Would if Rocky Marciano had challenged Ingemar Johansson in Dec 1959?

I think Rocky would have lost. Too much time away from being a full time boxer. Wrong generation. He would not have been the same, and Rocky would have needed to be the same as he was in order to win.

 

Always a punchers chance but I see Marciano losing. It would be a shame cos in his prime imo he destroys Ingo.

 

Marciano was training in secret at the the Raynham...(Massachusetts)...Dog Track in 1959. The owner of the the track was a huge fan of Rocky's...and let him use the facilities any time he wanted. Rock started running again...cut down on the rich foods...did some sparring...but couldn't get into the shape...(mentally and physically)...he was in when he was champion from 1952 to 1956. He abandoned the idea of a comeback.

 

A prime Marciano tears the overrated Ingo a new one but in '59, the odds would've shifted in Johansson's favor.

 

Glad to see that a stopped clock really is right twice a day.

 

Not sure. After 3-4 years of taking it easy, I doubt if Marciano could get himself back in shape. He retired because of back pain and that was a problem for him in 1959 as well

 

Two times more than you.

 

I think he retired for a reason. And I think he remained retired for a reason.

 

Probably, but he would be cut all over tha face.

NO

 

Prime Rocky gets KO'd by Ingo.

 

If Rocky could have gotten back to anywhere near what he was when he retired, he would have stopped Ingo one way or the other. But that was an IF question that only Rocky could answer, and at the time, he only had Ingo's title winning performance before him, not the subsequent losses, so he probably had a lot more respect for Ingo. He did not have the benefit of hindsight like we do. The subsequent losses tell me that Ingo simply could not have handled the relentless attack that Marciano would have offered if he was anywhere near his best. However, the problem was human physiology. Usually when a fighter takes off 3-4 years, he comes back a shell of himself. If Rocky was 80-90% of what he once was, he still might have won, but less than that, he probably would have been outboxed. My guess is Rocky realized that he wasn't what he needed to be. He had been sitting idle for way too long to consider a successful comeback. 1-2 years, maybe, but after that, history has not been kind to the guy who is out of the ring that long.

 

Thankfully Rocky stayed retired. I am glad the Rock did not get Bongoed by the Bingo.