[GIF] One of my favorite Marciano knockouts

Round one against Savold.

Case closed.

 

Savold was an unusually very sloppy Marciano win. Rocky was very cute in there at his best and unfortunately he never gets credit for it. He did far more defensively than Frazier as an example. Rocky was constantly sliding in and out while Bobbing and weaving, blocking, partying, slipping and then countering. In comparison Frazier had a repetitive much more easily times defense.

 

Oh ,just look at the filmatsch

 

Falling over through missing is a momentum thing more than a balance thing. Everybody misses. Some fighters punch with a whole lot more momentum behind them. Throwing themselves entirely into a punch is a gamble.

Floyd Patterson leaped all over the place. Unsurprisingly Floyd threw himself over too when he missed. Did patterson have bad balance too?

 

In a conventional sense Rocky was awful. I think this is what people can't get past. They look at him and see what appears to be the wildness and cannot entertain this at all in an ATG regard. It must be a poor era, old small men etc etc

If this was true even the power and durability would not be enough but still they rationalise even this point and decide only a poor era could explain such dominance.

I think the truth is Rockys style, what is seen as technical flaws, all worked for him in a completely unconventional way. I think it's easier to accept that this Rocky was a one off, an unconventionally effective fighter of real talent and substance who knew what he was doing. He just did not do it in the conventionally aesthetic way that looks smooth or as pleasing to the eye.

He was a great fighter because it worked for him. Rocky had undeniable success of the highest possible echelon. He just does not look like what is most people's idea of a great fighter.

 

Emmanuel Steward must have got it wrong then.:think

 

Why, what did he say?
I think Choklab's post is pretty accurate. If Marciano was as bad as some on here are saying he would never have been able to land so many punches on class fighters like Charles and Moore(irrespective of their age).

He must have had adequate footwork or it would not have been possible to hit them given his short reach.

 

Wouldn't be the first time. Great trainer and ****yst though he was but he wasn't infallible either...no one is.

 

Yeah Rocky was extremely hard to hit.
This is him the morning after his fight against 37 years old Louis.

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When I met Emmanuel Steward at a dinner show (he was on tour with Thomas Hearnes) he said his proudest achievement was what he was able to do with Dennis Andries -an awkward and unconventionally successful fighter himself. It dosnt stop a fighter being effective if they maintain crude elements. Even after Stewards influence Andries never boxed like a traditional Kronk fighter did he? And yet Steward was proud of how he was able to utilize what already worked and make it better.

 

Which still didn't transform Andries into a polished boxer , with defensive skills , he remained a crude ,strong, awkward , mauler. We aren't discussing effectiveness, we are examining claims that Marciano was defensively adept and possessed good balance,neither is true.

 

Looks like a Heavyweight version of Wille Pep here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9b0yHvw-vW0

 

He said Marciano fought old ,past it men,that he was too small ,too slow, and had poor balance.