Contemporary evaluations of Rocky Marciano

Why? What good's power, if you're not co-ordinated enough to land it? Would you rather be quick enough to avoid getting hit or be slow as molasses and subject to long drawn out punishment? Would you rather have the chance to come from behind or be in front in the first place?

And besides, there's heavyweights with aspects of what Marciano has and more anyway.

 

Not to mention size and length...

 

Yeah, what other fighter has such touchy fans on this board? This whole air of victimisation is pretty unique for Marciano fans, I'd say.

Fans of other fighters strongly oppose when others don't agree that their guy really was unbeatable and only victim to circumstance when they actually did lose (Duran being tricked for the SRL rematch, Tyson not having the same trainer anymore, Hagler being tricked by SRL - and the whole ****ing bohoo thing), but even they don't see themselves and their boy as persecuted when others don't see their idol as they do.

 

I didn't say they were as Gifted on those areas, I said they were more gifted overall.

Ali, Holmes, Frazier, Tyson, Lewis, Wlad ect. are all physically more than Marciano, just not in terms of chin and power. Liston has a better chin (at his peak, he wasn't stopped or even rocked at his peak, only way after it or way before it), and hits harder. Foreman too, obviously. Arguably Dempsey. Vitali has the chin, and no slouch in power.

Hell, Willard has the chin to match Marciano, and you love to big his power up.

Tyson has a better chin, hits harder and is much more balanced, co-ordinated and explosive than Marciano imo.

Marciano's best attribute imo is easily his workrate.

 

Tua has a better chin and hits harder too.

 

In what way is he a special case and persecuted?

 

Honest question: What reason is there to believe that Marciano's chin was better than most other top heavyweights'?

I think plenty of power-punching heavyweights of later years probably hit as hard or harder than Marciano.

Marciano's most underappreciated physical gift is whatever cardiovascular gift allowed him the stamina and endurance to retain his punching power and volume so late into his fights, imo (and no, I don't buy that it was just a product of his legendary training regime and commitment to fitness. Plenty of boxers who work as hard as him don't get those results).

 

That's coz you're a fanboy. Can you honestly see a shot Marciano coming off countless stretches of inactivity going that far with Lewis, taking that amount of punishment?

Actually, I think I know the answer to that. Don't bother, I've made my point.