Marciano vs Foreman... What Can The Rock Do?

High chance Marciano doesn't see the third round. I would bet a years' worth of paychecks on this one.

I really like Marciano but it astounds me that so many think he would be capable of outlasting the punishment that an alltime great, large sized heavyweight (of which there really have been few) would dish out. Methinks there is a lot more at work here than pure boxing analysis.

 

It's probably the 49-0. It's easy to imagine him a winner, because he always won.

I'm not 100% sold on Foreman. He was actually less defensive that Marciano. He might walk right into Marciano's looping right, all upright and chin in the air. And Marciano looked more cagey than a swarmer like Frazier, less square on than a Tyson.

But I'd make Foreman favourite here, he was just so monstrously strong, and big, and powerful, and a great fighter, and natural .... and Marciano was small for a heavyweight and faced no one like Foreman.

 

Here is part of the problem

We don't actualy know what it would take to stop him, because nobody came particularly close to doing it, except by cuts.

 

I am sorry but you are completely underestimating the power of George's uppercut. It matters not the angle of which Rocky stood, or the position of his shoulders, elbows, or arms. Foremans uppercut, would have torn through all of that like a knife through butter. Such was the sheer power of the man.

Marciano was simply NOT evasive.

 

Walcott hurt him pretty badly with some body shots and a left hook in the 11th. The commentator calls Marciano "almost helpless". I can't help but think that if he and Foreman got in a windup match like that, that Foreman would just crush him.

 

You could scarcely be more wrong.


That said, big George would be the clear favourite here.

 

The question is "what can the rock do?" I think he will launch himself from his low crab stance once Foreman has committed to reaching down to him with slow swooping punches and counter his way inside. Once inside Marciano will maul and struggle with Foremans strength but he will hit and hurt George with full leverage at short range. George Will be dangerous but he won't have enough room for full power. He will tire quickly and things could even up.

I recognise Foreman should be Favorite but Rocky has more than a punchers chance. Prime George was very green compared to Rocky and had trouble with pace. George was also knocked out and knocked down by lighter punches than Marciano landed on regular basis.

 

With respect you must have different footage of Marciano fights than I've seen. Marciano took plenty of punishment in fights, and does in fact have a reputation for a solid chin.

Agree with George rightly being favourite though.

 

Okay so Big George gets beat by a smaller Jimmy Young and so Rock only manages to tickle Foreman? Frazier to begin with was an awesome hw, but he was not a one punch ko artist. His left hook usually broke down fighters or finished them, but was NOT a showstopper like Suzy Q was. Marciano also had the best stamina of any HW, he was a gym rat. Even today his workout routine is considered legendary. Charles and Walcott were highly skillful hws especially Walcott a late bloomer he was The Brown Bombers main sparring partner. Walcott at his best could of done a Jimmy Young on Foreman too.

 

He could be hit and did take punishment at times, but his crouching/bobbing/ weaving posture made him a deceptively difficult to nail cleanly.
I would say he was more evasive than most HWs.

 

Was the Young fight the best version of Foreman?

So, can we now judge Marciano by his efforts against ****ell and Lowry?

 

How did Young do better than Joe Frazier?

Two different kind of fighters. Jimmy Young was a slick, crafty boxer who didnt engage toe to toe. Marciano was a 5-10 come forward stalker/brawler/puncher. Standing in front of Foreman and taking his shots full force especially down low in his wheel house {uppercuts} is a bad idea.

 

If you each the Foreman of Frazier 1, the best Foreman of his first career, he would have crushed Rocky. Way too big, strong, focused and good. That George was not wild but dead on. He jabbed, hooked, threw nasty uppercuts, used unsurpassed strength w laser focus. There are versions of Foreman that I could possibly see losing to Rocky, possibly, but not the best Foreman, no way.

 

Foreman did a wonderful job on Frazier the first time but Frazier was a sitting duck compared with Marciano. Frazier was more square on. Once Frazier was stunned it was target practice. Rocky always fired back (and landed) under fire since he had a better jaw and was more difficult to nail so cleanly as Frazier was.

Using Frazier as a comparison is a bit silly. Frazier was not firing back and was so easy to hit when hurt. I can't see Marciano getting so overwhelmed by a wide open target like Foreman. and the longer it goes the more frustrated and tired George gets.

 

Marciano was knocked down by lighter punchers than George ,and while he was fresh, not when he was exhausted.
One was 37 ,the other 42years old.

Foreman buries Rocky.