Primo Carnera vs Rocky Marciano

That´s what people always forgot int hose match-ups "Marciano vs. some big guy". Marciano was awesome at fighting small. He took the disadvantage of beeing small and turned it into an advantage. When people are going on about this or that fighter is too big or too good at fighting tall for Marciano they always forget that beeing and fighting small has it´s advantages too and Marciano was the hw who capitalised best of those IMO.

 

carnera is about six foot six and weighs over 250 pounds marciano is five foot ten and roughly 190 pounds after carnera clobbers marciano he can easily pick him up and toss him head first over the top rope out of the ring:think

 

You´re a pretty boring troll :think

 

Way too much credit given to Carnera in this thread. Marciano was not your typical 5'11 185lb guy. He was a freak. He was a pitbull. He would absolutley hammer that big lumbering target all over the ring for a while until Carnera couldn't stand anymore. It will be a horrible beating for Carnera.

 

with or without the mafia?

 

Yes, but Rocky, like Tommy Burns, was also able to sneak in at a time when the top heavyweight challengers were mainly opponents near his own height and reach. (In eight of his successful defenses, Burns was actually the heavier man.)

Rex Layne stood 6'1", the ring worn and declining Louis was 6'2". The other remaining dozen opponents of Rocky's career after Red Applegate all stood no more than six feet tall, and these were the 14 fights where his legacy was really established. (Beshore, who Marciano knocked out in four after Layne would be a really interesting visual, as Rocky was the taller man for once, Freddie standing 5'9".)

It would have been extremely useful to have been able to see Marciano in there with the likes of Ten Hoff, who made JJW atypically come in and perform on the front foot. (Jersey Joe warmed up for Ten Hoff by starching Shkor in one. We know he could deal with tall heavyweights, as did Moore.) Vingo went toe to toe with Rocky, while Shkor tried to use his size to maul him with some early success. Ten Hoff, on the other hand, was fairly adept at using height, reach and mobility to retreat and box from a distance. Of course Ten Hoff could be caught cold, and would be out for the count when Marciano connected, but if he could extend Rocky as he did Walcott, then the questions about "Marciano vs. some big guy" would be alleviated somewhat.

True, Marciano was good fighting short, but he wasn't as fast on the march as Frazier, and he'd be in a situation with Carnera where his usual tactics would frequently leave him too far away to connect at all. Boxing is commonly accepted primarily as a matter of hitting without getting hit. Leon See, as Paul Gallico relates, "taught and trained Carnera strictly as a defensive boxer."

We see the over 270 pound Primo apparently shove back Paulino with ease at :24 of the clip

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contributed. Uzcudun was the same height as Rocky at 5'10", but weighed 20 pounds more than Marciano usually competed at. Remember, this smaller, barrel chested veteran is the Basque Woodchopper, less than a year before beating Max Baer over 20 rounds in Reno. Anybody who has both trained extensively with weights indoors, and also chopped, split and sawed firewood outdoors, can guess at the kind of tensile strength, muscular endurance and respiratory stamina Paulino possessed. Rocky is leagues and leagues above Uzcudun of course, but the fact remains that Primo had considerably more experience dealing with opponents of Marciano's fireplug stature than Rocky did with defense oriented skyscrapers. (Ted Sandwina was another heavyweight with obscene hereditary physical strength Carnera shared the ring with.)

For Rocky though, that right hand over the top is naturally an ideal weapon to tee off with when looking at how Primo typically had his chin tilted up. Rugged Argentine stablemate and sparring partner Cesar Brion was 6'2-1/2", basically a stand up stylist, and did give Marciano some useful training experience dealing with a taller target, considerably more than Rocky was able to obtain in competition. Still Carnera is three inches taller, and weighed up to 90 pounds more than Brion.

Again, I've come long since already come out in favor of the Rock in this one. My aim is to suggest that fans study footage, and think about this one carefully, instead of reflexively projecting an easy blowout for Marciano based on Gallico's sensationalistic drivel which Bert Sugar keeps recycling.

 

Rocky could fight, Carnera couldn't, I'll pick the guy who can fight

 

Well, I see your points and I loved your first post on this matter. I didn´t pick a winner of this fight. If I would have to I´d pick Marciano. The gap in class is bigger than the gap in size. I just wanted to highlight this quality of Rocky. There are often fighters who pick someone over Rocky because he´s to small without really thinking what factor size can play in a fight.

You are very much right on Carnera. He was nothing special but he was big, he was very strong - but Joe Louis was able to push him back!! - he had decent skills and could take it very well. This combination would make him a hand full for any fighter of Rocky´s size, no matter the class. He got a bit underrated too and unfairly labeled a "circus attraction". I don´t think he was much worse than V. Klitschko.

btw. Uzcudun is one of my fav hws of that era. A true powerhouse.

I wonder how Carnera-Walker would have turned out. :think

 

I did sparring with a midly anke injury, it is almost impossible to avoid your opponent and stay in balance, just image a whole match..and Baer fought dirty, punching Primo when he was down and trhow him in the mat.

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Many people still mistaken Primo Carnera with the fictional Toro Moreno, even here in Italy when the leftist propaganda has insulted him for decades.

I am not saying the Primo would beat Marciano or Baer for sure but I would not so surpreised if , in his best day, he can gain a decision or even a last round ko.