Love Marcianos **** and vinegar, but I feel like Liston would be a nightmare matchup for him, especially past prime. Can Rocky give a 110% effort and walk through fire to KO Liston? No way he ever wins on points. Dont think the odds are on his side.
I cant see him having enough left at this stage to beat Liston. Somebody else probably gets to him first to be honest.
Somebody like Eddie Machen likley gets to him first. He would have started to fade in his next couple of fights.
It never could have happened because Sonny was a novice only 12 months into his career and losing a learning fight in 1954. In fact Sonnys career had not really got going when after only 29 months as a pro his career was put on hold in April 1956 for 22 months until Jan 1958. Sonny did not make the ratings until the autumn of 1958 so he was not eligible for a title shot against anyone until after that point. That's three whole years after Rocky retired. If marciano was forced to continue his career until after the autumn of 1958 that means the earliest he can fight Sonny is summer 1959 to get an outdoor ballpark. Rocky would have had to have fought at least 5 more times. His first two fights would have been baker in August 1956 then Jackson in April 1957. A September 1957 fight could have been Roy Harris or Willie pastrano (since machen and Folley blew their elimination with a draw) so even a faded Rocky wins those fights. 1958 could have been Brian London and ingo like Floyd had or ingo and Floyd himself since by then Floyd would have been light heavyweight champion. If Rocky beats ingo he would be ripe for his next tough fight. It's just too much to expect him to keep winning fighting just two times a year since 1952. So I just don't think Rocky gets out of 1958 as a champion. If he did then yes, Rocky would be far to old to beat Liston in 1959. And if Rocky was still champion that fight would absolutely happen because of the carbo/ IBC connection between Liston and Marciano making them secret stable mates.
Yes I think baker was most logical since he was #1 but Moore (Rockys most recent victim) had already beat him and the baker valdes bout was a complete stinker that excited nobody. Pastrano and Young Jack Johnson were the only contenders not linked to a fighter knocked out by marciano but it would have took the greatest showman on earth to sell those two as serious chalengers.
Not true. I read in article yesterday... Ill post it later...al Weill is quoted as saying marcianos next fight will take place in June 56 against either hurricane Jackson bob baker niño valdes or Floyd patterson
A past-prime Rocky would have been overwhelmed by a prime Liston. A prime Rocky would be a different story.
Liston of 1960-65 crushes every version of the bum Marciano Marciano was easily outboxed by past prime almost 40 year old Jersey Joe He had problems dealing with an almost 40 year old past his prime Archie Moore It took him life and death to survive a beaten down and washed up Ezzard Charles all of those men fought at a much smaller natural weight than Marciano, none of them remotely close to their prime, and he barely squeaked past them Liston murders the bum Marciano
