Rocky Marciano vs David Tua

Nothing you posted there helped your case. Tua can eat all the punches he wants. It won’t help him land anything. Being 225 is not a skill. Nor does it help if you can’t use it properly. They’re leagues apart.

 

Rocky style plays right into Tua's favour. Rocky is the far greater fighter but this is an awful fight for him style-wise, Tua by knockout.

 

Weight isn't a skill but it matters. If you had slower lesser puncher land on Marciano and put him down, how would Tua not ?

 

No, the difference is that the guys that Marciano is stopping are contenders, and the guys that Tua is stopping are not.

 

Did you never consider that the reverse is also the case?

I mean where does the idea of tua being this indestructible wrecking machine come from?

He essentially only proved his credentials as a puncher against B and C level opposition,

 

Cruiserweight contenders(lol)

Let's agree to disagree. I think Tua is all wrong for him like the majority of the voters here.

 

Who was slower and lesser a puncher? Lol Walcott and Moore were both faster then more accurate then Tua and probably hit just as well. They knocked out better competition.

 

I think I would take a guy who proved his credentials against small heavyweights who were actually elite, over one who proved his credentials against big fighters who were not the best or brightest around.

Or are you arguing that beating big mediocre opponents, is more impressive than beating brilliant smaller opponents?

 

Thats why multiple sub 200 pounders have been dominating the division recently. Oh wait.

 

They may not dominate the division, but they dominate the big fighters who are not the best in the division.

You might as well be arguing that a win over Julius Francis, is more impressive than a win over Michael Spinks, because he is a "real heavyweight."

Size matters, but it is not the only thing that matters.

Is a win over an elite cruiserweight, more impressive than a 240 pound fringe contender.

Absolutely.

 

This is false.

Walcott from the Marciano fight and Tua had roughly the same handspeed as Tua was a level above him in terms of combination punching. Walcott wobbled and dropped Marciano a bit after and both times they were exchanging in the pocket.

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Now here's a video showcasing Tua's handspeed against Hasim Rahman.

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And Tua hit WAAYYYY harder than Walcott

 

What sub 200 pounder has recently dominated even at the journeyman level ?

I need examplesn and Holyfield, Hunter, Haye and Usyk were all over 200lb on fight night.

 

Because they had to be to fight at heavyweight, or the fight wouldn't be sanctioned.

Are you suggesting that Usky at 199lbs, couldn't beat guys outside the heavyweight top ten?

do you think that there aren't light heavyweights who could do it?

 

Tua was a Ring top 10 guy. He beat Rahman, Maskaev, Oquendo, and Ruiz. Admittedly a couple of them earlier in their careers. Drew in a second fight with Rahman, who was a contender and minor champion himself. Fought a slugfest with Ibeabuchi that showed the two weren't that far apart in ability. Ibeabuchi went on to beat Byrd, and was also regarded as a good contender.

It's not like Tua is in a totally different stratosphere from champions. He's a ranked contender who fought competitively with other ranked contenders. He's the kind of guy that champions are supposed to defend their belts against. Tua's badly overrated, yeah, but it's not like this thread is entitled "Rocky Marciano vs Abraham Okine."

 

Usyk doesn't weigh 199 on fight night. Most cruiserweights including top cruiserweights nowadays rehydrate to 205-215 pounds. Even at cruiserweight these guys are heavyweights. And light heavyweights are actually the guys that rehydrate to around the size of Marciano. I would not favor Beterbiev or Bivol to even beat guys like Eric Molina, Breazeale or Kevin Johnson. Even if they could they would get atomized by Tua. You can call Tua overrated but he was a legitimate world class fighter in the 90s with devastating power and a proficient combination puncher and has wins over Rahman and Maskaev, and former champions like Ruiz and Moorer