Heavyweight Fight of the Week #1: Marciano v. Walcott

@The Undefeated Lachbuster

 

I watch the fight all the way through like once ever couple of weeks, and I watch reznick's Walcott and Marciano montages more times a day than I'd like to admit.

Rewatching the fight, you can really see the bombs that Walcott hits Marciano with, Walcott was always an underrated puncher. Crazy how Marciano was blind for the past few rounds before he landed the decapitator on Walcott.

Here's a clearer version of the knockout:

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I score it 7 rounds to 4 for Walcott before the Rock from Brockton landed the Blockbuster

 

Do you have a scorecard or are you willing to rescore it with some thoughts to share so we can compare cards? It’s alwats better when about 5-10 compare our cards.

It has been so long since I watched this I am looking forward to it. I am sure I have some old cards in a notebook in a box somewhere, but not hopeful of searching for it this week lol.

 

Oh do you want me to get specific with the score? I'd need to rewatch it, though I'm a bit busy ATM.

 

We will be reviewing it all week if you get a chance

 

Glad I'm not the only one. They're great when you feel lethargic.

 

This is one of the best fights of all time and Walcott is a very underrated fighter. He came out in the first round letting his hands go just basically trying to tear Marciano's head off and he almost did it. The fight was a near superhuman effort on both their parts. Great stuff.

 

Alrighty scorecard time:

Round 1
10-8 Walcott's favor
Walcott unleashes a brutal left upper that catches Marciano off balance. The same punch that knocked out Ezzard Charles. Marciano gets up quickly and fights back hard, landing some jolting shots, but continues to take punishment. Explosive opener.

Round 2
10-9 Walcott's favor
These two are going to war. Marciano seems to have waken up a bit but Walcott is hitting and clinching very effectively.

Round 3
10-9 Marciano's favor
In the beginning Walcott continued to show the difference in ring generalship between the two, but Marciano turned it around when he managed to break Walcott's clinch with pure force and land good shots. Marciano has increased his work to the body and landed good uppercuts in another clinch. Marciano staggered Walcott at the very end. Both are showing how much more explosive they are than what they're given credit for.

Round 4
10-9 Marciano's favor
Marciano has clearly taken charge of the agression. Marciano's body attacks and uppercuts are becoming more effective. Marciano's terrifying power output is show when his body wildly flails in one direction when he misses a punch.

Round 5
Doesn't exist

Round 6
10-9 Marciano's favor
Dominating round for Marciano. Marciano's short reach allows him to dominate infighting, and getting inside is no struggle for the thick, power legs of Rocky. Walcott lands clean but it doesn't even phase the challenger from Brockton. To quote Walcott's manager:

"Marciano must be made of iron" -Felix Bocchicchio

Round 7
10-9 Marciano's favor
Walcott did a bit better this round. Landed more impressive shots, though Marciano's blockbusters have a loud *CRACK* with every blow landed. Marciano, during the later part of the round, seemed to have gotten a bit more wild, less accurate. As if something had gotten into his eyes

Round 8
10-9 Walcott's favor
Walcott begins doing the famous "Walcott shuffle", and plays defensive. Walcott jabs more often and backs away from the bull in gloves. Marciano's long range shots become much more wild, and begins furiously digging the body during clinches. The chemicals that Walcott had on him continue to blind Marciano, his vision clearly fading. To quote him:

"For those last few rounds, all I saw was a shadow" -Marciano

Round 9
10-9 Walcott's favor
Similar to last round. Walcott's jab proves to be effect with a nearly blind Marciano. The only thing keeping Marciano going, his prime conditioning, his cast iron chin, and his unbreakable will to win.

Round 10
10-10 even
Extremely close round. Marciano's eyesight cleared up a bit, and began landing his bombs again. Walcott dominated most of the early part of the round with his famous "Walcott Shuffle". Marciano landing brutal body shots in the early part, and finally cracking the code of the Cake Walk to get a crack at his cranium. Vicious round.

Round 11
10-9 Walcott's favor
Marciano got the **** kicked out of him. No other way to put it. A bad cut open's under Marciano's eye. Walcott seems to go on the offensive again. Marciano's vision seems to be worsening again.

Round 12
10-9 Walcott's favor
Raymond Cream continues to wail away at the Rock from Brockton. Walcott landed an impressive counter left jab, counter left body shot, left hook to the face, and left body shot again. Marciano called that last shot the hardest Walcott landed. Marciano doesn't seem to do much other than coming forward, missing gazelle punches and occasionally landing a good body blow, his eyes seem very swollen. It's a miracle that Marciano can come out for the 13th round.

Round 13
Winner: Rocky Marciano
Walcott continues to stay away from the blinded Marciano. Marciano stalks him, like a man possessed.

Finally, hurricane Suzie Q lands on Jersey. And it's devastating. Walcott doesn't twitch, doesn't move, at the time many thought Walcott might be dead. Marciano's animalistic instincts finally got the kill. Amazing back-and-fourth fight. This is what All-Time Greats are made of.

Final tally:
106-103 Walcott's favor
6 rounds Walcott, 4 rounds Marciano, 1 round even.

 

Couple comments:

* pretty cool seeing all those champs introduced before the fight.
* round card girl was a funky looking guy wearing a tie and a sports coat.
* ref broke up the few clinches very quickly.
* both guys absorbed tremendous punishment.
* at 185 Marciano would-be light today even for a cruiserweight!

 

Isn’t it about time with all the modern tech that someone added quality color to these b/w films?

 

Unless your name is "Muhammad Ali", no

 

Why? would lifelike color show up the lack of quality of these fighters from the b/w eras compared to modern fighters or maybe the reverse and enhance the clarity of how good they really were?

 

Well the old fighters already look better than the new fighters on old film, so I assume the latter.

I think Reznick uploaded some colorized Dempsey footage

 

Had Walcott leading going into the 13th by 106-103. I gave Walcott 1(10-8), 2, 7,9,11,12, I gave Marciano 3,4,6,10, with round 8 even. Round 5 was missing from the video. As with most of the fights we've scored on the FOTW, a lot of rounds were close and could easily have gone to the other fighter.