Marciano's Body Frame could easily be Tua and Tyson

Totally agree. As much as it's a cop out I say the same thing.

If he wanted to fight a modern HW he'd have to weigh in as a modern HW.

The question is whether his swarming inside attack would still be as effective. Could he still throw 80 power punches a round and could he ride a lot of glancing blows from big punching HW elites.

 

I'd match him at CW with maybe the odd forray into the division if the fight was right.

I do think there's HW fighters he could beat on a one off basis but a full career in a division 40 pounds heavier than his natural weight? absolute bonkers.

Gassiev, Bellew, Lebedev, Usyk, Glowacki, Makabu, Wlod. These are men he can be favoured over across a career of fights.

Then maybe if Povetkin captures a belt he would be able to mount a challenge, or if Haye or Byrd or Jones or Toney or Ruiz captured a belt.

But fighting guys like Fury, Wladimir, Vitali, Wilder, Lewis, Joshua, it's not advisable.

Career at CW with one off fights at the right time, that's how I see it.

 

I have trouble seeing consistly train down to 175.

 

Good points.
I think it would depend heavily on his performances coming up, and what his trainers thought of him.

Do we know when and/or how it was decided that Marciano would fight in the heavyweight division?
It could shed light on the reasoning. And we could see if the same reasoning and logic would fit today.


Stream of consciousness crap:
My intuition tells me that Marciano would knock many heads over in todays HW division.
Honestly, there is an aura about certain fighters that make them seem larger than they are. It sounds fantastical but I'll never forget seeing Tyson and Lewis in the same room. For some reason, Tyson just seemed larger.

I imagine Marciano in the same light. In his fights, he never looks "too small." You don't get the sense that he struggles because of his size. It never seems like a detriment.

Marciano threw certain punches that nobody could get away with because of the short distance travel and the unique power.

And he actually wasn't a direct fighter at all. I disagree strongly with that.
Marciano always came in at some kind of angle, or with his head in some awkward position, or with a counter ready to exploit your punch. He seemed to always close the distance with some kind of move. He was actually very active in his movements and rarely stood still.

With all the HD footage on youtube, I've been watching a lot of Marciano, and he was always dynamic. His fights with the smoothest boxers of his era weren't his best, but that should be expected, and he walked way with the W each time.

A fighter with a smaller reach that can fight on the inside can sort of "turn the tables" by closing the distance. You can force the fight to make your smaller reach an advantage.

 

So do I.

I also feel that his power points more to him being a small cruiserweight, who has somehow come in a few pounds lower than he would today, than a guy who could train down to 175 without issue.

I could be wrong here, but if I am I would ask where the similar punchers at 175 are?

 

For me, Rocky entered training camp at like 205 pounds and trained down to his leanest at 180-190 or whatever. How much more can he drop, and where do we draw the line?

Early in his career he definitely could have made it. But whether he'd try to forge a career at LHW I can't imagine.

Then again Patterson and Adamek did it, so has Tony Bellew.

How much would losing that extra weight hurt him, enough that I wouldn't consider a LHW Rocky a peak Rocky.

I could be wrong though.

Rocky, Patterson, Holyfield, Walcott and Dempsey are all men I no longer rank at HW anyways. p4p they're all better being a "fight night" cruiser weight.

 

You could argue Kovalev is as devastating a puncher, hard to say.

Apples and Pears when comparing the pre 24 hour era.

 

I'd make him a favourite over Fury.

It's a near certainty he'd lose top Vitali and Lewis.


And the rest of that crew, i wouldn't like to bet anything on the outcomes.

 

Technically you would only have to get him to 193 to get it sanctioned.

They could have done that in his own era by making him drink lots of water.

 

Why do I need another example? One is enough. Orlin fought at a good level which is quite handy but do you doubt Holyfeild or Moorer could not have dropped to 190 during their prime? It's not beyond unreasonable is it?

 

I don't think being knocked out by Bert Cooper should be considered good level.