Deontay Wilder versus Rocky Marciano

I simply don't understand unfair criticisms being made from Wilder at this point seeing how he is still a developing fighter who is honing his skill so that he may develop into a championship caliber fighter. I've seen many posts trying to claim that he's protected fighter when in reality his management understands that he has so much potential but he's not yet ready for the big time and in order for him to get there he needs lots of activity.

Wladimir Klitschko, the current champion, took 4 years after he won Olympic Gold in 96 to take on Chris Byrd for what was then the lightly regarded WBO title in 2000. If he were thrown in with the wolves early, considering his 2003-2005 years, he'd never be champion. He took a path that allowed him to grow and develop so that when he steps up in competition he steps up for good. Look at how he turned out.

I mentioned this in another post that I've always felt that Jermain Taylor's biggest problem was that he was thrown in with Hopkins before he was ready and that the schedule that followed never gave him the opportunity to establish a proper learning curve. Say what you want about him but from Hopkins onwards he had a pretty difficult schedule. The logic was of course that Hopkins would never fight past the age for 40 and therefore it needed to happened soon. In retrospect, I felt his career considering the fact that he was competitive in just about every fight he's been in (win or lose) that a few extra fights before facing Bernard would have given him more solid footing and it's quite possible the trajectory of his career could have played out differently.

As for the actual thread; at this time I'm not prepared to give Deontay Wilder the benefit of the doubt over an esteemed champion like Rocky Marciano. I tend to think Marciano stops him late after wearing him down for 7-8 rounds.

 

The benefit of the doubt? Benefit of what doubt? Marciano beats Wilder every day of the week surely?

 

The training back then favored speed and work rate so that kind of training took more weight off. it favoured the naturaly faster and most coordinated heavyweights who happened to be more athletic than the bigger ones. The majority of Heavyweights are still less than 6'3". Its just that since the training has changed and the division trades less on workrate it favours taller a slower heavyweight.

Those heavyweights of the older eras could have weighed more but to do so they would have been slower making naturally taller, bigger men (like to day) would have had more chance against them.

When the division traded on speed, workrate and had a higher level of competition and bussier fighters it created a heavyweight that combined speed, workrate, youth and experience.

Slower, less experienced heavyweights with a different training program gives us what we have today. Its horses for courses. The workrate has changed so that even older fighters are more relevent.

 

:dead

 

His management is doing a poor job of developing him at this time. I don't think blitzing out corpses is preparing him for anything. He's been pro for 5 years with a record of 29-0, yet at the most he's boxed 3 complete rounds in a single fight. This isn't how you build a future Champion, its how you hype up a Tye Fields. Don't get me wrong he looks much better than Fields, but the criticism of how he is being handled is understandable.

Using the current Champion as an outline, Wlad had already been tested against experienced journeyman and fringe fighters like Everett Martin, Puritty, Jackson, and Schulz within his first four years. The Puritty fight of course being a huge eye opener. The current versions of White Tiger and Harrison really don't fall into that category. He also beat fellow prospects and peers Barrett and Bostice to get the Byrd fight. Wlad facing Barrett and Bostice was roughly the late 90s equivalent of Wilder facing a Mitchell or Price.

In other words, if they are serious about Wilder they need to get someone who can get some rounds in and make him work hard, see what happens. Thompson may have been too much of a step up after what he did to Price and other prospects but Chisora would have been an interesting test. At this stage, Wilder walking into a fight with Wlad with only 1-2 round blitzes as his experience, its going to be disaster. And if they aren't careful, it could happen against some much lesser than Wlad.

 

You mean washed up kinda fat Joe Louis and a guy Marciano never faced? What about them?

 

That washed up Joe Louis faced and beat better competition while demonstrating more ability than Wilder has at this stage. I'll withhold judgement on Wilder until I see him do more than blitz out lugs that are there to be knocked out with as minimial resistance as possible. At this stage Wilder could be the next Champion, or he could be the next David Price. There is nothing to go on.

 

lazy bull****. And you know it! No right hand by the time he fought Rocky? check the films.

Old joe Louis was decking contenders with his right hand during his comeback.

 

Shall we wait to see if Wilder is actualy any good before we start matching him with all time greats?

 

Nonsense. As of right now Wilder is unlimited potential. We have no idea how good he is. He could be the next great heavyweight. He could be an overhyped pretender. Now is the perfect time for flights of fancy because Wilder isn't a fighter in this match up- he's a reflection of how we feel about the eras that they fought in.

 

I have been through this with you before. Initially Louis intended on meeting rocky with walk down jabs and counter combinations but was barged into the ropes and mauled at each turn. It did not work. marciano crowded Old Louis down just like arturo godoy did a prime Louis. Goldman trained both. There was no room to work the right hand, best Louis could do was work a fending jab since the walkdown jab was smothered. Louis still had a great right hand he just could not maintain enough distance against marciano for it to be effective. Rocky was both smaller and stronger than louis despite his size disadvantage.