If Rocky didn't retire when he did, who do you think would have been the first guy to beat him?

He beats who?
If you meant Patterson, idk to be honest.,by then Marciano s that age when the body starts maybe let him down, especially someone with Rocks style of fighting.
Perhaps it's Patterson s ideal moment.
Then again with Floyd s chin and inexperience, maybe he ends up another Marciano ko victim.

 

That bad back was going to cause an immediate loss. that back and Patterson's speed would have been a very difficult fight to win.

 

If you put a gun to my head, probably Eddie Machen.

It would probably not happen how people expected it to, because these things rarely do!

 

Machen was poor version of Ezzard charles with less chin,less strenght and less skills!He would never be big problem for Rocky not even at that age!

 

Still undefeated till 1958. Rocky KOs Patterson, no way his chin can withstand Rocks 2 fisted bombs

 

Old Marciano and Floyd would have been an interesting match. Speed and finesse versus brute force. Eventually Floyd’s chin let’s him down. Who knows how motivated Marciano would have been by then? Maybe Floyd Machen or Johnson beats him. Can’t see Baker or Valdez winning. I think he retired at the right time. By that point like many fighters he lost his edge to train and had back problems.

 

When a swarmer starts to lose it, they lose it very quickly.

Machen would have been around at the right time, and would have had the right style to capitalize upon this.

Then again, who knows who would have finally done it.

It might well have been somebody that we would never even have expected!

 

Well Machen was knocked by Ingo in 1st round and by Frazier late and Rocky punched harder than them!
Also
Marciano had a mix of Swarmer and Slugger but people only give Marciano credit for his Swarmer style when in fact he put 100% of his power behind each punch, sounds a bit like a slugger. Thing about a Swarmer is there often in more of a crouch and is trying to wear his opponent down and then KO the other guy. I couldn't really put slugger into terms into my mind so i turned to good old Wikipedia- Brawler If the out-fighter represents everything classy about boxing, the brawler (also known as the 'slugger', 'hard hitter' or 'one puncher') often stands for everything that's wrong with the sport. Hmm the bold sounds like Marciano - but yet Sluggers oftne don't have the Stamina to go beyond at most 7 rounds without beginning to lose some edge- examples-George Foreman,Sonny Liston,and I believe Earnie Shavers as well. So Marciano is hybrid between Slugger and Swarmer because he shows Many Slugger Attributes, and yet has the stance (somewhat) and Stamina of a Swarmer. Any way getting back to what we were talking about, what they're doing is taking fighters from different periods in their careers and comparing them to Prime marciano, to be honest Prime to Prime I give Marciano a chance with anybody that ever fought, does that mean I think he could win against any fighter no. The reason I give Marciano the edge is because he had unmatched Heart, His stamina gave him the ability to go many many rounds throwing his best punches and taking punishment and still be fresh, and finally his punching power was great and in both hands. He had KO power in either hand.

 

Yer, I kinda agree with this. I don't see Machen actually beating Rocky then, but I do see him maybe taking him in to the latter round s. Eventually tho, Marciano catches up with him and batters him to the floor.
Thing is, only so much that Marciano can keep doing.
Even if hrd beaten Patterson and maybe Machen, someday would have come, that time catches up to him and he loses to maybe a guy that, in his prime, Rocky would have bulldozed over.

 

OK, lets say that I am wrong, and he get's past Machen.

In that scenario, I could imagine it going to somebody who would have been seen as an even longer shot.

The longer things go on, the more it turns on who gets him at the right time.

 

People talk about power and chin way too much. Marciano was good because of his stamina and determination more than his power. Old guys like Walcott, Moore, Louis couldn't keep up to his pace. Patterson would be able to keep pace with Marciano and outbox him, at least early.

A Marciano with a bad back had to adapt and he didn't have as much power because you get your power from your back, so he had to become more of a swarmer.

The thing is does De Amato put a 21yo Patterson in with Marciano? He put him in with Archie, so he might but he may hold off a year or so and look for Marciano to slow down.

Lastly I think people tend to underestimate Patterson because of his losses and overrated Marciano because of his undisputed record. His technical ability, speed and defense was exceptional for a 180lb fighter. The thing was the 180lb champion was becoming a thing of the past, it never happened again.

But just look at his performance against Moore, Jackson, Machen, Cooper and the Ingo rematch. Punch perfect dominant displays against top contenders who were similar in size to Marciano. Patterson was more dominant than Rocky against Archie and Patterson was a better version of Ezzard Charles who won 7 rounds out of 15 against Marciano.