Why was Marciano's era not strong?

The army didn't do bad for our very own Nigel Benn.....

 

A lot of the so called eras just come down to one or two very good fighters.

In that sense Marciano's era was arguably stronger than the late 50s and the 60s.

 

True. Nigel Benn was in the Royal Fusiliers, I think, for almost 5 years.
Henry Cooper did two years national service.

Ken Norton was US marine, as was Mike Weaver. And Ray Mercer, who won Olympic gold.

 

Why do you think 37 years old Walcott , 36 years old Louis,and 40 years old Moore were still title threats and champions? Do you think it was because it was a deep era for heavyweights?

 

I don’t think that it was an exceptional era, but it was an era with some depth to it.

It was probably a fairly easy era to come a cropper it.

 

Jackson should not have been granted a license ,he was mentally deficient.
I would agree Miteff was matched very ambitiously ,whether he would have done more had he not been is open to debate.

 

Basically the retirement of the longest reigning champion [at that time] created a vacuum, which enabled past prime men to prolong their careers.

 

I don't see the retirement of Louis as being a hugely significant landmark.

I think that he would have held the title for a year or two more at best.

What the era actually turns on, is the older veterans beating the best of the new generation, apart from Marciano himself of course.

 

Archie Moore was an exceptional fighter really.
He couldn't defeat Marciano, but he defeated Clarence Henry, Bob Baker and Embrel Davidson, all from the genuine post-war generation of heavyweights.

 

I thought that most people considered the 30s to be at least comparably weak?

 

Yes, I agree that World War II impacted boxing significantly. Among the casualties of the war was talent who had either been killed injured or just simply derailed due to the war.

Historically boxers often come from the lower economic strata and America experienced prosperity following the war. Perhaps, boxing was also experiencing the drain of talent to the other major sports. I also have heard the tales of the negative impact of television on the lower levels of the sport which historically served as the training grounds for up and coming talent.

 

Its hardly applicable here we are talking about nationally wide conscription.

 

And perhaps this is the real story here.

This great light heavyweigth champion beat the new wave of contenders that the early 50s produced.

 

What difference does that make to the point ?
The armed forces have a record of producing/encouraging boxers, with conscripts or with volunteers.

Henry Cooper was part of nationally wide conscription.
Mike Weaver might have enlisted but there was nation wide conscription going on then too, in the US.

 

Rex Layne began boxing in the airborne division while stationed in Japan. He went on to become #1 contender.
Roland LaStarza was a decent amateur when he was drafted and got out in 1947 and became a top professional.
Rocky Marciano was in from 1943 to 1946, started boxing during his stint and later became champion of the world.