Prime Rocky Marciano vs Prime Earnie Shavers

I dont think rocky is gonna be doing much "avoiding". Shavers had unusually long arms and rocky was no defensive wizard. That being said, even rocky would know not to just stand there and duke it out after getting rocked by a big shavers bomb. Rocky would deplete shavers gas tank with some nasty body shots, then go upstairs with some uppers and overhand rights to counter shavers tentative pawing jabs.

In the 2nd, rocky uses cautious aggression much like he did with joe louis but is still getting tagged and kept at bay due to the size difference. He is nicked by a sledgehammer left hook and goes down but gets right back up and has blood above his right eye. Frustrated, he makes it an inside fight and smothers shavers, keeping him from winding up big punches. He keeps up a relentless pace breaki g shavers down and drops him in the 5th with a straight right to the body. Shavers barely survives.

Shavers is a sitting duck gasping for air and no head movement in the 7th. Rocky charges but leaves his chin wide open and is caught by a big shavers uppercut as he attempts to get close. Rocky goes down and now the ref has the doc look at rockys cuts. The fight continues and a furious rocky bobs and weaves relentlessly and throws wild hooks and hayemakers. Shavers is blocking well at first, but there are gaps and even if rocky cant land clean, he swings away regardless targetting shoulders/elbows anything to avoid getting stopped. Finally in the 9th a rocky drenched in blood and a busted lip lands 12 bludgeoning unanswered punches to shavers who takes a knee to avoid being grinded up like beef in a meat processor. He gets up but looks like a flower shaking in the wind. Shavers has a black eye and cant even raise his arms. Rocky lands a big one and is about to follow up but the ref stops it.

Rocky TKO round 9.

 

How much do I owe you for that ringside seat?

 

Many of them187lbs?

 

Bulk usually helps wouldn't you say?Anyone KD Valuev?

 

Shavers never really had that championship mentality. The ability to win at all costs and call yourself the best on the planet. Rocky did.

But Earnie did have a good 20-30 pounds weight advantage so there's every chance he could force the stoppage here.

I favour Rocky to be the better man, but I certainly wouldn't rule out such a big hitter against a man he significantly outsizes.

Same with Shannon Briggs tbh.

Rocky is a CW fighter, the odds would always be stacked against him against legitimate HW opponents.

 

Next time you go on one of those vacations, fax me some foreign food!

 

We celebrated my 70th in Vienna a couple of weeks ago, went to a 14th century inn and had roast suckling pig,it was delicious!

 

How many fight did Erik have at heavyweight?
And the answer to your Q is Yes!

 

Rocky's biggest problem is that he got hit... quite a lot despite what revisionists would make us think. And just a News Flash, but Ernie could bang like few, if any, others could bang.

That said, I'm still going to favor The Rock to win in a bruising and shortish match in which Shavers gasses himself going for the kill.

 

I know this is going to sound like boxing blasphemy but ,, Rocky Marciano is going to walk straight in at the generally recognized hardest puncher in heavyweight history? There's a better than good chance Ernie bombs him out in 1. Honestly , I like the rock but he's there for Ernie and he wasn't that adept at slipping shots. Call me crazy but no way I'd bet on Rocky, style is all wrong

 

Watch Shavers execution of Ken Norton, he was toe to toe for the entire round. There was no distance what so ever. If the rock doesn't wobble Shavers very early like Quarry did, he'll be on the end atomic bombs.

 

I think we can agree that Shavers hit appreciably harder than Walcott and Moore!

 

As I said to Kasmirkid, if Rocky doesn't wobble Shavers early like Quarry did he's in big trouble, not that Ernie is a better fighter mind you, he's not. It's just these styles clash violently .

 

Rocky isn't a defensive wizard, but he can fight with caution when he respects someone's power.

He fought much more reserved against Louis than he did as a champ.

One part of me thinks it's always a bit silly favouring a man who never could become champion, over a man who did become champion. The careers panned out as they did for a reason and we know one was a champ and one wasn't.

But another part of me thinks at what point do you consider weight to be too much. I always have this kinda inner debate when it comes to matchups like these. It goes something like this:

Rocky managed to KO Johnny Shkor, who for all his faults is undoubtedly a super heavyweight. So we know he can beat a SHW of that level, so size alone isn't enough to beat Rocky. But beating a SHW one time fringe contender is not the same as beating a SHW elite level fighter, but he has proved he can beat a big man. The question becomes how good a big man can he beat. And that stays as a leap of faith then.

Then I argue with myself and say "behave, a guy like Luis Ortiz or Shannon Briggs would kick ten bells of **** out of Rocky and the fight wouldn't even be sanctioned"

Then I think just because he won a HW championship doesn't mean he's a HW fighter. I wouldn't expect Andre Ward to beat the best HW guys for example and Bob Foster certainly could beat the best HW guys. Weight is clesrlc insurmountable for some people, look at that ATG guy, I think it was Wilfredo Gomez who couldn't move up and be the same and that was only a couple of pounds.

But then I think again some do move up in weight successfully so there's no reason that Rocky couldn't do so.

And I akwaaltend to settle on the line of thinking that as a champion Rocky deserves the benefit of the doubt and if he comes in at 205-215 he can be a tough fighter for anyone with his relentless style and conditioning, but it's a huge leap of faith.

And I firmly believe if we want to limit Rocky to 190 or less, we set him up for failure. Some say we should match the Rocky we knew as a fighter, and to them I say if you insist that the he doesn't far so well in llany of the matchups. I mean if Hagler Vs Spunks would have been made would Hagler really have come in at 160? I doubt it. The extra bulk could be a hindrance to Rocky but if we're gonna consider him in matchups against these big guys it's a necessity in my opinion.

 

Louis was no longer the Brown Bomber by the time Rocky got to him he hardly threw his right .
I only match fighters as they actually were.
I'll give you another two guys that never won anything, Ibeabuchi & Tua,does Rocky steam roll through them?
I pick Rocky to beat Shavers but I wouldn't put a penny on it.
Shkor was washed up.