Larry Holmes vs. Rocky Marciano

I think that Marciano would probably be more dangerous for Holmes than Frazier would because he used his right hand more. The same hand that Holmes was a little prone to getting caught with.

I also don't think that Holmes moved enough to pull an Ali on Louis Dempsey or Marciano. They would get to him sooner or later.

 

I think the Holmes of the first Shavers fight did. He also could have stayed on his toes for 15 rounds against Cooney, had he chosen to do so. It's my impression that Larry circled right with better consistency than Ali did. Dempsey might pose the biggest problem because of the speed he could spring upon his quarry with.

 

Aparently not enough. Marciano was much better at cuting off the ring than Shavers and generaly finished oponents off when he had them hurt.

 

One thing that I'm surprised is rarely mentioned, is that when fighters crowded Holmes against the ropes or in a corner, he would sometimes launch a lethal uppercut. If you watch the Mike Weaver fight, you'll see this punch around the 11th round when he floored Weaver. Another time, was against Mike Tyson in the 4th round, shortly before being Ko'd, Holmes threw the right uppercut, but it was cought in the ropes near the turn buckle. One possible concern with Marciano, is that he made his living crowding and swarming his opponents. In addition, he would likely leave himself temporarily vulnerable when punching upwards against Holmes in a corner or on the ropes. At this moment, Rocky could most definately be suseptible to getting hit with a shot, that could drop him, or even knock him out. Not that it would happen, but it's not entirely beyond the realm of possibility. Therefore, it's only a half truth to say that Marciano, would just maul Holmes. Unbeknownst to many, Larry could actually be quite dangerous on the inside, especially when feeling threatened by an over Zealous puncher.

 

Valid points.

At the end of the day whether Holmes wins looses or draws he is going to be hurting in every part of his body the next day. He will have to work hard for this one.

 

:good One of Larry's most underrated punches is his uppercut. It was sneaky, quick, and had a lot of power.

 

Fair enough. Given, that he was hurt by Snipes, R. Williams, Weaver, Shavers, and a few others I think it reasonable to assume that Marciano would inflict a fair amount of damage on Holmes, regardless of the outcome.

 

Holmes had trouble with good right hand puncher but none of them had the 2 fisted backup of the Rock nor the STAMINA to persist, Nick Wells KO'd Holmes 2 times in the amatuers with right hands,Duane Bobick stopped him, hurt him with a right hand, Snipes,Issacs,Shavers dropped and hurt him and Tyson KO"D him all with rights but none had the late persistant power of the Rock, Rocky by KO between 9-15, I would bet my Jockstrap on it

 

He had a broken hand in the R. Williams fight though, so obviously he wasn't fighting at 100%. There is no shame in being hurt by Shavers or Weaver, or the right hand that Snipes nailed Larry with.

 

Larry was DQ'd against Bobic. Issacs didn't hurt Larry with the right hand, just caught him off guard with it. So Wells KO'd Larry twice with right hands IN THE AMERATURES. That means nothing in the pro's. Larry proved that he was an ATG heavyweight PROFESIONAL fighter, not amerature. Tyson TKO'd him with a right hand he never would have gotten in if Larry's uppercut didn't get in the ropes. Whats wrong with being hurt by Shavers? Or the right hand that Snipes dropped Larry with? So far, it seems to me, that you vastly underrate Larry, and his defence. With the amount of jabs he threw, of course people will eventualy get you with a right hand over the top. I think Marciano would beat Larry too, but not the way your puting it. You make it seem like all Larry did was get hit and KO'd by right hands, when thats not the case. Larry was dropped by 4 people legit (Not he BS call the ref pulled in the butterbean fight) out of 75 fights. Thats pretty good.

 

Agreed, and I don't think anyone's saying that there is any shame in it. I think all we're pointing out, is that Marciano could potentially hurt Holmes as well, but of course we'll never know.

 

Theres no doubt in my mind that Marciano could hurt Holmes. If he landed his Suzie Q clean, he could easily knock anyone out, because even if you have all of the heart in the world, if your out cold...your not getting up.

 

Larry's jab would be the key here. Marciano would be eating that jab all night. Larry might be hurt a couple of times or even sent down, but he will get up, recover, and contine to finish the business he started. Marciano would win a few rounds on aggresiveness and overhand rights, but Holmes would cut up Rocky's face something terrible.

Larry Holmes RTD 12 (cuts) Rocky Marciano:good