Rocky Marciano v George Godfrey

An interesting one.

Marciano should obviously be favoured based upon the facts we have, but Godfrey would be a dangerous match up.

Part of the problem with this match, is that nobody really knows how good Godfrey really was.

 

Neither do I!

You have to make up your mind about George Godfrey first!

Easier said than done!

 

Larry Gains felt that Dempsey and Godfrey were the best he shared the ring with. In his book he talked of both like they were monsters. And he fought a lot of good fighters.

 

Marciano by DQ. Even with the lenient ref. Marciano was never dq'd and yes he was chippy and pushed the envelope but Godfrey was another level of dirty.

 

So we find ourselves presented with three possibilities:

• Godfrey was merely what his record suggests.
• Godfrey was this dreadnought that Gains talks about, that was never truly unleashed on the division.
• The truth lies somewhere betwixt.

For what it is worth, Dempsey said that Godfrey was the best around after Tunney retired.

 

When did Dempsey spar w Gains ? Is there some follow up detail on this topic ? As far as Godfrey goes, no clue for the above reasons ..

 

Don't know too much of George Godfrey #2, but in the past have read that in their sparring sessions where Godfrey was sparring partner for Dempsey. Jack dropped him a couple of times...Dempsey just loved the big boys as did Louis., for what it's worth...

 

He was a sparring partner for the Sharkey fight.

 

Dempsey sparred with Gains for the Sharkey fight. Larry was one of 14sparring partners. He sparred him two rounds every day. Larry said Dempsey was "sheer murder". "I don't imagine he ever pulled a punch in his life. It would never have occurred to him to do so. We had to do road work every day, you needed to be fit to survive in that place"

Larry said of their sparring that Jack was rough and violent at his work. He knew not to swap punches with him because "nobody could do that and get away with it" but that he did well with his own jab and that Jack found him hard to nail.

"Some of his punches got through, of course, but never any heavy ones. And I was never in danger of going down. Still I don't allow myself to draw wild conclusions from that. Because I could handle him in training camp, it didn't mean that I could handle him over fifteen rounds in the ring. But I would have fought him for free to find out!"

Of Godfrey, Gains said "with the possible exception of Dempsey he was the best and most destructive heavyweight in the world"

 

Interesting. Thanks.