Rocky Marciano vs Zora Folley

I think Folley will have the same problems old Louis had, namely a lack of response for when Rocky barrels in and starts ripping hooks and right hands.
Folley can jab and move and outpoint but he is going to be accruing damage, he is going to tire, slow down and then Rocky will take him out.
It's not impossible for Folley to get a decision win here if he is very smart about it but I lean towards Rocky 70/30 here.

 

At their best I think Rocky Marciano wins by KO.

 

Marciano behind slightly, gets his man.
Ko 10.

 

Zora Folley was in a lot of dull fights. I never looked forward to his televised matches. He was methodical and cautious, with a fairly effective right hand. I give him almost no chance of defeating Marciano. Rocky was too tough for him. I saw Folley fight Ali in the old Madison Square Garden. By then he was washed up and just looking for a last payday.

 

Too big tall reach. Folley throwing down right power shots at Rocky. Those wild swings get punished by counters from a legit heavyweight puncher. Zora takes the decision.

 

How much time do you have on your hands?

 

Chuvalo, Bonavena, and Miteff were tough, aggressive fighters, but I'm not sure as to whether any of them was especially close to the Marciano style. Rocky fought from a crouch and leaned somewhat to his right, his left a little low and his right high and in a parrying position. It was a unique style that was complemented by ducking and weaving as he went in and out of punching distance.

None of those fighters employed that technique, though each had his idiosyncrasies and one could even seem Marciano-like on occasion. All were fundamentally standup fighters with high guards. Chuvalo used the guard to protect his chin, ducking to avoid punches, when the top of his head would be exposed. The secret of his amazing resiliency may have been his ability to avoid clean punches to the chin. At one point in his career, Marciano himself was brought into Chuvalo's camp to teach him his techniques, but it was not mutually profitable, and he soon departed.

Miteff would shift from a conventional guard to a double guard, which apparently confused a young Cassius Clay at first and allowed him to make a creditable showing in the early rounds of their fight. When Clay began timing those shifts and used his superior quickness to exploit them, Miteff was sadly exposed, except for his toughness in taking the punishment.

Bonavena would sometimes drop to a crouch before charging his opponent, throwing wild combinations of punches as he did so. These bull-like rushes could be difficult to anticipate or guard against. He had remarkable success with this technique in the middle rounds of his fight with Ali, but did not have the stamina to sustain his attack. If the "closest thing" is a relative term, however, then perhaps he was the closest to the Marciano style.

At any rate, it is indeed "something to roll around the noggin" in contemplating a Marciano-Foley matchup, so thank you for that.

 

Marciano is beating any man who stands in front of him with mediocre footwork mediocre jab. He just wouldn’t be able to keep him off. Folley had some power but nothing crazy. Was an excellent contender but the style is exactly what Marciano ate up.

 

Barely 5 10 68 inch reach 185 pounds but he would destroy anyone he could get his hands on. Wow what was he a super hero??? Maybe he was Superman or at least the Hulk. Maybe your nostalgia is clouding your view a little??

 

Prime Folley had a lot more fight then the shot Louis Rocky fought.

 

Maybe styles make fights?

 

Ali the greatest Liston before Ali the greatest then there was Patterson who when he beat Moore everyone was calling the next great fighter. Ernie Terrell a talented 6 6 boxer.
Right time? I think not. Who’s opinions were these your old timers the ones that were the experts and in the ring who would know like Walcott and Joe Louis.

 

Folley seemed to have his way with the wee, wade-in brawlers. I see nothing different occurring here.

Folley wide decision unless Rock's tender skin splits open.