Marciano was supposed to fight a series of exhibitions in the state of Maine in early 1952. A man by the name of Peter Fuller...(who became very successful in the auto industry)..was a good friend of Marciano's...and was also an amateur boxer. He was going to spar with Rocky on the tour. He phoned Marciano before the trip and told Rocky he wouldn't be able to make it because he was going to try to make the US boxing team for the Olympics and didn't want to lose his amateur status. Rocky wished him luck..and thought he would have to cancel the tour. His brother Sonny Marciano said he would fill in for Fuller for the exhibitions so they wouldn't have to cancel. Sonny fought under the names of Pete Fuller & Tony Zullo. The tour was sold out...but the Maine boxing commission found out...and Rocky was suspended for 30 days.
In 1978,JET Magazine polled 31 black sportswriters..and asked them to name the 5 best Heavyweight Champions ...they said... 1.) Ali... 2.) Joe Louis... 3.) Jack Johnson... 4.) Jack Dempsey... 5.) Rocky Marciano....(they also said that Marciano was the most aggressive and determined man to hold the title)
Its food for thought for those saying he will quit against Marciano , because he sustained a broken jaw in the 4th rd of that fight ,but instead of quitting struggled on for the further 4 rds and lost a split decision.Plus he was having his 8th fight against a man having his 26th! Far from its being a negative, I take that fight as a huge positive for Liston! !
Its food for thought for those saying he will quit against Marciano because he sustained a broken jaw in the 4th rd of that fight ,but instead of quitting struggled on for the further 4 rds and lost a split decision.Plus he was having his 8th fight against a man having his 26th! Far from its being a negative, I take that fight as a huge positive for Liston!
I merely demonstrated how disingenuous and loaded your questions were, and how its child's play to emulate them!
He KO's Patterson in one round in '62...does the same thing in 1963...and then QUITS on his stool against the light hitting Cassius Clay in Miami in 1964....and then..well..we all know what happened in Maine in May 1965! Refusing to go out on his shield in Miami...and then the dive in Maine CERTAINLY hurts his legacy!!! It's what you do as the champ that defines who you are and your standing in boxing history! It's easy to pick & choose the best of Liston early in his career...but it's when the chips are down and how the fighter reacts is whats important! On the biggest stage in sports...with the biggest prize in sports...the Heavyweight title on the line...Sonny crapped the bed! When Archie Moore was being pounded near the end of his fight with Marciano in Sept.1955...the ref asked him if he had enough. Moore told the ref..."I too, am a champion!" Archie went out on his shield. When Rocky's nose was split open down to the bone against Charles in the second fight in Sept.1954...they begged the ref & doctors not to stop the fight..they let it go one more round...Rocky stormed out...KO'd Charles and kept the title! No QUIT in Marciano.
I merely demonstrated how disingenuous and loaded your questions were, and how its child's play to emulate I'm taking Liston's account of the fight.When you say Marshall floored Liston you are in exactly the same position but you have no trouble accepting that and splashing it over the forum . Dishonest? Deceitful?
Liston did nothing as champion....you can pick and choose the time frame that you like.....but as champ...he did Nada...Zippo...Zilch...
Wow! I thought this would be closer. It was 14-12 in favor of Liston when I first posted. Liston is up 14-3 since then. I figured that Liston would get the edge, but not by a 2-1 representation. Sad that this has devolved to "Liston is a quitter" and "Marciano is to small" rather than an evaluation of their skills and styles and how it would play out. Oh well
Liston went into the first Ali fight with just over 4 minutes of boxing under his belt in the previous 2 years,he was facing the consensus no1heavywegiht of all time.How old he was will always be a matter of conjecture,as will how Marciano would have done in the same situation. Marciano was lucky to get the decision over a177lbs journeyman who had lost his last7 fights and had 49 losses on his sheet!Reports say he had Marciano on the verge of a ko early in that fight.Any177lbs journeyman ever have Liston on the verge of a ko? Have you ever considered that, had Liston got his chance at the title earlier,against Floyd or Ingo ,he might have racked up defences against,Machen,Williams Harris,Folley,DeJohn,Patterson,Johannson? Or are you just a Rockista Fan Boy who cant see the wood for the trees?
Whom would you say would be best suited by the respective style of the other? Liston against a small, short armed bleeder,whom he out weighs by 27lbs? Marciano against a man 3 inches taller 27lbs heavier who outreaches him by16inches and more than matches him for power? Who stylistically is favoured here?
How would Rocky have done if his second title defense was against a 22 year old Clay? At that point his greatest accomplishments would have been tipping over an old mummy and beating some white clods like Layne and Matthews.
