Why did Marciano Choose to defend against Charles than Valdez ?

age has nothing to do with it, we all have opinions and favorite fighters but Suzie has always shown an open mind and admitted when he was wrong, like McGrain,McVey,Magoo,Mendoza and myself we all have open minds. Ed M. and others have added some exceptional knowledge of the era but you are one of the most biased and opinionated posters if your opinion is not shared. You remind me of a little brat who stomps his feet and because you want it your way.

 

I thought you were Navy Seals Suzie?

 

BD, I have to say there is a glaring exception on that list of "open minds" you posted, otherwise ok:good
Suzie is fine as a poster and has accumulated a lot of knowledge of the 50's heavies.Mr M is always solid,The Flying Scotsman McGrain and I aren't bosom pals, but his posts are quality.Ed M is an asset to any forum .You have some great imput even when we disagree,but H .E. is a good poster too, imo. One feud on here is enough don't you think?.

 

Moving back onto track.

I am not at all sure that Marciano preferred slick boxers over punchers as some people are implying (I will take old and small to mean slick boxers).

When Rex Layne became Marciano’s route to a title fight, Charlie Goldman saw it as an opportunity. He said something like “this big limited slugger is heaven sent for you”.

Given that Vadez was not good at using his size defensively, he might have been just what team Marciano were looking for?

 

I don't think Rocky cared too much who was in the opposite corner.

 

This content is protected

 

I forgot to mention Janitor who is very knowledgeable and fair ,chocklab and Mongoose, Burt B.the long count and the many others that bring insight and knowledge of era to the forum....

He grant/double chin can be funny and correct once in a while but he has rose colored glasses one day and magnified glasses the next

 

Valdes would have been a perfect style for Marciano IMO, he was slow and hittable, had he beat Archie or rematch Charles (who had 2 excellent and electric KO wins) he would have gotten the title fight instead of Archie but everyone knew Archie deserved it MOORE he even beat 4 of the guys that beat Nino in 1952-53 in a row and Charles beat the other guy Gilliam (who beat Nino in 1953.....I as a big Marciano fan would have loved to see him fight Nino but then Nino loses again to Bob Satterfield and then lost another 3-4 fights after that...Satterfield was a 5"10 180lb Marciano type of fighter but less brutal,less durable,and less relentless and Bob owned Nino....Marciano could have fought Nino over ****ell but ****ell was #2 after the split nose affair and Rocky let the other guys fight to get to him and to the winner goes the spoils

 

Well it's done now, maybe time for all to move on?

 

One other point should be made.

****ell was probably going to get a shot at the title eventually, because he was enjoying a run of good form.

If Marciano had fought and beaten Valdez, then ****ell would automatically have become the #1 contender.

Basically all he had to do was sit tight, and let the few people above him eliminate each other.

 

http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...-YxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KOMFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3695,3741314

Nat Fleischer, who many respect on this website, considered "Archie Moore the biggest threat to Marciano since he won the championship." Fleischer even compared Moore to Jack Johnson, his # 1 heavyweight of all time.

"I think Jack Johnson was the greatest all around heavyweight fighter of all time and I also think that Moore, more than any other fighter I have seen, has many of Johnson's ring qualities."- Nat Fleischer

 

another great find Suzie !! Big kudos from Nat comparing Archie to Johnson and I think most knew Archie was the biggest threat to Marciano after all he was on his best win streak almost 50 fights with 1 DQ and one controversial loss that he avenged by KO to Harold Johnson and besides the fact that he beat Nino 2X he also beat the guys who beat Nino in his 4 loss streak, one at the end of 52- and 3 in 1953 Archie Ko'd Baker and Johnson who beat Nino, while Charles beat Gilliam (who beat Nino in 1953) and then Charles KO'd Satterfield and Wallace impressively) ...then we all know Archie beat Nino again and then given a shot at Satterfield in 1955 to give Nino another chance but Nino got dominated by Satterfield and then Nino only won 2 of his next 6 fights or 2 out of 8 from the Moore fight on