Prime Witherspoon vs Prime Marciano

I think I might take a green Bruno over a latter day one, considering how much leaner and faster he was.

 

Well let's put it this way, Evander Holyfield started his career at 177 Lbs, and ended up being one of the best heavyweight fighters over the last 20 years. Chris Byrd was a small light hitting heavyweight, and not particularly talented one at that, yet he was a champion in this era. Roy Jones won a title in this heavyweight division. James Toney is a past prime former middle weight, and he was a ranked contender in this era. Ruslan Chagaev is neither big nor talented, but managed to beat Nikoly Valuev. Lamon Brewster was not exactly a monster, nor a great fighter, but he pounded Wlad.

Frankly, I think this whole assumption about super sized heavyweights being superior over smaller ones of yesterday is nothing but a myth. Sure, I agree that size can make a difference, but the one stipulation that is commonly ignored, is that a big fighter still has to be talented in order to be considered great, or to beat a smaller great fighter. Size alone does not cut it. Lennox Lewis was a rather big fighter, but also a talented fighter with many great attributes, which is why I might pick him to beat certain all time greats of past eras. This is not necessarily the case with men like Wladimir Klitschko, Vitali Klitschko, Samuel Peter, or Nikolay Valuev. Hell, I'm not even so sure that Valuev deserved the decision over a much smaller and washed up John Ruiz. Samuel Peter didn't exactly destroy James Toney either.

 

Exactly, size is not a factor if the other fighter imposes his will and keeps the fight in his range Toney is 1 example, Nicolino Loche is another, Mickey Walker, Marciano, Pep,Sam Langford, Sweat pea whitaker, Tyson, Pancho Villa,Dwight Quawi, Henry Armstrong, Duran, all shorter guys in the division they fought in. Height alone is just that, you need talent +

 

Marciano by decision.

 

Marciano by a 9th round tko, with him wearing down Witherspoon gradually and decking him twice in the 9th.

 

Marciano would have battered Tim's forearms and shoulders relentlessly and if Tim was honest, he would say he's never experienced anything like it in terms of power. Blood vessels would have been broken, and he would have had no way of discouraging the Rock.

 

Bruno was better in 1986 than in 1995, when he won the WBC belt, but I think his peak was against Lewis in 1993. That was when his jab, mentality, skill, speed (taking in account that he was punching with full force, unlike the quick arm-punches he often threw early in his career) and flexibility all peaked. His stamina was probably at its best in the early 1990s as well.

In the 1980s, he often overtrained to get his weight down, but in the early 1990s he found a better balance. But after the Lewis fight he mistook this for his muscle making him better, and bulked up to a ridiculus 250-odd lbs. His strength won the McCall fight, but it cost him dearly in terms of stamina, speed and power.

 

Tim at his peak was a very good fighter. Marciano was great. This is a great matchup. Witherspoon never fought a small slugger/swarmer like the rock, while the closest thing rock fought to timmy in size/skill was a 37 year old Joe Louis. The thing people forget is tim at his best was not that big, he was a lean mean 215lb at most. He only weighed 220lb + when he showed up out of shape and developed those man boobs in the late 1980s. Tim had alot of skill for a good size fighter, and marciano would have to eat up alot of jabs throughout the fight, but poor timmy would take a terrible battering to his whole body because marciano would never stop firing. One of the things in marcianos favor is timmy loved to brawl, and he did not possess the stamina, muscle endurance, punching skills, power to outslug marciano in the trenches. In fairness timmy had a real good chin(outside of the bonecrusher disaster), so i see him surviving on his feet. Marciano gets in his crouch alot of the fight and really confuses timmy and makes him throw punches at very ackward angles to try to reach the athletic crouching rolling slipping dipping marciano. Timmy would try to use his size and strength to manipulate marciano, but the incredible freakishly 185lb strong marciano would not budge. Marciano would defintley take alot of short uppercuts from tim and might be dropped early in the fight. By the 13th round, timmy will be all but worn out and trying to survive with marciano actually coming on stronger. In the 15th round Terrible tim is dropped twice but valiently gets up and finishes the fight on his feet as the crowd stands and applauds to two swollen bloddy warriors for giving them such a great fight.


Marciano by Majority Decision In rounds

Judge 1 7-7
Judge 2 9-5-1 Marciano
Judge 3 9-6 Marciano

 

I agree with Russell in that the small heavyweight champions (less than 200 lbs.) should really be regarded as cruiserweights. Those small champions should be compared, on an all-time-great basis, against heavyweights who weighed less than 200 lbs. Those small heavyweights were simply not heavyweights in the modern sense of the term. Most of them would have been thoroughly beaten by the big men of the '70s through today.

There is really no point in comparing someone like Bob Fitzsimmons to Riddick Bowe or Lennox Lewis.

Likewise, fighters like Gene Tunney, Max Schmeling, Ezzard Charles, Joe Walcott, Ingomar Johansson and Floyd Patterson would have been at huge disadvantages against the likes of Mike Tyson and George Foreman. What point is there in comparing them?

Maybe it would be best if the small heavyweights were ranked on an all-time basis in both divisions, crusierweight and heavyweight. That way, they can be at the top of the all-time list at cruiser, while the better small heavies could rate, maybe, in the all-time top 25 as modern heavyweights.

As for Witherspoon-Marciano, I believe that if Spoon was in shape he would probably win this fight.