Not a single professional boxer for about the span of a decade could defeat a clumsy, face forward, off balanced, feet crossing, slow, technically inept boxer? Sure sounds like a realistic, balanced theory. Which fighter before or after his career was/is remotely like Marciano?
Tyson was 3 times as fast as Marciano, much better defensively,had a better chin,was quicker into range,was a lot more accurate with his punches ,and typically 30lbs heavier.Equating him with Marciano is like equating Joe Hipp with Tyson. He is also tried and tested against modern sized big punching heavyweights.
The pro boxers he fought couldn't manage it we don't know if others from that era ,that he did not face could have ,nor do we know if he would have beaten younger,fresher versions of his best opponents.
Why couldn’t they manage it in lieu of the admonishing negative traits he had as a fighter, and his supposed inability to employ boxing basics?
I'd say because there hasn't been a heavyweight that size, with hand and foot speed that fast, as powerful,explosive, and versatile a two fisted puncher,with good head movement and good defensive qualities with 220lbs of muscle packed in a frame topped by a very solid chin,.It's a total package that does not come along very often. The nearest comparison to him among the heavies would be Dempsey ,nearly100 years ago . Since Jack only Frazier really fits the bill, and he did not have the two fisted power. Tua despite what his detractors claim had two fisted power,more in his hook obviously,and he had the size and chin with good hand speed, but his feet were slow.
Well his best opponents were Louis 37,his power and the ability to deliver it had diminished markedly, as evidenced by the men who were going the distance with him.Men who would not have hung around long when he was prime. Walcott was 37/38 a veteran too, still an excellent fighter, but nobody is going to convince me he was the same Jersey Joe as the one who fought Louis. Charles had a hell of a lot of mileage on his clock ,enough for two careers , and he was fighting above his best weight. Moore was according to him 38, according to his Mother 40 a natural light heavy who took advantage of a weak,post war era to ply his trade among the heavier boys. Those imo are Marciano's major wins and all of them were past their prime imo Mathews,Cokkell.Lastarza,Layne I think were all moderate fighters,who would be on a level with a Roy Harris a decade later. So its a combination of a singularly dedicated individual with real power,extreme fitness,being active in a pretty weak era, and having older past prime opposition to get by. It would have been very informative if we could have seen Rocky against younger less tired versions of those names. Had he conquered a fresher Charles ,a younger Walcott,I would place him inside my all time top ten ,but as it stands, he beat one great heavyweight and he was just a facsimile of the man he had been pre WW2 I believe quite a few heavyweight champions could have kept a clean sheet against Marciano's opposition. Certainly Liston,Foreman,Lewis,Holyfield,Bowe,Tyson,Dempsey,Wlad,Vitali,imo.Possibly Tunney as well. Does this answer your question?
great post.... though I really never watch a ton of videos of the Rock... I feel he is not the house wrecker he is made out to be against the stars of the 80's and above.. but he has done what no other man could do at heavyweight … all respect to Rocky
This is absurd. No proof whatsoever ever his chin was better. Marciano was never stopped unlike Tyson several times. Sometimes against not the best punchers. He couldn’t adjust well to styles that put him at odds with what he wanted to do. His stamina was horrible...not good but horrible. He was fast but threw far less punches. And his defense was good better than Rocks but Rocks is HIGHLY underrated. His opponents have been quoted as saying so. Tyson also lost a lot of power after mid rounds while Rocky’s carried over. Marciano was the better fighter and he was certainly better then Busted whom you think would beat Marciano (laughable honestly and you only say that to try and justify your thoughts). Tyson was not a perfect fighter by a long shot.
And how would you describe the difference in hand/footspeed and balance between Marciano and Tyson? Subtle? Minute? Inconsequential? Is this willful ignorance a source of joy for Marcianistias?
I reckon we'll see another Tyson long before we will see another Marciano. By the by, there is a whole lot more Tyson in Andy Ruiz than there is Marciano.
