What if Marciano never existed?

I think that the title would almost certainly have changed hands multiple times, and we might gain a lineal champion or two.

Either Walcott would have been around a bit longer, or Charles would have regained the title.

I think it is very likely that Moore, and possibly Valdez, would have been heavyweight champion briefly.

The big winners would have been the men who held the title in the period where he tied it up.

Their legacies would be enhanced, in some cases greatly.

I have never met anybody who only cares about boxing because of Rocky Marciano.

I suspect that they would all be following the sport on some level.

 

Walcott would keep it for a bit, but I don't think he was ever going to be a long reigning champion. Rex Layne seems likely to pick it up. Maybe Archie Moore

 

This board would have 10% of its current traffic.

 

Lets see here...

Vingo's future would be interesting but ultimately not lead to championship. Would probably get beat by Layne or LaStarza on the way to the top.

Walcott's reign would be extended by maybe a year or two. Rex Layne and Roland LaStarza would be the two contenders to duke it out for the title. I'd pick Layne in that instance, especially if past prime Layne could hold LaStarza to an SD. Layne could hit with either hand and had heart.

So, Layne becomes champ after losing to Walcott once, id say. Maybe around a 40-41 year old Walcott losses to an improved Rex Layne

Walcott's title reign is extended, probably defends against guys like Matthews, LaStarza, Layne and maybe Valdes or Satterfield. Walcott may break top 10 heavies due to that for me.

Layne is a short but fun championship reign. Beats Valdes, Moore (though that'd be the toughest) and Cockell. Probably fights Baker too, might rematch LaStarza. Id pick an improved Layne with more experience and training over all.

Layne is eventually dethroned by Patterson, and thats all she wrote for Marciano's influence.

 

Did Louis have enough left in the tank to scalp some more names? With a few more decent wins and then retirement he would probably pip Ali for #1 on many lists.

 

What the heck are these white people supposed to name their dogs now? I've known dozens of dogs named "Rocky" over the years... (Says the guy with a dog named "Ezzard" haha)

But seriously, Walcott stays around a while, probably we see a tie breaker with Walcott vs Charles, hopefully the Walcott vs Moore we never got, so there will be more closure between those three, and beyond them probably a couple brief and forgettable reigns before Patterson becomes relevant on the champion scene.

 

And a far higher understanding of physics.

 

Liston, Foreman and to a certain extent Williams & Lyle would receive more worthwhile accolades.
We would never have seen the username Rockyjim.

 

very interesting,

Archie Moore--likely to be heavyweight champion for 2 to 3 years in the mid-fifties.

Walcott--probably holds the title for another year or two.

Charles--I don't know as he was already coming off two losses to Walcott if he gets another shot. Probably gets a shot at Moore off his three earlier victories over Archie, but likely loses.

Joe Louis--he might have won a few more. His career likely would have been ended by Walcott or Moore. A fight with Layne would probably have come off somewhere along the line. I would pick him, but an upset by Layne is possible.

Rex Layne--might have become champion but I doubt it. A fight with old Louis rather than Marciano might have been in the cards, and if Layne won it, his stock I think would be much higher today even if he were never champ.

Nino Valdes--I doubt he would ever have been champion. Too many things would have to break right for him. He lost twice to Moore, twice to Bob Baker, to Harold Johnson, and to Bob Satterfield. I think he ambushed Charles in that victory. Charles was probably looking past him to the fight with Johnson.

Bob Baker--in the same tier as Valdes. Hard to see him getting to the championship either.

Floyd Patterson--would his path to the title have been a bit more sticky? I can see Jack Kearns pointing out that Patterson hadn't done much at heavy and using his influence to force Floyd to fight a few more dangerous heavyweight contenders like perhaps Valdes and later Machen before challenging for the title. My guess is Floyd would not have become champion until '57 or 1958, and it is a valid question if someone like Valdes or Baker or Machen upset him to derail his rise how long he might have had to wait. If forced to fight the big guys like Valdes & Williams, how would he have done?

Ingemar Johansson--as an undefeated Euro champion, I can see him getting an early shot at Moore in 1957 or so. Would he have won it? It would have been interesting.

Sonny Liston--cleans out the division anyway regardless of who is in his path.

Franco Cavicchi--I think would have gotten a shot at the title in 1955 or 1956, and would have lost it.

Harold Johnson--likely light-heavyweight champion through the late 1950's with Moore at heavy. His stock might be much higher today. It is interesting to consider if there would have been a mid-fifties fight with Patterson and who would have won it, and if Floyd proved the winner, would Floyd have stayed at light-heavy for a while? If Johnson won it, would Johnson have challenged Moore for the heavy title?

Bobo Olson--with Moore at heavy, would probably have challenged Johnson at light-heavy. How would that one have come out? It is interesting to consider what might have happened if Olson edged a decision over Johnson--not out of the question I think--and so moved out of the middleweight division before defending against Robinson.

Sugar Ray Robinson--and if Olson went to light-heavy, whom would he have been matched with for the middle title? Probably Eduardo Lausse. I don't know if the 34 year old Robinson is a cinch winner of this one. Lausse brought more offensive firepower to the table than anyone the aging Robinson fought in his comeback. I have to pick Robinson, but Lausse winning might not be out of the question, in which case Robinson's comeback fizzles in the cradle. What would that do for his legacy?

Eduardo Lausse--if he did beat Robinson, even once, his legacy would get a sky high boost.

Because of the law of unintended consequences and the ripple effect of tossing a bomb into a lake, conjuring an alternate history is a lot of fun.

 

I also get the idea that he deflects a lot of flack off Jack Dempsey, by being a much more recent dominant white American heavyweight champion.

Perhaps we would have to trawl through endless threads attacking Jack Dempsey?

 

OK so we agree that it would happen.

The only thing in dispute is who would start it!

 

There weren`t many decent fighters left at heavy at that time, Walcott and Charles would of beaten the Louis that lost to Marciano.

 

Didn`t people call their dogs Rambo after another tough white guy during the 80`s?