Whose the best heavyweight RJJ could have beaten?

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=2481103

With one deep-dish beauty of a right hand at 43 seconds of the 13th round, Rocky Marciano almost tore the head off defending champion Jersey Joe Walcott, knocking his crown off in the process -- a crown he had worn securely for the previous 12 rounds.

It was a right hand that had traveled no more than 6 inches and yet it reached back 70 years, to the first modern heavyweight champion,"The Boston Strongboy," John L. Sullivan. And with it, Marciano became not only the first heavyweight champion to come from the same New England area as Sullivan, but the first man to ascend to the heavyweight throne with a perfect record since Sullivan had accomplished the same feat seven decades before.

For 12 rounds the so-called "Brockton Blockbuster" hardly had seemed like the world-beater the betting fraternity had thought he was when they made him a 9-5 favorite. The same firepower that had ended the career of Joe Louis, stopped Harry "Kid" Matthews, and sent Carmen Vingo to the hospital was totally ineffective in stopping Jersey Joe.

Right from the opening bell, Walcott made a liar out of the naysayers who said that he was too old and no match for "The Rock." Throwing his powerful left hook -- the same left hook that had taken out Ezzard Charles the previous year and decked Joe Louis -- Walcott floored Marciano early in the first round, the first time in his 43-fight professional career that Rocky had ever been down. Up at the count of four ("I got up fast because I was more mad at myself than hurt," Marciano was to say later), Marciano looked hurt. Eschewing his patented shuffle, the 198-pound Walcott went right back to the attack, swarming all over the 184-pound challenger who tried to swap punches with his adversary.

The second round was more of the same with Walcott on the attack, even planting a left hook somewhere south of the border of Marciano's belt line, adding to the challenger's discomfiture.

Rocky, trying to stem the tide of battle and turn around the momentum, came out for Round 3 in a deep crouch as his manager, Al Weill, substituting in his corner for trainer Whitey Bimstein, kept up a staccato of "Keep down low … keep down low." But again Walcott found his way through the challenger's defense, landing another clean left to the chin. But despite repeating meetings of his chin with the champion's punches, Marciano showed that even though he lacked polish and finesse, he possessed a chin of granite and a heart to match as he came back to exchange shots with Walcott after the bell ending the third.

By Round 6 "The Rock" had taken the battle to Walcott and made him fight his kind of fight, backing the champion to the ropes and unloading with both hands. Marciano suffered a deep gash on his head and Walcott a cut eyelid during one of their impromptu -- but more than occasional -- clashing of heads. As the bell rang, blood was flowing freely from Walcott's damaged left eye and the end looked imminent for the oldest champion ever to defend his crown.

This content is protected

This content is protected

This content is protected

This content is protected

By the end of the 12th round, Walcott was in total control. Ahead on all three scorecards (7-4-1, 7-5, and 8-4), all he had to do was last another nine minutes. He fell short by eight minutes and 17 seconds.

With just 30 seconds gone in the 13th round and with no punches thrown in the round thus far, Walcott unexplainably backed away from Marciano into the ropes, where he began to launch a right hand of his own. However, at that exact moment Marciano launched his own, a short punch that traveled no more than 12 inches, as hard a punch as ever seen, catching Walcott flush on the jaw as he caromed off the ropes. As a grazing follow-up left, thrown for good measure, almost as a "thank-you-m'aam" punch, went over the head of the soon-to-be-ex-champion, Walcott slowly slipped to the canvas, one arm hooked over the middle ring rope in a grotesque imitation of a religious fanatic in prayer. Referee Charley Daggert counted 10 over the prostrate form; he could have counted to 100, it would have made no difference.

Back in his dressing room, where there was more back-slapping going on than could be found at a Shriner's convention, the thoroughly exhausted Marciano greeted his well-wishers while over in one corner his father, Peter Marchegiano, wept. "I'm proud … I'm proud," he said, over and over again.

So too were Marciano's many other fans who couldn't make it into his dressing room, but stayed in the ring, hooting and hollering. They had all won. Everyone that is except Marciano, who had lost a pair of trousers in the bedlam to some souvenir hunter and had to leave Municipal Stadium in a bathrobe thrown over him. For though he now wore the crown, he wasn't wearing any pants.

 

Yeah Jones is noted for his rubbish chin too but that only came after his move back down, was he ever knocked down pre Tarver? I dont know.

Patterson was renowned for getting knocked down if not knocked out. The era he fought in was just before the heavies got bigger, pre Liston the guys he fought just wern't especially big men. Jones is power is something of an unknown given he only had 1 fight so there is a lot of conjecture here, but id still give him a good chance of KO'ing Patterson.

 

:rofl:rofl:rofl

He was actually renowned for speed, power, athleticism and fighting at a size disadvantage.

 

the clowns are at it again on the classic boards. jones and marciano were the same size when jones fought at light heavy. with day before weigh-ins, jones and marciano would both be around 185. all due respect to marciano but jones completely outclasses rocky imo.

the only look at heavy we had of jones was when he was 34. ali at that age was in his post-manila career. i think jones wins the matchup at this point in their careers much in the way jimmy young deserved the decision over ali.

 

The difference in size between Jones and Marciano is that Marciano's walk around weight when he was in his prime was 210-220. This is not the case with Jones. They are both 5'11, Marciano has a massive advantage in power, strength, chin, and overall durability. Marciano still holds advantages in stamina and work rate. Jones has the advantage in speed, defense, accuracy, and overall reflexes.

The main issue for Roy in this fight is that he does not have the tools to keep Marciano off of him, and he does not have the chin to take Marciano's best shots. He has been put out cold more than once by lesser punchers than Rocky, and Rocky is known for his spectacular one punch knock outs that left his oponent unconcious for periods of time that are much longer than 10 seconds.

Jones will look good for a bit, but he is eventually going to get hit, and when he does, it will not end well for him.

 

No, it's outlandish. Both had funky chins. Yet, Patterson could actually fight. That's where he gets the win. Come on, Griffin defeated Jones with a textbook approach. Patterson could do nearly the same but with an explosive KO punch.

 

Based on that last comment I know you barely know a thing. Jones had only speed. It would be like trying to favor Kirkland Laing over everybody because he was insanely fast. No dice.

 

Right ok.

Jones had much more then speed, he had timing, accuracy and explosive power.

 

mid seventies Ali. The question asks "could" and I see a real chance there.

 

Holyfield

 

Spinks maybe, calling rest inferior is not a realistic evaluation.

 

:blood

Holyfield at his HW best would beat the dog**** out of Jones, friend. Hell the CW version would too.

 

The light heavyweight version of Holy would probably be outclassed though.

 

sure.

I can't stop laughing at that Noner.

 

I imagine that's something SNV's never heard before. :hey Probably more like "I can't stop being frightened by that Noner! :yikes"

For the record, his Noners are about the same size as the actual Winona Ryder. NYSAC confirmed.