If Marciano Had Faced...?

Machen wasn’t even fighting yet and Williams was so green he would have gotten killed...even in prime. Nino or Baker would have been decent fights and maybe would have quenched some of the odd size arguments today. Beats both though to answer your question. He didn’t see them as decent opposition or big money draws.

 

Since all of these fighters with the exception of Valdez were pretty much green, They would get sparked.
Valdez does something good early like shutting Rocky's left eye, cut him up or break his nose, but Rocky starts taking over later in the fight and likely stops him.
Rocky against a prime Machen or a prime Cleveland williams in 1954?
Now that would be interesting

 

52-0

 

At that time he'd have probably beaten all of them. That said at the end of his career he was becoming - by his own admission - shopworn and somewhat disinterested in boxing. Fighters that are on autopilot tend to crash into mountains.

 

Machen wasn't even pro yet. Williams I imagine would win two rounds on his jab then get killed. Valdes would have the best chance, and that would have been a great fight. But his midsection wouldn't have held up against Rocky, and Nino was terrible about capitalizing on the height and reach advantage he possessed in almost all of his fights (John Holman and James Parker being the exceptions). Cleve in 3, Valdes in 8.

 

A prime Machen would have given Rock a lot of problems, Prime Cleveland? if Archie Moore could drop Marciano the Williams that assaulted Sonny Liston could too. As a matter of fact I don't think Rocky would have lasted any longer against Liston than Cleveland did. He's shorter , plods forward and is easier to find and hit .

 

A tall athletic brotha like Cleveland would have been a handful for Rocky...

The other two would crumble fast though

 

Got your poster.

https://i.etsystatic.com/25421853/r/il/80970f/2616247087/il_1588xN.2616247087_qkfx.jpg

 

Liston would have demolished Rocky, Marciano with his lion heart will never give up despite getting battered.
However, against Liston, if he keeps gettin up and try again, he is going to pay a heavy price.
See Foreman-Frazier?
Well a 1960 Liston against any version of Rocky would be way brutal.
William of the first Liston fight should gets him early, but i don't see it happening a lot.
Although machen would pose a formidable challenge, rocky's pressuring style would be too much for a lot of cute boxers like eddie.
But Machen cutting him up and then try to avoid Rocky's power shot until the referee decide to pull the rock out due to the cut worsening isn't impossible to imagine.

 

Valdez blew his opportunity to fight Marciano after losing to archie moore in a title eliminator fight.

 

What lmao. Cleveland never came close to beating anyone of Marcianos caliber. Little old Bob Satterfield w a China chin knocked him out. Can’t see cleveland lasting more then 6.

 

National Boxing Association Ratings
October 6, 1955
Heavyweights
Rocky Marciano, Champion
Outstanding boxers

1. Bob Baker
2. Nino Valdes
3. Tommy (Hurricane) Jackson

Honorable Mentions
Ezzard Charles
Don Cockell
Earl Walls
Jack Gardner
Rex Layne
Franco Cavicchi
John Holman
Heinz Neuhaus