Ignorant comment. At contention and championship level, Mexican referees are excellent: careful with the rules and empathetic to the hurt fighter.
I think that all the dominant linear heavyweight champions were great. Each in their own way proved themselves. However, if one examines the reigns of even the most dominant champions in history under the same microscope that is only ever used when assessing Rocky Marciano it proves that (if you want to) you can make even the greatest reigns appear flimsy at best. You can make as many cases for all champions being DQ'd in title fights. Dempsey hitting guys when down AND trying to get up. Ali did this to bonavena. joe louis knocking out buddy baer AFTER the bell. george foreman standing over joe roman and crouching so he could hit roman when he was laying on his back. ingo hitting patterson from behind. liston holding and hitting patterson. max baer hitting carnera after the fight was stopped. Holmes thumbing, heeling and elbowing. holyfeilds "accidental" headwork etc,etc,etc..........
Marciano was rough but I have not seen any evidence of clearly intentional fouling on his part. This is terrible fouling: [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64lRoSTA-FQ[/ame] And this is a very late punch on a man supported only by the ropes: [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1MLbMudXIM[/ame] Lastly, an example of hitting an opponent while they're down: [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-yNYco5PF4[/ame] 5:15 Marciano looks a saint in comparison.
You could make a similar statement about Bowe in his first fight with Holyfield. And we all know Holy himself liked to use his head more than is perfectly legal.
Yeah, Marciano was severely rusty and losing the early goings. Franky, I don't think much of Lastarza. His heart never seemed to be in the fight game, as though he were a mere athlete performing a sport. And his skills, though sufficient, weren't great.
You can't really blame a boxer for hitting someone when their out on the ropes, they are focusing 100% on punching a target, its natural to punch their opponent, trying to analyse their opponents well being doesnt come into the equation, thats the refs job
Cant blame a fighter for having killer instinct Marciano was in all rights because Walcott was not down, Emile Griffith laid a barrage on Benny Paret when his arm was hooked on the ropes and it was fatal but the Ref was napping. Mercer and Cooney kept punching but a lot of that is adrenaline. The ref can not stop a man from hitting unless he stops the fight...Marciano was a killer in the ring but his elbows were subtle....Ali used to hold on the neck, Holmes was a master at the thumb in the eye and Lennox and Holyfield were great at using the head...Sam Peter got away with deliberate Rabbit punching
Now this is dirty boxing: [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2DWswsfpmI[/ame] The two vocal foes gleefully hurled insults at each other through the press for weeks prior to the bout. On July 2nd, 1940, at Roosevelt Stadium in New Jersey, they touched gloves in what came to be called "The Battle of the Bums". The press was not enthused, and reported that "two tired, fat old fighting men slugged each other into a state of utter exhaustion out on the Jersey marshes last night, and finally one of them, Tony Galento, was unable to go on any longer." The two fighters and the referee apparently tossed out the Marquis of Queensbury rules altogether. Backhanding, elbows, thumbs and head butts were common. Ray Arcel, ringman for Max Baer, said that while Max was a good-natured clown who never disliked anyone, "he hated Galento with a vengeance. He really wanted to kill him. In the ring, the two of them were cursing so much, people in the cheap seats could hear the most vile obscenities." Max later said "I'm sorry they stopped the fight. Every time I hit him and the blood squooshed out it was music to my ears. That's one guy I hate and I'd like to have flattened him."
This is an interesting thread ,the British press were pretty scathing about Marciano after the Cockell fight, and his name was mud among the UK public , that I do recall. Marciano claimed he didn't hit Cockell after the bell ,or hit him low ,when Peter Wilson ,who wrote boxing for The Daily Mirror ,showed him the fight he was embarrassed.I certainly think Rocky would have been DSQ'd in the UK, for his offences in the Cockell fight ,but the referee never even warned him, having said that Cockell was severely out of his depth against the Brockton Blockbuster. I haven't seen the Lastraza rematch for some years ,as I remember it Rocky was a bit wayward with his head, I can't remember a punch when Lastarza was down, but no doubt that is due to a faulty ,aging memory.
eamonn andrews said marciano played a different game than don cockell which was true but cockell never complained.tommy farr said cockell should have "set about marciano"
Yes Farr, talking to A J Leibling was pretty dismissive of Cockell's effort ,but of course Cockell ended Farr's comeback, [ he was skint], with a 7th rd stoppage,Farr was 40 years old.
yeah it could have been sour grapes but i think if rocky had fouled farr, he'd have been butted back.
The British press is funny when it comes to there own, Like if Marciano did not fight the roughhouse American Style Cockell would have had a chance. The man got bombasted by a right hand to the head. Its not just the English if the fight was in Italy they would have looked to stop it for rough fighting, that is the European mentality when it does not come to there own. The Americans can take a win and a loss but the Brits are always looking for an excuse. I remember Marvin Hagler vs Minter...Not only did Marvin have to fight Minter but every can and bottle in the audience. It was OK to let OLD Henry bleed and when Lewis took up there flag and dropped the Canadian he could do no wrong. I respect there loyalty but the press and the fans can be tough if your not one of there own.
He didn't hit him when he was down. It was the same situation as the Walcott fight, LaStarza was on the ropes, but Marciano hit him with a right uppercut that sent him through them. [YT]Wb71T96muxs[/YT]