John Garfield has died?

Jezus.