Larry Holmes vs. Rocky Marciano

I THINK HE COULD HAVE BEATEN COETZEE ALSO BUT THE SOUTH AFRICAN WOULD HAVE PRESENTED A MORE FORMIDABLE RIGHT HAND THAN SNIPES. THE WEAVER REMATCH, DOKES,TATE,THOMAS,PAGE...I THINK LARRY WOULD HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET PAST THESE GUYS (AS INCONSISTANT AND UNDERTRAINED AS THEY COULD BE) IF LARRY DID NOT WANT TO FIGHT THE BEST OF HIS DIVISION HE SHOULD HAVE PACKED IT IN...YOU CANT SAY I AM OLD AND WILL NOT FIGHT THE BEST...CHARLES WAS 32 WHEN HE FOUGHT MARCIANO, MARCIANO WAS 30...WALCOTT PRIMED LATE AND MOORE FOUGHT ALI 8 YEARS LATER AND ONLY LOST 3 FIGHTS OUT OF HIS NEXT 43...BUT FIGHTERS LIKE LAYNE ,LASTARZA,MATTHEWS WHERE ALL YOUNGER THAN ROCKY AND LOUIS ACUALLY FOUGHT HIS WAY TO THE MATCH VS ROCKY BUT LOUIS WAS ONE OF THE FIGHTER THAT WAS VISABLY PAST HIS PRIME BUT NOT AS BAD AS ALI WAS VS HOLMES

 

I dont think Holmes used his age as an excuse he was just commenting around the time he went for Rocky's unbeaten record.Page would have been a formidable opponent if in shape ,not a given ,same goes for Witherspoon.I don't see Tate doing much against Holmes,Dokes was another who lived in the fast lane,the lost generation of Don King Heavyweights ,dissipated,drugged and dissollusioned.Money seems to have been more important to Holmes than his legacy,maybe because he followed Ali and that was a hard act to follow.Whatever he was a great Heavyweight ,imo.

 

Sure, fighting Earnie Shavers twice, is definately avoiding big hitting right handers. Lets not forget Boncrusher who had just iced Frank Bruno, Tim Witherspoon, and Ray Mercer at the age of 42, plus Oliver McCall who layed out Lewis with a right.

 

I think this will be close. Hard do to say who takes it. Marciano had a tough time with the best boxers he fought - E. Charles and Walcott, who were WELL into their 30's. Of course, Holmes also had trouble with fighters that wasn't near as good as "the rock".

I'll go with Holmes taking a decision. But it's far from unlikely that Marciano wins by a late KO.

 

I don't think that Holmes' matchmaking in his "old man" comeback is valid criteria.

At that point in his career, he was no longer an undefeated champion encroaching on Marciano's record, but rather an old ex-champ looking for some further glory (or whatever he was looking for). He was in a win-win situation - he gets credited for beating Mercer and so on, but his losses to Holyfield and McCall, of all people, seem to get ignored because he was "old".

He had nothing left to lose in his comeback, so he had to take some dangerous fights to get a belt(s).

 

True to some extent. Personally, I don't think that he had to take the McCall fight persay. It was a good payday against a questionable champion, but he probably could have hung around and marketed himself for something else if he had the patience to do so. McCall was still viewed by many as lucky against Lewis, but his chin, heart, stamina and power made him a threat to nearly everyone especially an aging fighter on the comeback trail.

 

I liked Holmes as a fighter and thought he was an excellent fighter, I dont know if Money was the reason he did not fight those guys they were Co-Champs and unification fights usually were easy to build up for decent paydays but I remember being fustrated that these fights never came off as I was with Bowe/Lewis but I think it was clear that Bowe did not want that fight. Still Holmes fought a lot of guys with 10 fights 12 fights 13 fights 15 and 16 fights and a lot of the challengers were put there in the ratings by King, still Larry was the best conditioned and most consistant of all the guys I mentioned but I still believe some of those fights should have happened

 

I think Holmes dominates Marciano. I have never seen Larry get dominated by a short-armed inside fighter like Rocky. I could see Holmes keep Rocky off him with the jab and punishing him with the right uppercut. It's funny how people question Holmes' durability when Rock went down from a light-heavyweight and Joe Walcott, who was never thought to be a devastating puncher. They both went down and got up to show their sturdy chins.

Holmes was a much better boxer than Moore or Walcott and would have beat Marciano with his superior skill.

 

Well thats because Holmes never fought a short arm inside fighter, like Marciano. Holmes would be in a war with Marciano I belive. Could go either way.
I belive Walcott had better footwork, and angels than Holmes, and perhaps a better puncher.

 

In 12 rounds I believe Holmes might be able to hold Marciano off and win a decision. Although knowing it was 12 instead of 15 the Rock would make sure to start turning up the heat earlier.

Holmes had a magnificent jab that would trouble anyone including Marciano. Rocky would invest in the body early, eat a lot of punches from Holmes, get busted up, and would eventually wear Holmes down and knock the Easton Assasin out down the home stretch in the 14th round.


Holmes takes a full ten-count in the 14th round.

 

Believable senario

 

I think this works both ways. For example I could say Holmes had a tough time with the best boxers he fought who were green inexperienced fighters not even in there 15th pro fights yet.



ps charles was 32, thats HARDLY "well into his 30s". Marciano was 31 when he fought ezzard.

 

Which fighters had less than 15 fights who were the "best boxers" Holmes fought?

 

Tim Witherspoon, Carl Williams right around the 15 fight mark. Bonecrusher too.


Its amazing how many people pick holmes to win easy decisions over top fighters, when he struggled to win close controversial decisions over the top fighters of his era, and he failed to face many of the top heavies of his era.

 

You specifically said less than 15 fights. Smith was not one of his best anyway. Holmes' best fighters were Norton, Shavers, Cooney, Berbick, Witherspoon and Mercer. Most of whom had over 15 fights, and none had less.

Holmes not facing certain top heavyweights was not entirely his failure. Some of those fights were not made for reasons other than your perceived idea of his being a coward or poor champion. As for him struggling with less experienced foes, well this sometimes tends to happen when an older fighter takes on a hot young prospect who has everything to gain and nothing to lose. How many young undefeated fighters did Rocky take on? How many of his best wins were cake walks? How many of them even remotely resembled Holmes in just about every aspect?