"Marciano was the hardest puncher I ever seen" - Don Turner

I knew Marciano trained insanely hard. But an 8-month camp stood out a bit, to me. Some of the other things he says seem a little unconsidered. I mean - I'm trying to imagine what Vitali would do, if and when Rocky landed flush on him.

I wonder if Mr. Turner is just playing to camera here - reveling in the good old days, as he does so.

 

Turner says Wlad and Byrd together in the ring with Marciano would get beat, he further says one punch from Marciano would ko Wlad that is sillyness.Turner was a 16 years old kid when Rocky retired, he wasn't there!!!

If he is so great a trainer how come all the best guys left him?

 

What vivid memories would he have had? I very much doubt he ever saw him fight live. Larry Holmes was still boxing when Tyson was a pro fighter, Marciano had been retired for 4 years before Turner turned pro,silly comparison. A week ago talking about the Ward v Kovalev fight, Turner said," Andre Ward is in trouble he is an ordinary fighter."
Wonder what he thinks now? Directly after the fight he said," Kovalev isn't a thinker he is just a puncher." A day ago you claimed Joe Louis was in his prime at 20,that was you trying to stretch things to make a point ,something you are continually accusing others of.

 

How could it be proven one way or the other and why would anyone wish it not to be true if it was? Turner's schtick in that interview reminds me of the famous movie clip in the barber shop when they are comparing Louis to Marciano,only this time it is in reverse!

 

Sounds like a pretty good puncher then.....

 

Steward had a lot of great things to say and obviously a lot of knowledge and expertise, but I think, since the 1980s Kronk heyday, he jumped around alot and often spread himself thin. For a man who developed so many kids from nothing in Detroit he became a head-hunter jumping from one big name to another, and that's not as impressive to me. He was one of the greatest trainers in boxing but some of the lesser known trainers were great too.
He was a bit arrogant at times, seemed to get involved in psychological warfare and bitching and I don't particularly like that style of trainer. I didn't like the way he handled the first Lewis-Rahman fight. He seemed just as complacent in the build up to that as Lewis was. He tended to enjoy and indulge in taking a good deal of the credit for his fighters winning but I can't remember him accepting any blame for defeats and the press always gave him an easier ride than others in that respect. He was famous and great at what he did and I'm sure he charged massive fees and I don't begrudge him that.

Maybe Don Turner's the same, or worse. I don't know, he didn't get as much publicity.
Steward is worshipped as a god by some around here so my opinion goes against the grain, I know.
I think he was great but I'm not a "fan".

 

I used to enjoy it when "John Garfield" (Joe Rein) posted his recollections of Marciano here. Sadly he's passed away now.
All the old school guys and trainers seem to point out that Marciano was far more damaging and hurtful than it would at first appear.

JG used to tell how he'd watch Marciano sparring in camp and he looked absolutely terrible, as if he was being beaten up or outboxed but as the minutes wore on it was his sparring partners who looked weary and a few rounds of that and they looked like they'd been run over by a bus. Just receiving the odd glancing blow with 16oz gloves and little digs and taps and workin hard to keep Marciano off resulted in bruises and black eyes.

Charley Goldman knew Marciano was special. Marciano was a different type of animal.

 

Oh yes he was, he gave out sustained beatings and ruined many fighters because of it. Henry Cooper was a moderate heavyweight at world level ,ko'd with one shot by both Floyd and Ingo, but he never took a protracted beating consequently his career lasted from1954 until 1971and he was still winning fights and still European Champion . Don C*ckell was finished after the Marciano fight,he said Rocky wasn't the hardest hitter he faced but he hit him more times than anyone and everything he threw was hard.

 

None were ever in better condition than Rocky and none needed to be more.

 

World class trainer or not, he sounds ridiculous. It's a shame your agenda won't let you see (or admit) that.

 

In Rezniks book on Liston Moore claimed he took a dive against Rocky. NOT MY WORDS THERE HIS WORDS

 

He took a bad beating.

 

I think Marciano was for real. A phenomenon in his own right. I also do find him quite deceptive, on watching, in that he seemingly looked awful and did everything wrong and yet was able to be so very damaging to his opponents. Moreover, he was never defeated and had a remarkable KO ratio.

I genuinely hold Rocky Marciano in the highest regard. He is another enigma, whom I am able to appreciate, for what he was - even if some of that is unfathomable. But, I stop short of the mythologizing. Overstatement might help attract attention to a Boxer in history - but, since when did Marciano need that kind of flag-waving?