70s Ali vs. Rocky Marciano

Fair enough but I wouldn’t compare Foremans stamina at the time which was poor to Marcianos who was pretty strong himself. Marciano also knocked out much better opposition than Cooper and craftier fighters than Ali.
Prime for prime I pick Ali I’m just saying it’s not laughable that he could theoretically hurt Or stop Ali even

 

Chuvalo didn’t have a tenth of Marcianos skill…They are not alike.

 

You recall is correct. Ali definitely comes down off his toes and slows down at times.

 

All the tricks he didn’t use? If he could’ve he would’ve in all 3 Frazier bouts, FOTC is the only one that matters and he got bashed up.

 

Now onto the topic of Marciano vs Ali… So Liston 210-215lbs can beat 250lbs HW’s but a 185lbs HW can’t beat a 215lbs HW? Good grief, look fellas Rocky would be battling up hill but Frazier fell short of him in skill, side fighting and power. It’s a good bout, Doug Jones FFS was how big… 188lbs a year off winning the title he was cutting it close with an Italian flyweight sized opponent, size here ain’t a big issue and I mean look at Bonavena? He can’t do worse than that lol.

 

71-75 was prime Ali. He beat Norton, Foreman and Frazier in that era. And he would have eaten Marciano alive, clowning him along the way to a mid-to-latter round stoppage.

 

Frazier was more skilled and much more athletically gifted than Marciano. His motor ran really hot and was designed for a slick mover. Marciano's more plodding telegraphed, off-balance approach worked just fine on older fighters, on lighter fighters, on less talent fighters but it would be a huge detriment against almost any version of Ali. Also, Ali's ring IQ by the the 70's was off the charts. Marciano had one approach and one only. Ali would eat him alive.

 

It was the closest on the cards, and the rubber match didn't even go to them.

 

Rocky's legend sure has grown over the years. That undefeated record has warped people's objectivity. Ali would have danced circles around him, and Larry Holmes was right about that jockstrap remark, a heat of the moment remark that he later publically regretted. Marciano would be lucky to make the top twenty in the 21st century.

 

Nah you’re full of it my friend, Frazier is a mess fundamentally and far inferior in terms of “skill” he fell short of Rocky in many aspects though he likely beats him because he’s a bigger and better athlete.

 

In his defense he could only beat the men in front of him.

 

Rocky was a two left feet Weeble, constantly off balance, over committed, too far forward, not under his center mess of a fighter. He just fought old men and no hope white dopes who couldn't capitalize on the complete dumpster fire that was his "skillset".

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Frazier was a quick twitch, high motor, instinctual athlete. He was awkward in the sense of his attack angles, left low and high, right low and uppercut, due to his elbow/shoulder issues in his right appendage, but he was always balanced and set for the next punch. And again he was quick twitch and reset in a lightning bolt.

 

lol no, no your last paragraph is a land away from the truth Frazier was an off balance fundamentally broken fighter who threw his left hook pushing off his front foot, hung at the waist to weave, got hit so often Futch cut his rounds short in camp.. Qawi was uncomfortable being compared to him he said Frazier was hit with everything, Marciano is showered in compliments about how hard it was to hit him hard or clean 49-0 baby! You could learn more about boxing from Marciano then you would Frazier.

 

Frazier's balance was aligned with his weapons which were not symmetrical. He was great at slipping Ali's lead right and countering. But he was always on the front foot. He had effective, very effective, front foot defense. There was no way he was going to be a Byrd type fighter.

Meanwhile, Marciano was pummeled by a one-handed old mummy in Joe Louis, a guy who wanted nothing to do with the ring but looked better at the end of his fight with Marciano.

What I learn from Joe is that genetic gifts matter. Joe had them. Rocky not so much.

 

Older Ali beats the crap out of Rocky. He dominates him and stops him late cause Ali didn’t have great power but was so much more skilled then everyone he toyed with them.