Who do you have? I personally think Louis was the greater fighter, but stylistically, Ol' Rocko definitely stylistically would of been in the fight. Either Marciano KO or Louis decision.
Probably one of the greatest fights ever. Louis one of the most skillful heavyweights ever vs Marciano, one of the most fearless and by far had the best conditioning of any heavyweight. I think their would be a trilogy easily. Both had the killer instinct today's heavyweights don't have.
Louis in his prime is in no way shape or form comparable, AT ALL, to Louis post-WW2, post-retirement, post-Ezzard... Emphasis on "AT ALL." Louis fought plenty of fighters who pressured him. No problems with almost any of them. While I fancy him a better chance then some "rising star vs. old yeller" match ups had they happened in both primes, Marciano was far from unbeatable. See: LaStarza I, Walcott I, Ezzard I. Most accounts consider LaStarza the victor of their first bout and that very faded Ezzard pushed him within a round or two.
Definitely good call, and also a good stand out for being one of the more realistic posters on this board I've noticed over time of casually reading your posts here and there. I do think Louis did have an issue with certain pressure fighters however, hence why I do believe a Rocky KO isn't out of the picture at all. But I think ultimately Louis was the better fighter, and if he could respond to the pressure effectively (not an easy task for anyone proportionately, Marciano could definitely lay it on) he would land a decision.
Prime Louis would've taken Rocky apart. Louis had BOTH feet in the grave when Rocky fought him, and still gave Marciano problems in the middle rounds with his jab.
People who say this just don't know what they are talking about or appreciate how different Joe Louis was in his prime. Even Marciano himself admitted Joe Louis was all but shot when he fought him, and he still had problems for a few rounds. I'm not saying Marciano definitely could not have beaten prime Louis, with a punch like that he was a threat to anyone. But to proclaim its the same fight and a round or two longer is just not enough respect for what prime Louis was. He was shot at this point of his career and everyone knew it. He was fighting at a heavier weight than he did for most of his career, and Marciano was only able to get to him once he tired.