Update on boxrec has Marciano’s tallest opponent at 6”5

Whatever the rights and wrongs of it, Cockell was the Ring Magazine #2 Contender.

That is an eminently justifiable choice.

 

If there ever were a more damning indictment of an era I have not seen it.

 

That is a separate conversation in its own right, but my point is that you can't really condemn a champion for defending against a top 2 contender.

It would be like criticizing Usyk for granting a title shot to Agit Kabayel.

 

Marciano seems to be held to different standard than almost all other heavyweights titlists for some reason. I might do a deep dive of his title defense resume in coming days. Tho his reign was short it's probably close to the gold standard with regards to what ring rated heavyweights he fought.

 

Stander would give him a better fight than 50% of the men he beat.

 

You make a very valid point there.

Do I think that Cockell was a particularly strong #2 contender?

No not really.

However the fact remains that he was still the #2 contender.

That is the bottom line.

 

So what are we talking about you 50s tags can beat the modern bigger guys or not. Sounds like your saying they can’t unless they were born later and had to use steroids. We would agree yes they need to be bigger or somehow much better. Maybe you need to change them to have had better training and having started earlier you’d get no argument from us there either. We re just saying as you seem now to that that guy as he was 182 186 whatever was not beating a top super heavy of the more modern era.

 

I have yet to find the PED that makes you longer, taller, better balanced and makes you more fast-twtiched.

Rocky seemed fine in the stamina and brute power departments.

 

Yes, taller fighters generally have worse balance... unless their name is Rocky Marciano, who had astoundingly bad balance at times despite being a midget.

Rocky did not have handspeed or footspeed. He was clumsy and slow twitch and wound up on every punch. Those punches hurt for sure. And they didn't stop coming. But he wasn't quick between throwing each of them.

Holy grew "several inches" during his career? Are you including his amateur experience here? How much did Vander grow from the age 26, when Rocky started, to 32, the age when Rocky was done? HGH does not make anyone taller after puberty. Are you suggesting that Holy took it as an early and mid teen? Are you suggesting Rocky's T-Rex arms would be longer? And I thought the Marcianistas were always trying to convince us normal thinking boxing fans that his short stature and truncated arms were his super power? You are confusing me here with all your grasping.