Nikolai Valuev vs. Rocky Marciano

Many people here, either directly or indirectly, have said that a 40-50lb gap between two fighters is a bridge too far to overcome for the smaller guy. Granted both fighters are in proper shape, and that it's a competitive matchup. Here is an example of a 217lb fighter beating a 316lb fighter. A 99lb difference. This was for a HW title, too. It would be strange to somehow ignore this outcome that goes against prevailing wisdom.

Haye did have a different style than Marciano, yes. But isn't this the classic case of using some sort of justification whenever the bigger guy loses? I don't think we should excuse every referential example of past matchups because styles were different. Especially since Marciano, to me, would have a much greater stylistic advantage over Valuev than Haye had.

Marciano would place his head on the side of Joe Louis shorts. Against Valuev, Marciano could be at knee height. Imagine being Valuev, and trying to fight someone at knee height level. You don't have much flexibility in your attack from that scenario. It would be awkward, and unnatural. Yet Rocky would be in his preferred position.

 

Do you think if Marciano fought today, he would be known as a slow fighter? I think the lens through which boxers are critiqued has changed over time. Simple colorful descriptions have fallen in favor of depth and nuanced analysis. I think there would be a much deeper appreciation for a fighter like Marciano today, and I don't think "slow" would be one of the first adjectives that would come to mind.

 

Marcianos main advantage is his crouching style. Marciano can fight comfortably very low. He's already a short fighter, and his crouch can reduce his height by half.

It would be an absolute nightmare for Valuev to fight a guy that small, as powerful and astute as Marciano. He would punch straight down, leaving Marciano room to punch over his arms and reach his head. Marciano could slip a punch and counter faster than Valuev can bring his arms back.

It's not easy punching a guy that moves like Marciano, and who can counter with mean intentions.
https://streamable.com/pafc

Look at his balance in the crouch. Look how he can pivot his right leg while crouched. I think he would be able to read Nikolai's attacks, and have a pretty comfortable time finding the large target.

 

https://streamable.com/sea2
I can't imagine a fighter today as explosive and live as Marciano being known as slow. I imagine an enormous buzz and hype around him being an exciting animal of a fighter.

 

I'm not sure, what do you think? I definitely don't think Wilder or Tyson Fury are faster than Marciano. I also think if the criteria is not better defined, it could be an open ended question where any answer can be scrutinized.

Look at a guy like Golovkin. I think he could fight a lot faster if he didn't sit down on his weight so much. But does he move his feet faster than some of his peers? No. Does that make him slower? I don't think so.

I think on a business 101 graph, with power on one axis, and speed on the other, Marciano would score the best among the fighters you listed.

 

Well who would be further out of their element? Try standing up, and punching down at your knee. You couldn't be more exposed than that.

You can keep saying that I have rose colored glasses on. I will keep doing my best to support my observations with reasoning and media.