If Ray Mercer Had Being An Opponent For Marciano?

I think at this point I should remind everyone that Mercer was fortuinate to get a decision over Ossie Occosio.

Marciano all the way.

 

Skill is a killer, James Toney 5'9 fat and untrained did well against the big guys. 5'6 Dwight Qawi landed some great shot on Foreman, 5"8 Bobby Czyz who was a middleweight with average power gave Holyfield a tougher time than Mike Tyson did. Don Cokel took a battering but kept getting up like Frazier did vs Foreman but he got stopped by Marciano.

Mercer had 2 tough fights with Jesse Ferguson lost a UD the won a SD - he tried to pay off Jesse during the fight then he drew with 7-9-2 Marion Wilson before he lost to Holyfield and Lewis. Mercer was durable but had a lazy work rate in the ring. Marciano's work rate too much.

 

Are you trying to say that Marciano was anywhere near as skilled as James Toney? Or would be anywhere near as juiced?

Qawi got summarily beat down by Foreman. That fight was never in doubt, not for a second.

Czyz? Really? We saw how he fared against Corrie Sanders.

 

Mercer was a very up and down fighter like you said he had bad performances vs Ferguson and Wilson.

But then on the flip side he came close to beating Holyfield and Lewis. Which shows he did have a higher ceiling than what he showed vs Wilson and Ferguson.

So obviously in a hypothetical match up we have both fighters at their best.

I just don't see Marciano an aggressive swarmer who's very undersized at 5'10, 185 pounds, 67 inch reach. Being effective against modern bigger and stronger Heavyweights with his type of style.

I don't think you're taking into account Mercer has a 40-50 pound weight advantage and a 11 inch reach advantage that's a massive difference.

How is a small Cruiserweight with T-Rex going to impose his will on a much bigger iron chinned brickwall like Mercer ?

Can Mercer be outboxed by smaller Heavyweights ? Absolutely I think Tunney could possibly box rings around him.

But a much smaller Cruiserweight sized fighter like Marciano trying to engage Mercer in a war by swarming him ? With a 40-50 pound weight disadvantage and a 11 inch reach disadvantage ?

I think people are reaching suggesting that's reality.

Name another Heavyweight in the last 50 years who's overcome those kind of disadvantages and won by swarming ?

And that pretty much answers the question for you.

 

The point I'm bring out is Cokel took a battering, but he got up- that beating was the highlight of his career but a horrific beating no less- Holifield vs Czyz gave us no indication that E.V. had a chance to beat Tyson (which he did pretty convincingly)

Marciano's skills very underrated because he beat some of better skilled fighters of his day.

By the way watch the Foreman-Qawi fight again, Qawi not a puncher and small guy at 5'5 or so but he landed some good clean shots on foreman - DQ was not a banger.
Food for thought.

 

And Marciano over Lowry?

 

You seem to be forgetting Mercer would be punching back. When 185 lbs of muscle collides with 225 lbs of muscle whats going to happen? Marciano had toughness and heart etc. so did Mercer one of the toughest heavies of the last century. I love Rocky but he d be outweighed by 40 lbs! He wouldn’t stand a snowballs chance in …

 

Not beatable by a slow 185 pounder.

 

Marciano would take him out late.

 

Mercer-Ferguson?

Mercer-Post 40 Holmes?

 

I don't think there has been another heavyweight that compares to Marciano- his stamina- will 2 win or puncher power in both hands and late power.
Joe Frazier came close in the FOTC, but he was really a one-handed fighter, but he dropped Big Buster Mathis like an oak tree. Marciano had 2 power hands and Frazier slacked off on his spartan lifestyle after his big payday, sudden fame and partying lifestyle.
James Toney was 5'10 and fought an inside game against Holyfield and stopped Evander with body shots, different style but he could not punch like Marciano.

The tricky thing with size if that they had big heavyweights in Marciano and Joe Louis's Day, but they couldn't make the top level and weight gain and muscle gain where not like today, so comparisons are not possible. Big heavyweights improved because of the Super heavyweight division in the amateurs but if look at Wlad Klitschko, Lennox Lewis, Tyson Fury, none of them had superheavyweight chins.

So, my point is if Marciano was born today or the big guys were born in his day there would be different circumstances, advantages and disadvantages to overcome if you could actually be born in a different era.

Speculation is fun but it's just that and the greats were great in their era.

 

The people hung up on size at the time should watch Archie Moore fights. He fought more than a few big men knocking out many of them and no one thought he hit harder than Marciano. A bigger body may help a little with body shots but I’m not sure you can find evidence it helps with your chin. People also underrate stamina more than any other attribute on this forum. Stamina is just as important as power and far more important than weight. Prime Ali was the greatest because he had the stamina and kept his speed for the whole fight. Lost it post Ali and would have to take rounds off but most would put pre Ali as the better fighter even though he was heavier later.

 

How exactly? Not with his fists.

My bigger question is how would Marciano survive against a real sized elite heavy in his prime to see the late rounds?

 

Would def be his fist and prob around 6-8

 

What's it like to live in a world of delusions?