Rocky Marciano vs. Bob Fitzsimmons

Look at the difference in Ring Science, technique, movement, fluidity between these fighters
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qr0FaBLnsIk[/ame]


and these


[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhljVYJ9NKQ[/ame]

 

Yes, Fitz is going to crumble against Marciano's Suzie Q when he's tested himself against much bigger men with huge punches of their own and stayed standing for a longer period of time? I don't think YOU realize that it wouldn't be a slugfest. Fitz would block Rocky's blows effectively and then counter back to the body and head with horrible effect.

At age 33 Fitz was knocking guys with 60lbs on him dead yet Marciano is going to knock him dead? Hmmm.

Rocky's ring science is nothing great. He is an effective slugger swarmer hybrid with great stamina, will to win, and a great punch. And I think Fitzsimmons can handle that pressure given the challenges he faced. Yet somehow he stands 0 chance against a guy that was considered crude even in his own time(even if you think there was HUGE boxing evolution in styles from then and now, and i do)?

 

He had less trouble with LaStarza? A lot of people thought he lost to LaStarza (their first fight). Marciano won by SD. He did drop LaStarza in the 4th but he lost round 8 due to low blows. He stopped LaStarza in 11 of their rematch. He stopped Layne in 6.

Anyway, Moore and Charles had more talent than LaStarza and Layne... that's why they were better... no other reason.

 

Don't forget Louis too. Big Joe would have knocked the crap out of Layne in 51, and I think he would have jabbed lastarza to death.

I think Fitzsimmons would lose to Archie Moore, Jersey Joe Walcott, Ezzard Charles, and even old Joe Louis. Louis would have about a 45lb weight advantage on fitzsimmons and fitz never faced a big man who could jab like Louis. Even as old as Joe was. Fitz low lands, wide punches, lean back style, and lack of head movement would get him killed in there.

 

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFcqGGMPc3k&feature=related[/ame]

 

well its good to know that you've let your fanboyism run you out of an argument, i guess

Fitzsimmons KO9 Marciano

 

Fitz had a gun, and was willing to use it on Corbett. Wyatt Earp was smart enough to bring his own gun to keep a furious Bob in line when issuing a spurious DQ in the first bout with Tom Sharkey. Would Rocky, Goldman, Weil, Colombo and company have the sense to pack heat before Marciano tried taking Fitz on? Rocky's Army training might give him the edge in a shootout.

 

You have to remember that with Fitzsimmons we're not talking about a regular man, he defies logic. In 1893 he knocked out 7 men in a single night. 7 men in under 19 rounds, all weighing over 200lbs one of whom weighed in at 6'7" 240. That's Lennox Lewis size. Like Langford you have to come to the conclusion that he is one of those men who has the dynamite to overwhelm almost any man given the chance.

That includes Marciano, most certainly.

 

this would resemble tua defeating ruiz fitz doesnt make it past 30 seconds hes not a boxer hes just a good, solid bare knuckle labourer

 

When you research a fighter of Fitzsimmons vintage, it is inevitable that your opinions about them will change.

It seems that everybody who researches Fitzsimmons, whatever position they started from, becomes increasingly overawed by his finishing ability. The more you read, the more chillingly the assesments of Nat Fleischer seem to ring true.

Just about the only thing we can be sure of when comparing Fitzsimmons to fighters from other eras, is that his finishing ability would make him dangerous to prety much anyone.

 

Not necessarily the vintage, for example I feel that I'm not as enthused by Corbett as I once was. I think Boilermaker made a reference to fitzsimmons research as going "down the rabbit hole"... I agree. The more you read up on him, the more caveats you find, the higher he rises. I made a comment about him putting marciano in his grave with a punch facetiously but he did kill two men in sparring and one in the ring... And his durability and punch accuracy, technique, and timing are reinforced time and time again by accounts.

Which is why I believe his "gap in technique" doesnt hurt him as much as people think when it boils down to the fact that if you let him hit any of your vital points with one of his big punches he'll put you in a world of ****.

 

It's too bad that the Ruhlin footage hasn't surfaced. Instead of watching Fitz try to box with a cleverer, faster boxer in Corbett we could have footage of "fast exchanges" and a hitting match that shows a past prime fitzsimmons dismanting a much bigger, younger man.

 

This is actually one hell of a fight.

Rocky is in many ways one of the toughest obstacles for Fitz to meet. He has a non stop work rate and more importantly a non stop Defence. His hands are always held high, and he is always setting and hitting. Technique wiese, I think he might be the best fighter Fitz has ever faced. The question Fitz needs to solve is how to break down that modern defence, because you know exactly what Rocky is going to do, it is just that you need to do something.

I really am not sure what Fitz would do and how he would counter Rocky, but you would have to think that Fitz would be capable of landing cleanly and precisely on such a predictable target. It also shouldnt be forgotten that despite Fitz being the lighter man (and as Janitor said earlier, this is not necessarilly the case, if some of the reported stories about his weight in later fights are believed). but there is no denying that Fitz will have a quite reasonable reach advantage.

This means that it is likely that Fitz will be able to land the straight lefts and rights on marciano when he comes in. It is hard to give a prediction in this one, but if we assume parity of era's across the board, Fitz was a lot more dominant than Marciano was of all of his opponents except Jeffries. Fitz KOd his marciano clone Sharkey with relative ease, whereas Marciano probably never got a chance to fight a Fitz Clone, but he did fight an all time great former light heavy (2 actually) and KOd them, so beating an all time great light heavyweight was not out of his league.

At the current time, i think i go with Fitz to KO Marciano, because of Marciano's predictability and i think Fitz will plan what he has to do and do it. I am guessing that this KO will be around the 5th to 8th round. And certainly dont think it has anything to do with Marciano's chin or lack of power. I also can see why others would legitimately argue for a Marciano win, even a relatively early one. These are two all time greats and it is a toss up fight.

 

For those who doubt Fitzsimmons chin, remember that he taunted Ruhlin letting him take clean shots at his chin!