Prime Joe Louis vs Prime Rocky Marciano

Unpopular opinion, but Marciano, yes he was a pressure fighter and Louis was a great finisher, could counter and walk you onto punches, but Marciano is truly relentless, I see Louis hurting him at some point, but Marciano, contrary to popular belief, was not a sitting duck at all, especially for combinations, he could roll, slip, get low, making him a lot more difficult to time than it looks, the constant change in head position and rolling makes it very difficult to time you clean, I think Louis would time him at some point, but not much and also wouldn’t be able to follow up, and for the most part, Marciano would be rolling and slipping his punches and coming over the top, and Louis wasn’t difficult to get inside on, Marciano would get his head right on his chest so Louis can’t get anything in is punches and Marciano would punish him in the inside with body shot, uppercuts, left hooks and uppercuts.

 

Prime for prime ? Joe Louis cuts Marciano to shreds.

 

Louis at near 38 was out boxing a prime Marciano until he got tired. Any version from 1934 to 1948 beats Marciano with relative ease, knocks him out in the 5th while being comfortably ahead at the time of the stoppage.
Probably the worst stylistic match up for a slugging swarmer there is.

 

Louis could just jab and retreat all night and he'd win an easy decision. Marciano would get inside once, feel a right uppercut-left hook combination and never try again. He is so outgunned in this fight that his usual slugging approach leaves him without any path to victory

 

It would be a good tussle while it lasted, but last long it wouldn't. Louis KO6

 

Could go either way.

 

Even when they fought it took until the 8th round for Marciano to get Louis down and was only up a round or two. In his prime Marciano would have no chance. Even a few months earlier Louis would have given Marciano a real tough fight but post 1946 Louis's power had really left him.

Louis and Cockell(who was 5 ft 11) were the only 2 guys above 200 pounds Marciano fought at the championship level. Marciano never had to face anyone like Louis but Louis had to face the Baer bros, Carnera and Abe Simon etc. Galento might have gotten lucky and knocked Louis down but he was 40+pounds heavier than Rocky and Louis brushed it off like it was nothing and defeated him quickly after that. Same goes for Buddy Baer to a lesser extent. A 5 ft 10 185 pound brawler is really no threat to prime Louis.

 

No one around that time, (Before Liston) beats Marciano easily, Marciano isn’t just some world champion, if he was, he would’ve lost to at least one of his opponents considering the level of opposition he fought, he had something about him that most don’t, there’s a reason he retired 49-0, it isn’t just a number, it represents something, his determination, will to win was probably the greatest of any fighter in that department.
From a technical standpoint, his unpredictable head movement, always changing his head position, would make it very hard for Louis to time him on the way in, even for uppercuts and he would move his head laterally and vertically sporadically, and once he is inside, he’d get his head on his chest and not give Louis room to get any power on anything, and Marciano was much better on the inside, he knew what to do in the right moment inside, he’d go to the body, he give them a nudge and get the left hook or overhand right off, he knew how to manipulate opponents on the inside to get work off, whilst simultaneously not allowing them the right position to get their work off, and he’d always move his head after every combination or single punch.
He is very underrated defensively and technically.

 

Louis was a great short puncher similar to Dempsey in this regard. Louis handled Godoy on the inside with short hooks and uppercuts before stopping him longer range. Have to go with Louis here. Greater overall fighter with power to ko anyone.

 

Dempsey, Tunney beat Marciano and you could easily make an argument for Schmeling, prime Walcott, prime Charles, Sharkey and Baer for beating him. Braddock would be a very live underdog. The truth is over the hill versions of Louis, Walcott, Charles and 41 year old Moore don't make for very stiff competition. We saw what happened when Moore fought a prime all time great in Patterson, which put into perspective the quality of Marciano's best wins. Had he come just 5 years earlier he would have held the crown for a bout 2 years in 1951-1953 and he'd have already racked up losses against 1946 versions of Louis & Walcott and 1949 Charles. Throw in Elmer Ray, Murray, Mauriello and Maxim and who knows how many more losses Marciano would have coming up.
His level of opposition is 38 out of 49 fights being against guys who never held a ranking, it may as well be his amateur career.
His achievements aren't something Dempsey, Johnson, Tunney and Schmeling wouldn't be favored to achieve, considering there isn't a single prime 200+ lbs fighter on the guy's record.

Louis did not need much room to create power on the inside, and whenever he wanted his space he could just back up while letting his target advance into the kill zone, it's something you can see him do all the time against people who tried to smother him. Even in 1951 he was finding Marciano on the inside with hooks and uppercuts but he just didn't have the punching power anymore, he couldn't even knock out Brion and Agramonte in four fights.
I'm not saying Marciano was a buffoon who couldn't defend himself, and he'd probably land an over hand over the jab at some point, and land some solid body blows as well, and all that wouldn't be enough to stop Louis from punching right back at him, with punches in combinations that Marciano wouldn't be able to avoid at point blank range.
The right uppercut that was a mere push in 1951 would feel like dynamite against prime Louis. Marciano is woefully outmatched and no amount of heart is getting him to the final bell.

 

Joe and it would be surprisingly easy and short.

 

Could go either way but I slightly prefer Marciano here, busier, made to fight a taller man and awkward enough to offset Louis, who had trouble with crowding pressure fighters. Would be a brutal spectacle to say the least, love both of them

 

Louis stops him