1955 SI article on Marciano-Moore

All too often great fighters aren't appreciated in their prime. It's not surprising to see a 1955 article critical of Rocky. Thanks for posting it!

 

Having your manager as the match maker at MSG should help a bit wouldn't you say?

During his active years Marciano was not held in anything like the high esteem he is today by some fans . I have Ring mags from the 50's calling him a poor imitation of Dempsey.

Times and opinions change, Charles and Walcott were seen as average champions in the 50's and 60's, today they are routinely called ATG heavies.
I doubt I will be around when the wheel turns full cycle, but it's possible in another 40 years they and Rocky will be looked on as pretty nondescript and unremarkable champions. Whose to say?

 

Who else could he have faced in his career though?

Valdes, but instead he beat Moore.

Obviously a great but there is justifiable criticisms to have.

 

Yeah, I have a few Ring Magazines from the fifties and very few thought much of him. Even those who did still called him a work in progress. I think that's the tale of a lot of champions though overrated one generation, underrated the next. I do think Marciano was a force though and a atg champion.

 

as tho written from my own pen...

Dempsey was particularly harsh on him.

 

The criticisms are valid.
But similar things can be written about almost any champion, and they have been.

Rocky Marciano stands alone among the heavyweight champions in the way no one has to argue about the excuses for his losses.

 

That's true. It's all about his level of opposition.

 

I agree. However, when I tell you Joe Louis had a similar, even better relationship with MSG, you cry foul.

Rocky was never seen as a great champion. I have spoken to people who saw him live. He was respected as champion, but below Jeffries, Johnson, Dempsey and Louis. Rocky's opposition wasn't viewed as great either. To Rocky's credit, he had no color line and pretty much fought the best out there.

 

Dempsey backed at least one heavy that Marciano knocked out.

 

Yet Seamus you say there isn't a 200lb and less man past present or future you would favor over him

 

Funny how moores confidence is so high from the Valdes and Baker wins, he has this big plan how he's going to easily beat Marciano, lol

Marciano went in there and utterly destroyed him. Marciano looked like a machine, a man beast in that sixth round.


Rocky beat the best of his era, the best which were really good fighters. His career remains amazing, he is an ATG

 

It's called film. We have our own eyes. We look at film from the 20s and see that most of those guys had horrible stances, kept there guards low, didn't double up on the jab, didn't throw combinations, had no head movement.

Then we fast forward to the 50s and we see Charles and Walcott have crisp, fundamentally sound, elegant boxing styles with slick defense, graceful footwork, and both threw a wide variety of punches with authority and proper technique

Marciano despite being a crude fighter in nature, had built his own style that can succeed against a modern fighter. He had great upperbody movement fighting from a difficult crouch, he moved his torso in unorthodox angles, nice head movement, he kept a high guard, he feinted very well, mixed up his punches from all different angles...and combine that with incredible physical strength, amazing one punch power, super human stamina, and a tough attitude...and you got a great fighter


Film doesn't lie...Walcott Charles and Marciano look amazing, all three were underrated in there day