Fighters That Would Probably Stop Marciano?

This.

 

I always laugh when supporters of modern fighters would beat the old timers because of their use of PEDs.

If they were beating them by cheating, it would just be a sham any way!

 

My only comment is that the massive, hulking and roided up Bruno is a mighty big hill to climb for a 5 ft 10, 185 lb attacking fighter with a 69 inch reach like Rocky. The Rock was incredibly tough, well conditioned and brave but the fighters he won and defended the heavyweight crown against were all small by modern heavyweight standards or well past their best ( except perhaps for Walcott who may have been a bit past his best but was still pretty much near his prime, even if Louis had kayoed him a few years previously ).

Every fighter who beat Bruno was large and very powerful. Bonecrusher Smith was a giant of a man, Witherspoon, Tyson and Lewis were all modern 215 plus pound fighters and very talented ones at that. Witherspoon may have been in bad shape but he had a lot of talent and an overhand right like a bomb.

Rocky made his career by wearing down smallish ( and or middle aged ) heavyweights with non stop pressure. I dont know how well that tactic would work against a 6 ft 3 220 pound monster with good power like Bruno.

It's not like Rocky every fought anyone like that.

Cheers All n a very Happy New Year to the membership.

 

The Colonel makes a valid point.

Clearly the person who was most successful at negating Bruno's attributes, was Tyson.

Now I understand that Tyson was bulkier, and a faster starter, but there are still some relevant similarities.

Bruno seems to have been most effective, against people who tried to outbox him at range, and gave him the room to work.

How well is his static reactive defensive style, going to work against a crouching pressure fighter, who doesn't give him room to work?

 

None of these shw mentioned, are more mobile than Walcott or Charles. Even the versions that fought Rocky.

 

Why would these SHW’s need to be as mobile as the much smaller Walcott and Charles? You think they would stop Marciano be getting up be on their toes and running away from him?

 

They wouldn't need to be. It was mainly a response to those asking who were Rocky's biggest and mobile opponents were.

 

Not all PEDs are illegal, I assume you don't call doing legal PEDs "cheating"?

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To the posters on the Rocky side of this thread I want to mention that just because some of us are pessimistic on his chances of surviving against much bigger heavyweights, that doesn't mean we are an anti-Rocky movement pushing to devalue the career or greatness of Marciano. Doubtless the vast majority of Rocky critics in this thread consider him a great champion and a top man with an exciting fighting style who made himself into something greater then the sum of his parts. It's simply that based of available film some people see Rocky facing an uphill task against fighters from future eras who dwarf him physically and technically.

Considering it's The Rock I'm picking to not last the distance I will only list the few I am fairly confident in of achieving the desired outcome:

M. Tyson
R. Bowe
W. Klitschko
J. Frazier
G. Foreman
A. Joshua
E. Holyfield
D. Wilder

Would bet the farm on the above to KO Marcy-annie. Plenty others I reckon have decent chance to turn the trick too.
I think the gulf between posters concerning Marciano's perceived head to head ability is influenced by how the poster rates the divisions/fighters of that era in general.

 

Are you being sincere? Mike Tyson is a significantly bigger man than Rocky Marciano. More importantly, he's also much, much faster, and at his best far more skilled and disciplined defensively. And even if for whatever reason you doubt that Tyson hit harder punch for punch, he was a far more lethal overall puncher than Marciano and better able to either get rid of good opponents early or shake them up early and cow them into fighting in survival/spoiler mode. His success against the men you've named tells us very, very little about how Marciano would fare against similar opponents.

 

To which "shw" are you referring? Several of the 80s heavyweights mentioned were indeed more mobile than them. They would have covered a lot more ground and been far better able to beat Marciano from distance.

 

Their distance might be better due to their reach, but they still are not more mobile than jjw or ezz.

 

Sure they are.

They covered greater distance due to their reaches, their gaits, and their fighting styles. The athletic post-Ali bigs moved around the ring and fought from outside very differently than the aging little guys who fought Marciano in the early 50s.

 

I don't see it from these unathletic bigs but whatever makes you happy.

 

Do you consider all the 80s fighters CS listed "unathletic bigs"? In which of their fights did you not "see it"?

 

I’ve honestly never been blown away by any of their athleticism. Or, at least not enough to say they’re more mobile or move better than the small heavies of the past.