70s Ali vs. Rocky Marciano

These are tired old points and quite refutable… I however will not, I don’t care that much lol.

 

I favor 60s Ali due to his great speed combined with condition + physical advantages.
I think I still favor early 70s Ali as well, but not after 75 (I'm not sure about 73 to 75).
It's easy to favor Ali when you consider his physical advantages, plus Rocky's susceptibility to cuts. Then you think of the shorter, older Walcott (who was in great shape though), who gave Rocky all he could handle in their first fight, or Charles I.
On paper, it's not hard to make Ali the clear favorite.

But overall, I think it's not as clear-cut as some people may think. You also never really know with Ali... issues with Jones and Cooper (yeah, I know he was young), but then defeated the seemingly invincible Sonny Liston.
70s Ali beat Foreman but lost to Norton. Bonavena, who in my opinion didn't have the raw power as a peak Marciano, still gave Ali a pretty tough fight until Ali landed his left hook. He didn't knock out 6'0" Rudi Lubbers in 73, and he didn't stop the Bayonne Bleeder—Chuck Wepner on cuts.

I don't want to make Ali seem worse than he is. He was one of the greatest boxers ever.
I just mean, you can never know for sure without a real fight. Every boxer is different, every fight is different, and styles match up differently. Rocky came from a smaller generation, but comparing those 2 ATGs is a whole different thing than matching up Ali with fighters like Lubbers, Weppner or London or whoever. I think it's way more unpredictable. And why should Rocky be an easier opponent than Norton, Young, Shavers or Spinks?

Rocky was always in top shape (unlike Ali in the 70s). He was as determined as one could be, tough as nails, and not the best heavyweight of his era for no reason. And last but not least, Ali had great respect for Marciano.

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There are very few versions of Ali I give Rocky much of a chance of beating. Marciano is a legit ATG but does poorly in H2H match ups, mainly due to his size. Over the course of the fight, Marciano would take much more damage than Ali - who would find Rocky hard to miss. And if Ali needs a rest and rope-a-dopes for a round or two, are we saying Marciano hits harder than Foreman? Because Big George launched bomb after bomb at a stationary Ali and couldn't make a dent. If Ali is stationary for most/all of the fight then Marciano has a decent chance but I can't see Muhammad doing that. He'll sticking and moving for chunks of it, spamming that right cross and tying up and leaning all over the smaller Rocky. Marciano has his moments but can't land consistently enough.

Ali by competitive UD

 

Agree with every word of this.

 

Smart knowledgeable post.

 

I don't see Rocky beating any versions of Ali until maybe 75 or later. Rocky never beat a prime, athletic opponent with half of Ali's skill and heart, while Ali beat multiple determined fighters of Rocky's caliber who also happen to have been larger and more explosive.

The odds are heavily in Ali's favor, not to mention the stylistic and speed issues. Fake computer fight aside, Rocky had never seen that combination of footwork+hand speed and was in awe of an ancient Walcott and the decent but not very remarkable Lastaeza (both of whom he went life and death with).

Anytime I envision this fight, I see Rocky being blinded by that sharp cobra jab over and over, eating a right cross, and being tied up and forced to reset multiple times for multiple rounds. To be blunt, Rocky would be fortunate to merely land glancing body blows and nothing upstairs the first round or so, and would have to either cover up/dip to the side to avoid punishment or be willing to grit his teeth and take a hit to land anything solid. By the time Rocky is able to mount a significant offense and make adjustments, Ali would be up by at least 4-5 rounds. Rocky would not only be behind on points, his face would already have some significant damage. Ali could be quite mean and surgical targeting the same spot with his vicious laser attacks as seen with guys such as Cooper or Quarry. I see Rocky finally landing some heavy shots by the mid rounds and maybe stunning Ali a few times and getting some points here and there, but again Ali is commanding a significant lead, continuing to cause major damage via swelling/cuts, and is staying in the fight potentially stealing the momentum back with sways, counters, footwork, and flurries.

By rounds 10-11, Rocky's shorts would be stained with blood and he'd have trouble seeing out his left eye. By rounds 13-14, his shorts would resemble a Matador's red cape and his nose and lips busted. Rocky is doing everything in his power to land one big miracle punch and has connected a few times with some hellacious blows to Ali's mid section and some strong hooks and right hands to the head, but Ali stands determined and is teeing off. A pull counter right hand knocks Rocky's mouth piece out whilst making the Brockton bruiser stumble and unable to defend himself from the onslaught of rapid fire whipping blows before the ref stops it.

 

Agreed.