Rocky Marciano vs Ezzard Charles I Highlights

Great video, but you distorted the image. It should be 4/3.

 

Great Stuff!! One of the best Heavyweight title fights, I am a huge Ezzard Charles fan, not a huge Rocky fan but have tons of respect for the guy, and he is with out a doubt one of the all time great Heavyweight Champs!!

 

You don't see hw fights like this anymore...constant action....back and forth....today their sucking wind after a few rounds of so-called action!!!

 

I'm glad we have old school contributors like you, RockyJim !

 

RockyJim might be my favorite poster. He also is the biggest Marciano fan on this board. Rates Rocky # 1 all time I think along with Louis. RockyJim has nothing but blue collar old school posts. I love it!

 

Do you watch the flims? Chalres went at Marciano early, and had poor tactics. He wasn't stick move, jab, clinch and push off. He wanted a war, and he got one.

Dude, you lose two vowels out of your last name if you objectively said something about Marciano.

 

this proves charles was STILL a great fighter. I have always said charles previous two fights were the best he looked on film, here we see he brings that very form into the ring with marciano, timing him perfectly with crisp shots that have everything on them. Marciano kept the presure on and charles was fighting for his life just to stay in there. This is not a fadded fighter! Charles's pace, sharpness and conditioning is there for all to see.

 

Chokelab,

I disagree. Charles did look very good on film up through 1954, but without a doubt, the best he looked on film was in the Lloyd Marshall and Pat Valentino fights, both which happened in 1946 and 1949...Faster reflexes, Faster speed, Better movement. He fought a great fight in june of 1954, and many champions would have trouble with that version of Ezzard..but that still was not a prime Ezzard in there.

 

Hi sue,
I have viewed both fights. in the marshal fight he looked speedy but wasnt sitting down on his shots, waisting energy like a young holyfeild. IMO holyfeild wasnt the finished article either when he fought qwai the first time and although charles had way more experience at the marshal point in his career it was the same level of development since charles basicly restarted his career from scratch after the war. against marshal charles was lacking the later poise he had around 1950. I think walace, satterfeild, layne and gillium were beter fighters than some of the guys he defended against. so for me, the valentino fight is not so impresive.

the beginning of a decline is a fighter who drops a class level since he can no longer knock out fighters at his previous level. a faded fighter past his prime is one step further. this is a guy who can barley "hold his own" on the fringes of his previous level and is humiliated if he steps up to where he once was. ezzard Charles was neither of these guys between losing the title and challenging marciano.

to begin with initially ezzard boxed for only three years then took two years out in the war. since he was out for almost as long as he’d been active when he returned it was basically a new career.

In a new four year career against albeit excellent opposition Charles notched up a new 40-2 record by which time he had lost the title to Walcott a guy he’d previously beat twice, the other loss was also avenged.

not including light heavyweights, 14 of the 42 fights were against heavyweights at that time rated in "The Ring" annual ratings. that means he won 12 (6 by KO) fights with rated heavyweights by the time he lost the title.

in Charles next 18 fights as an ex champ in just 36 months he faced 11 at that time rated contenders a far higher ratio than 14 in 4 years. he was 14-4 in these 18fights and knocked out 4 of the 7 rated contenders he beat.

this means ezzards 1951-54 win ratio is negligible against his 1946-51 record and his KO percentage was actually higher in the 36 months since losing the title against at that time rated contenders.

This study proves that on paper against rated heavyweights Charles was apt to lose once in a while so long as he fought as often as he did and the film proves he was still putting out championship class performances, knocking out rated contenders throughout the 48-54 period. Charles never made the ring ratings as a heavyweight until 1948 so his peak began at the tail end of the 40s.

in 1955 Charles fought 11 times. altogether he fought 3 times in December, 2 times in April and august each. he fought 8 rated heavyweights that year. unsurprisingly under this schedule Charles only won 6 times out of the 11. and did not knock out any of them.... this was when he faded. Remember he fought just 12 rated fighters spread over the first four years after the war.