Heavyweight Greatness: Wladimir Klitschko vs Rocky Marciano

The difference is, Marciano on the outside has an answer to what Wlad does. He can't beat him there, no, but he can negate his strengths by slipping the jab. He can slip punches, he can parry them, he can feint himself, he can block them - He has lots of ways to work his way onto the inside and to nullify Wlad's long range attacks.

If Wlad can't hold, what else can he do to protect himself from Marciano on the inside? He has nothing. He can't fight back. He can push but that leaves him vulnerable to uppercuts and hooks to the head.

Marciano was always an inferior on the outside, whether it's against someone who is 6'5" or 6'1". It doesn't matter because that was his style. He managed to get inside on much better fighters than Wlad, so I fail to see why the tactics couldn't work against a bigger opponent. Wlad's size makes it easier for Marciano.

 

What you're forgetting is that the extra 20lbs of fat that Corrie Sanders had made him into an animal. A fat Sanders, who would be 200lbs if he was in shape, could knock Wlad out in 2 rounds but someone like Marciano stands no chance!

 

I don't like comparing era's but people forget, with today's advancements in workout methods, Marciano would be like 210 today and probably even more powerful.

 

<<<< The guy in my avatar!

 

Ali, the racist he was, gave Marciano big props. Even said on his best day and Marciano's best day, Ali would win a decision.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDaw2QFC1Qg&feature=related[/ame]

 

You've answered both questions yourself there.

There is no reason to assume he could match the success.

He's the exception because he didn't match the success.

His whole career could have been fought at the cw limit. He never beat a willard, fulton, firpo, ali, golota or bowe. He didn't even dominate those his own size, despite always finding a way to win.

 

its easy to call Ali a racist, but if you were treated as nothing everywhere you walked in white America, it would not be long before you developed characteristics that hated the people who hated you so unreasonably.

I dont think he was wise enough at the time to see he was a construction of his times - when only sheer bloodyminded singlemindedness against the masses would get you success. Its the price ofhis fame in a cruel world. Lets not forget that when he was a little kid, Americans were still torching and hanging blacks for no reason at all other than pure entertainment. Just think about the hate that generates.

sorry to digress.

 

AH,, but does one come tothe point where the extra mass becomes a hindrance? A la Butterbean and Co?

Heart size doesnt differ much between people of different size, so a large change in body mass will correspond with a smaller change in heart size and cardiac output, further limiting the duration of physical exertions in a supermassive boxer.

Will future 8'1" supermassive boxers be one day at a cardiac disadvantage to their 6'5" counterparts of today? How far does evolution go, and does it indeed become a hindrance to future boxers?

 

The fact he didn't doesn't mean he should be dismissed against a bigger heavyweight. Wlad has never beaten anyone as big as Valuev but that doesn't mean it'd be a close fight. Wlad would school him.

 

Boxing isn't a bodybuilding contest.

Or even 5'1", 140lbs Barbados Joe Walcott beating a great light heavyweight such as Philadelphia Jack O'Brien. That could never happen. Or Walcott beating a 6'6", 215lbs man. Impossible. Jimmy Wilde routinely knocking men out who outweighed him by 50-100lbs. Sam Langford beating George Godfrey or Bill Tate would surely be impossible?

Henry Armstrong likely wouldn't have beaten Michalczewski. Would Sugar Ray Robinson beat Tavoris Cloud or Nathan Cleverly? Absolutely.

 

Do you think Valuev would beat Wlad?

If your entire argument rests on size and not ability, why wouldn't Valuev, who is much larger, beat Wlad?

Your response should be "there is a size difference but Wlad is too good to lose to Valuev". I agree with that completely. However, Marciano is also a better fighter than Wlad.

These arguments should be about styles and technique, not height and weight. They aren't the crucial, deciding point.

 

Yes but valuev has been schooled by much smaller people than wlad anyways.

I'm saying there's no real basis for picking rocky considering the career the two men have had.

We've seen wlad dominate guys behind his jab. We've seen him sap the energy out of opponents by clinching whenever they get close.

I just don't see why anyone would pick a small cw to beat wlad. Defies logic. Today the two wouldn't even be in the same division.

If the fight came off, wlad would be criticised for beating up a smaller man.

 

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Please exlain to me, how Sanders could make CW. He is a fairly big guy, as you can see on the pic. And btw I think that Marciano vs. Dawson would be a competitive fight.

 

I wonder why Jack hates the Klitschkos so much.

 

And Wlad was knocked out by a man who would only weigh 10lbs more than Marciano if he was in shape.

Wlad has never beaten anyone as big as Valuev.

Jack Dempsey wouldn't have been a heavyweight either and yet he had few problems destroying men much bigger.

The career of Dempsey, including sparring, is a good example of how flawed this size argument is.