The Quality of Marciano's Opponents

He didn't have the athletic strength or speed or coordination to make it as a minor league baseball player. So, obviously he'll do the best at heavyweight boxing, which is what happens in boxing. Other sports get the talent, boxing gets the rest of what's left. Secondarierrily, what business does the National Basketball Association even have in ranking the guys who wouldn't be capable of making it into their league? It's nonsense. All of this is just nonsense.

 

You can only beat the guy in front of you. However when rating boxers we need to see at what stages of their careers the combatants were.

 

I'm not angry.

I would enjoy this thread a lot more if you'd actually, y'know, participate by responding to the things that are being said.

 

No disrespect to Marciano because based on what I read about him, he was a very great fighter who trained extremely hard and would pressure you to beat the hell out of you. But Marciano's resume isn't the greatest per se. Reason being because most of the guys he fought were old and pretty much over the hill. Obviously he did fight the top contenders and fight the competition that was available which was not his fault but doesn't change the fact that he doesn't have a strong resume.

 

I don’t think there’s very much to find by way of Marciano missing any major opponents as champion.

Moore > Valdes without question imo.

You can make an argument that he should have fought Valdes instead of Cockell but a champion isn’t obligated to fight the best possible challenger every time out, nor should he be criticized for lining up an easier one now and again.

If he hadn’t retired, there’s no reason to think his next defense wouldn’t have been against whoever out there was considered the best contender, or at least one of the best. Probably Hurricane Jackson or maybe Willie Pastrano around that time.

 

Year, old, totally shot small former greats. Rocky simply stinks.

 

Rocky's record is garbage. You can give your local bouncer a 49-0 record by letting him fight digged up corpses from the graveyard.

 

Come up with something different...

 

WOW...You really did your research judging by your comment!

 

You got to look at the Cockell fight with some context though, This was the first fight since Charles slice his nose open and it really was a test run for the nose, if it fell apart against a sharpshooter like Moore or even Valdes, the Rock would be in real trouble.

 

He doesn't need anything different. What he states spells it out in the most damning fashion.

Marciano was figuratively the tallest midget in the room. And somewhat literally, too.

 

The irony.