When you think of the term “attrition puncher,” you think of someone who keeps a high, consistent volume of pot shots and light/medium punches throughout a fight. Rocky wasn’t that. Maybe he can be considered an attrition puncher, but it was virtually a high volume of exclusively power punches. Simply calling him a volume puncher as a way to detract from his power is nonsensical. He was always looking for the knockout, which he often delivered in devastating fashion. Walcott went from being competitive in the highest level of the sport, to getting iced with one punch. A fighter that great, out like a light bulb. Louis went through the ropes, his head hanging off the ring staring blankly into the ceiling, and then curling up struggling to regain consciousness. Age or not, nobody did Louis like that. He was still highly competitive and highly active, not a sideshow act. Layne took an overhand right to the head, and was sent to the shadow realm. One punch, gone. And not staggering to his feet gone, but gone, lights out. Rocky ripped two explosive hooks right through Matthews and whipped his head around violently . We don’t even have most of his knockouts in film. And still, we can clearly see the man had serious power.
I don't think that you can say that a fighters right hand is "non existent", without by implication attributing his success to his left. In that case Louis was clearly using his jab as his primary weapon, although he finished Savold with a left hook. You don't seem to burden yourself with detail here. I only used the example of Louis to negate the idea that Holmes could keep Marciano at bay using just his jab. I never weighed in on what role Louis's right hand played in the fight, one way or the other. I merely pointed out to others, that if Louis's right was impaired as they have frequently claimed, then they must conclude that his left was the primary reason for his success at this stage of his career, taking their logic to its inevitable end point. If in doubt read the posts that you are commenting upon. No, with respect, you are the one contradicting yourself. I used the example of Louis, to draw in inferences about how Marciano might deal with one aspect of Holmes's game i.e his jab. You decried this as unreasonable. I never said that Marciano wold beat Holmes because he beat old Louis. You said that Marciano couldn't stop Holmes, because Shavers couldn't stop him, so presumably you saw this blanket comparison as being entirely reasonable. The contradiction is in your position not mine. Now please refrain from personal attacks, and try to put up some stylistic argument in support of your position.
OK, let's say that the #1 contender is a 37 year old technical boxer weighing 199lbs, and the #4 contender is a hungry young lion of 225lbs with a big punch. Who is the more qualified contender to challenge the champion? Who should the champion get more credit for beating? I will give you a clue, the answer to both of these questions would be the same, regardless of whether the two men shared an era! Marciano was defending against the most qualified challengers, and Holmes was defending against men who were not the most qualified challenger. That is why Holmes lived in Marciano's shadow while he was active!
When you have a guy who was never stopped, and a guy who was stopped a couple of times late in his career, it is kind of hard to separate them with any authority.
Sure it is Wlad was a prime ATG puncher who weighed 230+ No shame there. And he'd do that to Rocky. Briggs was basically a sucker punch. Also a guy who in his prime took Morrison's, Cooper's, Lennox's best and wasn't really rattled definitely has a better chin than a 188lbs brawler who was dropped by an old Archie Moore and Jersey Joe Walcott
But we don't know what it would take to stop Marciano, because nobody did it, or even came particularly close to doing it. You can only hang so much on a flash knockdown.
I have to say aswell, regardless of this or that, the counter Moore hit Rocky with is one of the most perfect caught on film IMO. He'd drop alot of people in the same circumstance.
Strictly talking of Marciano and power i found some quotes catchwtboxing put up last year. Don't think they were refuted. JERSEY JOE WALCOTT "Joe could take you out with combinations...Marciano was a one-punch artist. He threw every punch like you throw a baseball, as hard as he could. I have to say, with all respect to Joe, Marciano hit harder." HARRY "KID" MATHEWS "He was a great puncher, one of the best of all-time. He just threw one punch after another, and all of them were hard." EZZARD CHARLES: "Rocky numbs you all over. Wherever he hits you, he hurts you; on the arms, the shoulders, the neck and the head." JOE LOUIS "It hurt to bump into him....He hits harder than Max Schmeling...this kid is tough enough to beat anyone." and "The Rock didn't know too much about the boxing book, but it wasn't a book he hit me with. It was a whole library of bone crushers." ARCHIE MOORE (When asked which punch hurt him most) "Man they all hurt." and "After a fight with Marciano, it felt like you had been beat all over the upper body with a blackjack or hit with rocks....He could hurt you, sure, but it was the quantity of his punches. He just had more stamina than anyone else in those days. He was like a bull with gloves." ROLAND LASTARZA "I would throw a hard punch, then he would throw a hard punch. The difference was that Rocky would throw 10 more. He just never stopped throwing punches." PHIL MUSCATO "Dan, I can still feel his punches. He kept punching me in the upper arms until I could no longer hold them up to defend or throw punches". BERNIE REYNOLDS "He had amazing strength. Any time Marciano hit you, he could hurt you. He didn't do much flicking; every punch was a knockout punch." And, the opinion of JACK DEMPSEY: "What everyone forgets is that Marciano can punch harder with a right hand than any modern-day heavyweight. In his first fight with Walcott, Rocky needed only one blow to win the title. The power in his right scrambled Jersey Joe's brains at Chicago." "I've scored my share of knockouts along the way, but more often than not my opponents got up after being knocked down and had to be knocked down repeatedly. The same is true of Joe Louis. But Marciano needs only one solid smash and it's all over. That's why I say Rocky Marciano is the hardest-hitting heavyweight champion I have seen."
Don't sell Mercer short. He also Drew with Marion Wilson in a fight most thought he lost convincingly. Wilson was a club fighter which in Marciano's day would've been undisputed champion.
Holmes by wide UD or TKO if Marciano’s left eye can’t be kept in the fight. Holmes jab peppers him all night.
Of course none of this compares to the thunderous power of Holmes who sent a staggering number of 8 fighters (all bums) down for the count in a career spanning nearly 30 years!
Holmes was asked in 2009 who he thought his toughest opponent would be - Holmes - "Well, I'd say Marciano right now because he throws punches from anywhere, from anywhere, from any direction. And he was strong and he took punches. Only difference from now and then is they would've stopped the fight because he be cut, he be bleeding, you understand so they would've stopped the fight, so I'd be victorious. But because he's short and throws punches from left field, from right field, from center field, I mean he just throws and keep coming. He takes the licking and keeps coming."
