So Fitzsimmons gets destroyed 2x by Jeffries yet he has a shot vs Louis and Marciano?

I'd say Rocky did train for a 20 round fight, he had insane stamina. There was nothing to take away. In the 15th round against Charles he threw a hundred punches and was smiling afterwards.

Regardless in a 20 round bout it's often more about pacing than conditioning. It's not like O'Donnell or Maher were extremely lean, I'd say their fighting weights reflect their size pretty much. Marciano on the other hand came down from 200+ pounds to make 185 through rigorous conditioning which lasted for months.

O'Donnell was around 175-180 in his prime and was KO'd 4 times in the first round by Maher. Neither Maher or Choynski were known for their punch resistance either. You must admit that it's surprising McCoy could stun Sharkey so badly.

Marciano out of training looked like good-sized heavyweight for his time, and not just overweight. Clearly bigger than Floyd Patterson atleast. Tom Sharkey at only 5'8, one of the shortest among heavyweights, and ability to make 175 with relative ease doesn't compare to him in size. Durable guy, who was strong for his size and hit fairly hard, but he wasn't the Rocky Marciano of the 19th century.

 

Regarding Maher's weight and size overall, I will defer to Matt Donnellon. He wrote the bio on the man and has probably forgotten more about Maher than we will ever know.

Matt, you out there buddy? What's the scoop on Maher's weight?

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I made a sig!

 

It was too good to pass up. If I could I'd have the entire dialogue of you being called a pernell whitaker dicksucker in there.

 

Sharkey has a stocky build, Marciano is leaner. I don't think having a physique like his is necessarily good for a fighter.

To be honest I think comparing Sharkey to Marciano is just a very big stretch. He was inches shorter, weighed about 10 pounds less, fought upright and was not described to have much in the way of boxing skill. That kind of a fighter was just made for a counter-punching Fitzsimmons to pick apart. Masters like Walcott and Moore found Marciano a more difficult target. It's not like he couldn't be hit, you just weren't hitting him flush on the chin.

 

I love how everyone says Marciano trained down to such and so a weight as if he really could have been just as effective at 200 or so ... Rocky was one of the smartest fighters that ever lived ... he fought at a weight because he knew he would be his best at that weight, straight up ... and that is to his credit.

As far as Fitz goes, I do believe he hit more than hard enought to flatten Rocky if he caught him right. As far as Jeffries goes I favor Rocky in a tough bout due to Rocky's work rate ... I just think Rocky outpuches him ...

 

Did Maher ever scale more than 180lbs?

 

Yeah, the idea Rocky would've came in lighter for a 25 round fight. A little crazy. The guy trained like a monk. I would like to see a variety of reports on these fighters diets and training because it's hard to imagine this is even conceivable. I seriously doubt Sharkey, with his stocky muscular looking build had superior stamina to Marciano. I would need proof through film (Which is the problem here), and not press clippings to prove or claim such a thing.

 

I agree with 90% of this up to the last sentence. Jeffries was bigger, faster, stronger, more durable, and hit harder than anyone Maricano fought. And not so easy to catch cleanly.

Rocky's chin is untested vs. Power hitters. When you consider that Charles stunned Marciano more than once on film in a 15 round war with Charles, and none of his opponents hit as hard as Jeffries did to the head or body. What happens when Jeffries connects with a good one?

Picking Marciano to win here going with him on several unknowns.

Can he wear down a much bigger stronger man who would have 35 pounds on him, and likely takes the better punch?

Can he take punches from the hardest hitter he would likely be facing?

The truth is, Marciano needed all of his intangibles, and youthfully stamina to win his matches vs. slightly past their prime to past their prime men. In the fight with Walcott, Moore, and Charles, Mariano was down on points, and floored, floored, and stunned in a sea-saw type of match.

Charles record was awful post Marciano, and Walcott never won a fight after he meet Rocky. I'm sure some would say Fitz was older too. Yes, he was, but he bounced right back after Jeffries defeated him, taking out the top guys with style, so he was not past his best, otherwise he does not do that.

 

Sharkey has the better reach. By the looks of it his legs, and chest were also bigger. Marciano was taller by about 2". Outside of height, I think the sailor had better measurements when both at peak weight.

 

Sharkey looks bigger to me, his fore arms are very meaty , he also had a barrel chest,[ Rocky's was a puny 40in] . Sailor Tom's only physical disadvantage would be in height. Power , defence,and durability, I give to Rocky.