Better Victory: Marciano over Moore or Tyson over Holmes?

Even a nonfan would see the difference between a fainting Austin and a proud old man doing his damnedest not to be kayoed by a pitiless terminator.

A friend at the time, who cared nada for boxing in fact did watch Tyson-Holmes live on TV with her dad. She later told me, in a hurt tone, as if in agreement, how the broadcast commentator stated Tyson would not be able to beat a young Holmes. I was surprised by how the spectacle was actually seen by dispassionate eyes and was compelling enough to elicit such emotion from my friend.

And with good reasons. To wit:

a) That first knockdown blow was one of the best attacks I've ever seen in a ring. A sudden, flash charge across several feet developing simultaneous body torque to smash a perfectly placed right fist to temple, past a raised Larry Holmes left, is poetry in motion. Tyson was such a heavy man, yet his footwork was blazing.

b) The clubbing Marciano had all night to finally do away with his 41-year-old natural light heavy opponent, who had no legs whatsoever and was a virtual punching bag after 9 hard rounds.

In 2 minutes, Holmes tried every survival tactic in the book, in the end to be cruelly laid out by a horrific repeated right hook: he got on his toes, he clinched, he stuck out a long left, he shuffled around using the ring, he tried counterpunching, holding, and, finally, laying on the ropes perfectly positioned to defend. And for what?? Fiendish Tyson wouldn't go away, he wouldn't relent, he showed absolutely no mercy. It was one thought alone: knockout.

c) As already stated here, Moore had been kayoed before. If, during Holmes' heyday, you told me someone could kayo him inside 2 minutes, at any stage in his career, I would only be able to envision a fictitious puncher like Rocky Balboa. No way! Holmes knew too much, he was too tricky, too experienced. Yes, his later worthy performances against modern hitters Mercer, Holyfield and McCall proved it. Holmes was old, later ancient, but never shot. Yet, once hurting him, Tyson dealt with him as though with a dog at the Hit Pit.

d) You correctly state Moore was number 1 at heavy when challenging Marciano. I am perfectly aware. But, sorry, to me this speaks more of the truly transitional phase the division was going thru at the time. Marciano naturally was heavier than the decade-older Moore, while Holmes was 4 inches taller than his relatively inexperienced tormentor.

e) I sincerely doubt the short, lead-footed Marciano does to cagey Holmes what Tyson, while I am quite confident Moore against doesn't see half the rounds he saw vs. Rocky. So, to me, "it's simple mathematics."

 

You forgot to mention :
Moore was an active no.1 ranked fighter, (earned his shot in an eliminator against Nino Valdes a few months earlier).
Holmes was inactive and unranked.

 

I think the question should have been divided. Some are looking at it from a significance perspective and some from a performance perspective.
I thought the significance part was pretty obvious.