Artur Beterbiev vs Rocky Marciano

Beterbiev would have a legit shot vs Patterson, Braddock, Sharkey, Carnera and even Tunney. But then again those guys minus Carnera were either light heavies or small cruisers.

Beterbiev isn't beating a guy like Marciano who can hit just as hard and maintain a high work rate too. When Beterbiev does face a puncher, he often goes on the back foot. He needs to reset when he gets hit as opposed to someone like Tyson who would make you miss and then counterpunch.

 

Not far, im absolutley sure he would steam roll Leon Spinks.

 

This is the one fight I picture to be the most brutal in history. Neither will be doing much backing up and neither will be staying down from ANY knock down do to their hearts and chins. Unless of course they absolutely don’t have anything more to give, which would take a long while.

Going with The Brockton Blockbuster late rounds. Round 13/14 TKO after his coach frantically tells him his cuts aren’t stopping, the ref is starting to look at him closely and he’s not sure if he’s up on the cards. Rock spams overhands on Artur on the ropes after stunning him and the ref waves it. Both men hit the deck once or twice in this one.

 

Marciano took Joe Louis best shots and didn’t get KOed. I don’t think Beterbiev has a chance here.

 

Which Marciano opponents do you think Bertibiev would not be able to beat? Obviously, the 37 year old Joe Louis in his retirement comeback was not prime Joe Louis.

 

This is now one of my top 5 mythical match ups. The fight would nothing less than beautiful brutally. When I die and go to heaven, I am requesting to see this fight on day 1.

 

Beterbiev is literally the bigger man and more skilled, Marciano was great for his time, but technique has evolved massively and weight classes aren’t event the same now.

 

I’m going with Rocky, but Artur for sure is no punk. This could end early or late, but it would likely be a bloodbath.
Whenever these mythical matchups come up, I assume they’re under the old rules…”Scheduled for 15 rounds…or less”.
Beterbiev is a dirty fighter by modern standards; he’s a rabbit puncher. But what’s he going to do against another dirty fighter? A man who fought at a time when hitting the hips, back of the head etc was considered part of the craft, and the refs let them do it? And a man who might be just as strong as Artur in the ring (not the weight room), who carried nasty power in either hand deep into 15 round fights. Moore, Charles, Walcott were not prime when they fought Rocky, but they weren’t washed up bums, either. They were skilled, hard men who still hurt other hard men regularly.
Rocky wins in a classic and cements his legacy with his fans even more. Rocky’s haters will say the Artur was a euro bum who didn’t even have 20 pro fights, and was old, undersized and past his prime.

 

Is Beterbiev resetting or resetting and framing his opponents instead?

I watched how he dismantled Callum Smith by consistently moving on the outside and reframing Smith and then attacking him.

I saw a different level to him in that fight - measured, methodical, patient and very selective in punch selection.

 

Yes that was a rare example where he was legit counterpunching. But it was against an opponent who was relying too much on one punch (left hook) and who was extremely predictable.

Marciano could hit with either hand and has absurd stamina. I don't see Beterbiev successfully counter punching vs a guy who could hit that hard and throw so many punches in succession. Against Marciano, i think Beterbiev reverts to his natural instincts of re setting when a puncher attacks him instead of counter punching.

 

Perhaps

But I have seen enough of Beterbiev to know that when posed with a risk he will add a different level to his game and have a risk/benefit assessment game plan.

Would love to see something like this though

 

Was he not legit counterpunching against Smith Jr either, or what about against Callum Smith where he consistently countered the jab to take it away, or what about against Yarde when he countered with the straight right hand over the top of Yarde’s jab? He’s a P4P staple and the LHW kingpin for a reason, Artur is an elite fighter and he knows how to counterpunch, as he has demonstrated again and again. You don’t just train something in the gym again and again for hours on end, perfecting it until you can do it successfully at the world title level then just magically forget it.