What do you guys think the best Marciano fight would be? By that I mean someone who is completely a novice on anything about Marciano, what would be THE fight to watch where he wast at hs peak and you see why he is one of the greats?
His fight with Joe Louis. I have never seen him move so fast in a fight. He was young, fresh and hungry. His punches carried speed, snap and one punch power. He looked very sharp. His footwork never looked better or faster, he bobbed and weaved(one of the few times ive seen him do that) and he also ducked and dipped in his crouch. He really systematically took apart a 6'2 214lb old but dangerous contender who still had the capabilities to defeat all the young contenders in the division. He really had steam in his fists that night. That torso roll to land the left hook on louis when he had louis on the ropes followed by that concussing right hand..was a sad but deadly finish. Rocky peaked that night..at age 28. Other choices: His fights with Jersey Joe Walcott Harry Kid Matthews Stay away from his fights in 54-55. His defense was excellent and his workrate was never as high, but he lost some zip in his punches and it was very noticable compared to his filmed fights in 51-52. His style changed a bit making him more of a accumalitive punching swarmer rather than the 1 punch knockout slugger(who could still swarm) he was in 51-52. I prefer the former.
Good post. Charley Goldman called Rex Layne Rocky's perfect fight, but as is commented about in the film of it, Marciano had yet to master the execution of his left hook, the achievement which surprised and impressed Louis the most. Rocky's hand speed overwhelmed Layne, but he didn't fully come of age until his hook became a world class knockout weapon. Buonvino II is reported to have been a deadly display of punching sharpness, and Marciano sent Savold to the hospital during the period between Louis and Walcott I. Although the knockout punch which made him a champion is obviously the most important single shot of his career, the double hook knockout of Matthews may actually be his peak moment. It was a stunning burst in a situation where Matthews had been handling him very well, and it came out of nowhere.
he showed all of what he was about in the title winning fight with walcott. there is enough rounds to study him. he even jabs at times. efective akward presure and subtle counters and feints. also his heart and desire is there. its also a good fight for walcott fans by the way. enjoy. in the moore fight he knew full well his best chance was to overwhelm archie- which is what was always his plan b. his defence is good in that fight. he was no crazed moron there is skills on show. the lastarza fight is a good study in that he steped up slowly. harder single shots in the early rounds more quantity later.
There are several good ones and many have already been mentioned. But for me it is his fight with Archie Moore. A good back and forth fight, when Moore choose (or was able) to utilize his jab he controlled the tempo. I am not sure if he (Moore) got lazy or tired and was unable to maintain his jab (This is my pick) or if Marciano's pressure and crowding took away his opportunities to use it effectively. Had Moore been able to maintain that jab he very well may have walked away the champ...but I think Marciano gives a great performance in this fight!
The finish in this one is just cintillating - especially the way Marciano moves in for the kill after LaStarza gets back up - i think his combination punching or at least punch selection for the finish is second to none - and he looks well pleased with himself afterward [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb71T96muxs[/ame]
I would say his real prime consisted of everything up until the Charles fight. He was solid in his fights with Layne and Louis. I think he was good in the Walcott fight. But that's not the best example. His combination are fast, but Walcott's footwork and defense are troubling for Rocky. But Rocky connects quite a bit, although Walcott is winning the fight all the way through. The Walcott fight is special because there are so many gradual shifts in ebb and flow. It goes Walcott, then Rocky in the middle rounds, then Walcott again, then Rocky, and then Walcott in the 11th and 12th rounds. Rocky proved he had unbelievable durability in this fight. He takes hellacious shots. I think physically he's in his prime, but unfortunately he's blinded for 3 or so of those middle rounds. Because of this I wouldn't use this fight as the epitome of Rocky's greatness. But it's a great fight to see. I think his fights with Louis, Layne, Matthews, and perhaps LaStarza II are his best filmed performances. I know Rocky wanted the LaStarza II fight to be inputed in that computer fight as he thought it was a good performance. Although, he beat Roland up massively in his arms. Rocky probably wanted to punish him more than KO him due to LaStarza's comments. The Rocky vs Charles I/II are good fights too. The first one has only about half the fight, but that 15th round is unbelievably momentous to show Rocky's tremendous heart and stamina. And lastly, obvious the Walcott II is a good performance. But it's all just too off for many reasons. Either way it's a Rocky KO 1 over a HOF fighter.
