If Marciano Had Fought Valdes,Baker,& Henry?

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by mcvey, Feb 28, 2024.


  1. thistle

    thistle Boxing Junkie

    8,494
    9,108
    Dec 21, 2016
    especially early & late Career Loses, always not only expected, but also understandingly accepted... different days.
     
    catchwtboxing likes this.
  2. Steve Fero

    Steve Fero Active Member Full Member

    956
    779
    Dec 17, 2019
    I don’t care about what their ranking was. If Cockell and LaStarza were ranked near the top wow that would indicate the lack of talent was stunning. And you can’t prove that Marciano was great because he beat them and their good after all cause they gave him a tough fight. Give me one good black fighter in his prime either of them beat. You can’t cause they couldn’t. They weren’t good enough.
    So yes good black fighters in their primes that Marciano beat well there really weren’t many really good ones around yet. They were still developing mostly. Just 2 years after he retired you started seeing young black fighters with good management being brought along that would have beaten Valdez Baker and Henry. Zora Folley, Eddie Machen Sonny Liston. Then later Jones Terrell and the big cat Williams. If those guys timelines would have been 3 years earlier Marciano would have been forced to fight some of them and would not have been undefeated almost certainly. Let’s remember the only common opponent he had with this newer breed was Archie Moore with Floyd Patterson. Marciano was floored and then struggled for 9 rounds to keep Moore down but couldn’t and finally the affair was just called. Patterson totally dominated Moore then starched him cold in the 5th. That’s a pretty clear picture.
     
    crixus85 and mcvey like this.
  3. SolomonDeedes

    SolomonDeedes Active Member Full Member

    1,476
    2,367
    Nov 15, 2011
    Losses don't count as long as you have lots of other losses. I'll remember that.
     
  4. catchwtboxing

    catchwtboxing Loyal Member

    31,806
    42,772
    Jul 4, 2014
    Not what I said, but whatever.
     
  5. thistle

    thistle Boxing Junkie

    8,494
    9,108
    Dec 21, 2016
    Moore was fighting from the mid 1930's, that was the mid/late 1950's, you don't think over 20 years later into the End of a Fighter's Career makes a difference... well then there isn't much to talk about, especially with Archie Moore's Career.
     
    Last edited: Jun 17, 2025
  6. mcvey

    mcvey VIP Member

    98,690
    30,580
    Jun 2, 2006
    He would get credit for beating big young ranked heavyweights, which he never did.
    How many ranked heavyweights do you think Marciano beat?
    How many do you think Moore beat?
    How one boxer does against another does not guarantee how he will fare against a common opponent.If boxing history has taught us anything, it has taught us that much.
    eg Ali ,Norton,Foreman,
     
    crixus85 likes this.
  7. SolomonDeedes

    SolomonDeedes Active Member Full Member

    1,476
    2,367
    Nov 15, 2011
    It may not be what you meant but it's what you said. You're dismissing Charles's loss to Valdes on the grounds that he had lots of other losses. If you believe that means beating him was no big deal then it really just backs up my original point that if Valdes was, as you put it, "not much" then neither was Charles.
     
  8. vargasfan1985

    vargasfan1985 Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

    18,458
    5,792
    Mar 8, 2008
    Yeah, obviously. But it sure seems to me like back in that era, when the number one contender wiped out everybody, you fought the number one contender, not the guys that the number one contender already beat.
     
  9. catchwtboxing

    catchwtboxing Loyal Member

    31,806
    42,772
    Jul 4, 2014
    I said Charles lost 24 times. Some of them, but the way, to middleweights. Valdez himself lost to several career LHW. The idea that this was some kind of massive unpassed test for Rocky is absurd.
     
  10. SolomonDeedes

    SolomonDeedes Active Member Full Member

    1,476
    2,367
    Nov 15, 2011
    Fair enough. It's unusual to see a Marciano fan arguing that Ezzard Charles was a pushover, but I respect your consistency on the point.
     
  11. crixus85

    crixus85 Well-Known Member Full Member

    1,811
    1,644
    Oct 18, 2014
    Re’ your point about the quality of Cockell and LaStarza. In case you haven’t seen it, there’s 12 minutes of their fight on YouTube.
    Billed as a world title eliminator!
    Also there’s middleweight Randy Turpin, “cleanly” stopping lightheavy, Cockell. A stark contrast to the butting, elbowing, hitting when down, “Rock!”
     
    mcvey likes this.
  12. catchwtboxing

    catchwtboxing Loyal Member

    31,806
    42,772
    Jul 4, 2014
    That was no the argument either. Good day.
     
  13. SolomonDeedes

    SolomonDeedes Active Member Full Member

    1,476
    2,367
    Nov 15, 2011
    But you can't articulate what the argument is, and that's because it requires such a level of doublethink. You want to deny Valdes credit for his win, so you're pushing this line that Charles lost lots of times, including to middleweights. But of course, at the same time Charles was the man who gave Marciano the toughest defence of his reign, so you can't actually admit that you're saying he was easy to beat.
     
    mcvey likes this.
  14. mcvey

    mcvey VIP Member

    98,690
    30,580
    Jun 2, 2006
    Valdes never lost to a career LHVY he lost to 3 men who fought at LHVY and Heavy, Moore who was 180lbs and 196 1/2lbs and Satterfield183lbs Both would be ranked at Heavyweight within a couple of months ,and Harold Johnson.

    Q. Did Marciano ever beat a big class prime heavyweight ?
    Yes?
    No?
     
  15. mcvey

    mcvey VIP Member

    98,690
    30,580
    Jun 2, 2006
    Nino beat more ranked heavyweights than ;
    Moore,Marciano,Cockell,Lastarza.
    Here is174 1/2'bs Cockell being stopped by162 1/2 lbs Turpin.
    Randy Turpin vs Don Cockell
     
    Last edited: Jun 18, 2025