1955 interview with Rocky Marciano in Collier's "in his own words": "I can remember, though, the night that Joe Louis and Jersey Joe Walcott fought for the first time and Walcott had Louis down twice but didn’t get the decision. I had had one pro fight 10 months before and I was sitting on the bed at home listening to the fight. It never occurred to me that I would be the guy to knock out Louis and retire him and then knock out Walcott and take the heavyweight championship of the world. Now that I’m champion I wonder, once in a while, if there is some other kid nobody ever heard of sitting someplace and listening to one of my fights, or watching it on television, who might, in a few years, do the same thing to me." "Unbeaten" By Mike Stanton, page 300: "But he and Rocky shared a bond that was stronger than their differences. As a scrawny boy of twelve in Louisville, Kentucky, Ali went to the gym to learn to box so that he could "whup" the person who had stolen his bicycle. His boxing dreams were inspired by Don Dunphy's voice in his transistor radio, announcing Rocky's fights from glamorous, far-off arenas. The florid voice intoned, "heavyweight champ-i-on of the world." Ali wanted to be Rocky. In 1967, on the morning of his fight against Ernie Terrell, Ali watched the film of Rocky's epic first title fight against Jersey Joe Walcott. "He'd be hell to fight," he said. "It wouldn't be no fight- it would be a war." Perhaps Rocky was undefeated because he could predict the future. Or perhaps it truly is scary how most heavyweight champions have lived the same life.
I think it's interesting to think that stuff like that basically happens in a cycle, you rise up unknown and out of the blue, beat the champ and thrive, only for you to be on the other end of the cycle when a new, younger fighter shows up
It brings me to mind of this scene. This content is protected "Let me tell you buddy there's a faster gun coming over yonder when tomorrow comes"
Holmes when he was Ali's sparring partner always thought he could get the better of Ali in a real fight and has always said that Ali fired him because he was getting too good. He didn't think Ali would have ever given him a shot at his title so it must have been secretly a dream come true when he became champ and Ali challenged him instead. Holmes publicly tells everyone that he was sad that he had to give the shot Ali such a beating and he was holding back but I think the only thing that he was sad about was Ali didn't put up more of a fight so that he could show people how good he really was and humiliate Ali with a more conclusive win rather than just like hitting a heavy bag all night. Even so Holmes didn't look like he was holding back with his shots to me. To Holmes it was fate that he would meet and beat Ali in a title fight but just not quite the way that he thought it would be.
So far Beterbiev seems to be pretty similar to Rocky. Who knows, he might end up retiring undefeated with a cleaned out division. He doesn't seem to quite have the 1 punch ko power or the mental strength/dedication of Rocco, but the similarities are apparent. Can't wait to see him fight the other 175 champs.
Not sure how much I read into that story. Every would-be fighter, by the hundreds or thousands, watched the same ascension and fall of these fighters and would be marveling to himself later about these uncanny circumstances had he been the "Chosen One" and become champion. It just happened to be Rocky, so he gets to have the surreal "well I'll be darned" moment to himself.
About the decimation thing. Seems he's back in the gym already. Not surprising since he is from Dagestan (?). Time will tell I guess.
