Larry Holmes vs Rocky Marciano

Reach means nothing at this level. With your experience with this sport your questions should be more technical. Marciano was very good at closing the distance and his right hand was second to few.

 

Do you really think it's just a matter of closing the distance? Does it all fall into place for Rocky then?


Sorry, you haven't explained how Marciano avoids the horrendous facial damage Holmes would inflict on him with that ATG jab before he get's close?
How he succeeds in koing a prime Holmes when no one else managed it?
How he copes with Holmes great uppercut?
How he copes with Holmes huge advantages in speed of hand and foot?
How he copes with a man 4.5inches taller and 35lbs heavier,
a YOUNG STRONG MAN ,when he does get inside after closing the distance?

How's that, technical enough?

 

This is absurd. Reach means a lot. However, if you have quick feet, quick upperbody movement and quick hands, you can mitigate the deficiency.

Unfortunately, Marciano had slow feet and slow hands. He was able to use his core flexibility to get very low. I just don't see that as being enough. Sorry.

 

No one dominated Rocky with their jab. Why was that? Head movement, low crouch making himself a small target, blocking, parrying, slipping. These were the reasons Rocky was never the wide open target his opponents claimed. So Holmes jab would not land as easily as you are imagining and neither would any of his punches. Not saying he would not be hit as of course he would but he was technically astute. Holmes although a great fighter never fought anyone close to Marcianos two fisted power and the ability to land those power punches especially the right. Watch Holmes throw his jab. Just about every time he does not bring it back to protect his chin. He gets away with it because his opposition did not have the skills to exploit that defect in his defense. Rocky as he did with all fighters who tried keeping away always closed that distance via slipping punches and moving under an opponents guard. Will Holmes keep Rocky at distance at times yes but the other half the time he will not and this is where Marciano will do damage. Again a great hard fought fight but I lean tward Rocky continually landing his right wearing down the bigger man for the win.

 

opposition is key and count the thumb stops, Frank and Smith,etc. I'm not saying Holmes had no power but he was not a puncher like Walcott, Charles or Moore and his opposition was the lesser of the era's evils

 

agreed it would be a splendid match-up and Zale was right as well :good

 

Moore is rated no8 in the 1998 Ring Almanac I don't know about any subsequent ones but that is at all weights, ie p4p.

For instance:
Jimmy Wilde in number 5
Stanley Ketchel number 2
Ray Robinson number 4
Sandy Saddler number 9
Bob Foster number 10
So your stat is rather pointless.
Rocky said he couldn't avoid 37 years old Louis's jabs, " I just had to take them", so who is right ,you or him?
Marciano would land with his right,would it do anymore damage than Shavers bomb?
Made a near 40 Moore miss quite a few punches?
Well whooped- doo!
Do you think that version of Archie had the handspeed of a prime Holmes?

Marciano's boxing ability?

I'm not kidding myself I'm any fancy Dan, you know what I look like in there .Marciano, interviewed by Peter Wilson


Marciano might not care about being cut up, but the referee would, late tko win for Holmes.

 

You answered NONE of my" technical" questions.:huh
Nor did you address the opinions of Louis, Walcott, Moore, and Steward regarding Marciano's technical expertise .
Your post is just a fan letter.Sorry

 

My post was much more technical than yours!!!! I'm not a Marciano fan. I just respect a great fighters abilities. Rocky was far greater than you are portraying and that's a fact. Spend time watching him fight as I did and if you know the sport you will come around.

 

And by the way Holmes in his prime was a 210 pound hwt. Marciano around 190. 20 pounds is nothing in the hwt division. Any trainer will tell you this. Marciano was 190 on a shorter frame so very muscular vs the longer and leaner Holmes.

 

Jesus mate,I was watching Marciano fights back in the 60's.atsch
Do me a favour watch, Marciano v Lastarza2 , watch Marciano miss punches by feet,watch him relying on his open right glove to catch jabs instead of slipping them as you say he was adept at.
The fight looks like its being run on a slow speed

Lastarza is decidedly average Renaldo Snipes would own him.

 

Holmes made 20 successful defences he was only 3 times under 212lbs in them.
Marciano never scaled as much as 190lbs in a title defence he was usually 185-187lbs .
My stats are correct and your" massaged" ones are wrong. Marciano had a 38inch chest, about what I was at 18.

 

Like I said he was a 210 pound hwt.

If you have been watching him since the 60s and have that distorted of an opinion of him it's time to finally buy glasses. Again you show boxing ignorance. It's perfectly fine to slip, block, parry, catch blows, weave under punches defensively. Marciano could do all that well and then come across with very hard counters.

 

I find myself asking, so what?

Audley Harrison's opponents were all over 200lbs, does that mean that his opposition was better than Marciano's?

The bottom line is that Walcott Charles and Moore, are better than Norton, Shavers and Weaver.

 

You are wrong, Holmes was habitually 220lbs in title defences.

Muscular Marciano? He had a 39 inch chest 67inch reach,12inch forearms and 14 inch biceps,about what I was at 17.
Marciano's weight was in his legs.