Could Rocky have beaten johansson in 1960 had the fight come off?

With a few "warm-ups", Rocky would have had a decent chance.

Kinda like if they had met out on the parking lot following a traffic altercation.

Ingo hits Rocky and staggers him, then Rocky hits Ingo, puts him on the pavement, & drives off.

 

My understanding is that the Rock gave up on his comeback idea when getting into his old condition didn't seem possible to him. Wasn't it Rocky who said that Italian cooking had killed more men then any war, when asked about his tire around the middle?

 

Since Ingo did not take a good punch, Rocky would have a chance. I do think Marciano would need a few warm ups.

Not sure if Rocky could get down to 215 pounds, and with his frame 215 is fat. Plus Rocky had a bad back. In fact Rocky post poned a fight or two due to injury while champion.

Rocky tired a gym comeback, and quickly found out it was a no go.

 

I disagree. Rocky was short of limb and looked stocky at 190.

Furthermore, the two factors in this fight are temperament and wear&tear.

In regards to temperament, Rocky wasn't a dyed-in-the-wool boxing guy like, say, Ray Robinson- who had boxed since a child. Rock was a sporting type, but more in love with baseball, and came late to boxing. His passion seemed to wane quickly, even at the championship level. He just didn't have it in him to train as hard as necessary after a while... which leads to the second point...

wear and tear. Rocky was a mess from age and his fighting days. His back was in horrible condition and precluded the training needed and the flexibility and core strength required for his particular bend at the hips style.

When he retired, he was done. Hell, he was done in the Moore and Cockell fights.

 

Probably not.

 

No. The Rock had been off to long.

 

Spot on. I would not say Marciano was done vs Moore or Cockell, but he was in decline for sure. Lots of fighters could have beaten Rocky on those nights.

When Rocky retired, he was honest and said he probably had only 1 or 2 fights left in him. He knew. Rocky retired young, which preserved his image, and cemented his undefeated status.

Beating father time on a come back after a long lay off to win a belt is perhaps the hardest single thing to do in boxing.

 

Rocky for sure and I believe rocky would carry the extra weight well IF he couldn't get down below that.

 

Marciano retired in 1955,I don't beleive he could successfully come back 5 years later,his game depended so much on extreme fitness and stamina.In the 5 years he was out Rocky enjoyed all the things he had denied himself during his monastic regn as Champ ,homecooked pasta etc.Marciano had a periodic back problem which meant his back would lock on him and it was usually a while before he got it undercontrol ,plus he was past his absolute best I think,his style ,and that of Frazier's meant that he took a lot of punishment ,which his unbeleivable condition and heart enabled him to do.Five years out would have taken something out of him that could never be replaced,his legs ,never the fastest would have been mired in concrete,his stamina depleted and his propensity to cut would still be there ,if he could retain his punch he might get lucky ,but it would have to be early.Ingo is one of the modern Champs Marciano shapes up well with, but after 5 years inactivity,? I don't think so,and I would give him even less chance against Patterson,who by then would be much too quick for him imo.

 

Why not ? Marciano never got tired once in the ring his whole career. Marciano never once got hurt in 49 professional fights. Marciano was the hardest puncher bar no one that ever lived. Marciano could leap tall buildings and even fly ... I see no reason why four years of inactivity and excessive weight loss should hamper so superhuman a figure ...

 

Patterson said, suprisingly, that Ingo hit harder then Liston! Against a decidedly past his prime Rocky, who was dazed good by Moore, that might put the edge over to the swede.

 

Wanna know a secret?

Vitali Klitschko is the GOAT. Already. Nobody else won more rounds and he was undefeated. Don't count the two losses.