there is always this possibility. frazier and rocky often get lumped together because due to physicality and style they were relatively similar in some strengths and weaknesses. this is another instance: rocky had no real shot in this. not by his own fault but as has been stated foreman just loved fighting smaller guys who came right at him. i imagine a combination of the frazier fight and the chuvalo fight, but rocky doesn't have the iron canadian's chin
What if the Rock landed some early bombs himself? Foreman wasn't exactly Pernell Whitaker. That being said i would still have my money on big George.
I love the way you assume only old farts and old fools would defend the older fighters like Marciano. Some people with good knowledge of ALL generations of boxing don't all remember the good old days through rose coloured spectacles. They just are knowledgable and KNOW that the older fighters were mostly a class above. I'd sway on the side of Foreman but I don't think its as easy as most of you are making out. Marciano fought many bigger, strong punching heavyweights. Few looked capable of wearing him down and none could just bomb him out KO'ing him. Also Foreman could be disheartened as Rocky jusy kept ploughing forward. But Foreman was much bigger naturally and hit hard even by a big guy's standard. Also trying to compare Frazer's mauling as an example of what would happen is folly. Both have hugely different styles. Nobody creamed the mighty Frazer like Foreman did. He just had his number. Rock's style is not like Joe's. He was a master of taking the sting out of punches by sliding, parrying and slight slips, Joe used to block and roll by bending at the knees, wehere Foreman timed his uppercuts to perfection.:bbb
granted marciano got BETTER at this as time went on but i wouldn't call him a master. fact is, even at his best he was relatively easy to hit at the elite level
One of Foremans most defining fights were Lyle, it showed he had good heart but it showed he could be hit and hurt and If I was to put a puncher in with Foreman I would tell him to get that chin and body. If it was Marciano he would have to fight real Low and do a lot lot crouching and when big George misses get that chin. Now Lyle was strong but not really an elite puncher. Foreman is an obstacle to a swarmer based on the Frazier fight but based on the Lyle fight I see something...guys like Louis,Dempsey,Marciano,Lewis and Tyson all have a punchers chance. Another thing if you look at Georges comeback fight when he weighed in the 220's against a burnt and overweight 5"6 Quawi...George was troubled by the crouch......Frazier was wrong for George but dont count out all two fisted swarmers
I agree ,but not easy to hurt or KO,which is where it counts in a match up against a big hitting,mentally immature fighter like Foreman was at the time.:bbb
lol at the guy talking about old timers...Frazier/Foreman wasn't yesterday either. I'm in my 20s anyway. Some people forget Frazier and Foreman fought twice. In their first fight Frazier was overweight, barely active, and made the huge mistake of taking Foreman lightly. Despite being physically broke down after his third war with Ali, Frazier gave an eye brow raising effort in his later year rematch with Big George. Bobbing, ducking, and weaving like the Smoking Joe of old, Foreman can't touch him with even straighter, sharper than usual punching as Howard is quick to point out. [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXt7OQm8Tqw[/url] Of course, Frazier didn't have the workrate to fight like this anymore for 15 rounds and Foreman walked him down in the 5th. Had Joe been in better shape and fought like this in their first meeting...who knows. And while Foreman crushed and intimidated lesser pressure fighters like Kirkman and the terrified Norton, maybe we should refrain from saying Foreman easily demolishes Marciano or other tough minded aggressive fighters as a rule of thumb. George is still one of the most dangerous early round finishers in history, he should be rightfully favored against the Rock, but if Marciano can slip the jab and guard the uppercuts like he did against Old Joe Louis, take Foreman into deep waters...anything can happen. [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVHNlm9MHPM&feature=related[/url]
It's because of the size difference that I give Marciano a better shot with Foreman than I do with Tyson. The Rock needs to cramp up Long George's reach, turn an advantage into a disadvantage; if 90% of the fight takes place w/in the six to ten inch area. Marciano was better at getting inside without taking shots than Frazier. Frazier, for all his non-stop pursuit was not a thinking, imaginative swarmer. He knew one speed, one strategy, was very predictable and much easier pickin's. Also, Marciano hit harder than Joe, every shot from his "arse", each one a finishing blow, he has the ultimate puncher's chance. Now can he get inside on George consistently enough to make one of those trips pay off, not get taken out by a bomb in the meantime? I think the longer the fight goes, the better shot Rocky has. Psychologically in the early rounds, Foreman's in a very good spot. The size difference and just by the fact that he would be favored, and I think that George is feeling pretty good about this fight early on. But he might begin to reconsider after the sixth or seventh round and while he's thinking about it, he could get taken out. The Rock was a pretty fair finisher, wasn't he?
Ron Lyle was a nearly 6'4 220 lb. slugger with long arms. Rocky Marciano was a barely 5'11 180 lb swarmer.
Ste Hawkins ... who were these big, hard punching heavyweights Rocky fought ? Am I missing a page of his resume ? Please don't tell me Rex Lane or Lee Savold ... to me Rex Lane was a lot closer to Boone Kirkman than to George Foreman ...
I will say without question that Lyle was a bigger right hand puncher than Marciano. Marciano was a much better fighter.
