Rocky Marciano vs Chris Byrd

If not punching or physical power, what exactly is the advantage of Byrd's extra pounds you are making a possible case for? Byrd's 10-15 pounds on Walcott don't improve his boxing skills nor is it a size discrepancy Rocky has not overcame before.

 

That's an interesting match up. Byrd has more of a shot against Louis than he does Rocky.

But I think 37 year old Louis is better then the 40 year old injury prone Holyfield that Byrd defeated.

Byrd is not as good as the Charles that beat Louis, not even close, but he's probably better then 32 year old Bivins.

I think Louis could edge a close decision in a stinker, piling up points by pushing that long jab and keeping Byrd on the defense. I could also see Byrd pull off a controversial upset.

 

I'm not making a case for Byrd.

I've said a few times I pick Rocky by KO.

 

When searching for a quality big man that Marciano beat the die hards always mention Joe Louis, but not the fact that he was a walking Mummy reliant on his left jab to get him through because his right was frozen into a state of atrophy by erosion of reflexes.

 

Byrd would be the first southpaw Louis faced.Louis no longer had his power at that stage of his career, he was essentially a one handed fighter, for that version of the Bomber ,with his 37years old legs, keeping Byrd on the defensive might be a tall order.

 

This thread is silly.
Chris Byrd was a second-rate feather-fisted spoiler who fought flat-footed and lay on the ropes. He's an intense "swarming" pressure fighter's ideal opponent. Styles make fights. His best credentials are wins over a 40-year-old decrepit Holyfield (who had already displayed his drop to mediocrity in a trilogy with Ruiz) and David Tua (a man far too easily befuddled and bemused by boxing skills).
And people say Marciano's opposition was old and weak.

And despite claims of Byrd's defensive genius and elusiveness, he sure as hell had a lot of close fights against ordinary opponents. Which suggests he must have been getting hit enough to lose rounds anyway.

I've noticed Chris Byrd has become a flavour of the month these last few months. Hopefully the insanity will pass.

 

Yeah, well at least we know the cause of Joe Louis's relative ineptness and shuffling mummy-syndrome.
What was David Tua's excuse ?

 

Tua fought a terrible fight which he himself admitted,it happens.I'd still pick him to beat the 37years old version of Louis that Marciano fought.

 

No one really knows how good or bad that version of Louis was. Or how he might do against other contenders.
He was obviously not nearly the Joe Louis of old, but people will take extreme lines usually to discredit, sometimes to over-credit, Rocky Marciano.

I have to say it, maybe jabbing and shuffling would be enough to bemuse Tua anyway.

 

I don't care if Louis did nothing but stand in the center of the ring singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" I had only brought him up to point out that Byrd's supposedly imposing 213 pounds is something Marciano has already proven he could push and move with his punches. But for whatever reason Mcvey and Seamus have twisted that into an argument I never made, is that common practice around here?

And yeah, that said I would pick 37 year old Louis over Tua. He had a stiff jab and crafty footwork and defense.

This content is protected

I mean Tua was effortlessly outboxed and beat up by slow robotic 12 fight novice Oleg for 10 rounds. Kudos to Tua for finishing strong a tired opponent but very telling he couldn't do anything until Oleg was dead on his feet and having to push the jab.

This content is protected

 

Louis did allright against Marciano for about 4 rds,then Marciano's relentless aggression began to take its toll,his legs went and Rocky did what he was supposed to do. I don't think he would have beaten prime Louis ,but he would have given him a hell of a fight that's for sure.
The film of the fight tells me how good/bad Louis was, he is the pursued instead of the pursuer,relying on his jab whilst his right hand stays idle.He was Joe Louis ,but no longer the Brown Bomber.Louis himself said his last good fight ,where he felt himself and had his full power was against Tami Mauriello that was 5 years earlier!

 

Yeah, that happened to Tua a lot. He managed to get completely outboxed and then bail himself out a few times against guys who really weren't even known to be slick and skilled boxers at all.

All credit to Chris Byrd for not coming undone like the likes of Maskaev and Oquendo, but it hardly makes me fancy his chances against an intense and determined (and dare i say "great"?) swarmer like Marciano.

 

Savold was as past it as Louis.lol And don't flatter yourself, you're not the focus of attention everywhere you post.
The underlined sounds a bit like the first Walcott v Marciano fight!
"Slow robotic Maskaev" looks quicker and more agile than Louis did against Marciano!
Novice Maskaev was the national Army champion in the amateurs beating among others Vitali Klitschko, he had 15 years of boxing before he went pro.How old was Maskaev there 28,wonder how he would have done against that Tua if he had been 9 years older?
As to Tua getting hit with jabs, " I couldn't avoid them,I just had to take them ,"Marciano talking about Louis' jab. An imponderable hardly mentioned is Byrd was a southpaw, how many did Marciano face?

 

Yes, but we're comparing Joe Louis of 1951 to the highest standard (ie. vintage Joe Louis) and also rating him based on his performance against a great fighter in his prime (ie. Marciano) , he's been held up against GREATNESS in both cases .... that doesn't really tell us how that old over-the-hill Joe Louis would do against various ordinary contenders.

 

Someone who punches like Louis doesn't need to be at their peak power to do damage.
Also, Louis was a great boxer. Obviously that didn't matter for much against a dynamo like Rocky, but for Byrd or Tua?