I think you are correct. Size-wise, he may have only been 5' 9" not the 5' 10 1/2" as listed. But you need to take his prime weight to be fair, not the lightest he ever weighed as a young pro. 188. Otherwise you could have Ali as well under 200 lbs.
It is reasonable when considering how good a guy was in absolute terms to take the best real life version of him. At least when not asking anyone to move out of their weight category. Also as many have remarked, Marciano would sacrafice endurance & work rate when heavier, & be even slower. Shkor was 31-19-2 for his career, & Rocky caught him in his second to last fight. In the 11 fights that preceded their bout, he had won...Four. He would have been smoked by Bruno, who was not only much stronger, but much better & more successful. As great as he was for his time, Rocky just did not beat either quality Big Men, or any great swarmers.
He may not have been prime for a long time, but Joe Louis would still qualify as a quality big man on his march to the title in 1951. Joe was still winning a lot of fights. Bivins and Brion had a lot of good fights left in them after Louis beat them. Watch Brion against Charles and you see He had no easier time with him than Louis had. Louis’s wins over Savold and beshore matched what Rocky was doing to the same guys. This comeback is much overlooked.
Firstly, the argument of someone being too big doesn't apply. Marciano beat a professional boxer who was a fringe contender who should have been too big. Secondly if Bruno was born in the 1920s there's no way on earth that Bruno beats Marciano for the HW championship. No way at all.
No way at all? Not even a punchers chance? This is why Rocky as great as he is, is in some people’s minds overrated. Not because he wasn’t a great fighter or champion but because there is “NO WAY AT ALL” he gets beaten by a modern big powerful super heavyweight with good if not great skills belief some people have. Rocky was a great fighter and champion but not unbeatable.
Not just Rocky. I don't see ever see Bruno going in against the champion of the world and knocking them out. He was not good enough in his own era, never mind anyone elses
Rocky was a great fighter/champion in his own era. Frank was a contender in his own. Switch them around. DON’T. Rocky’s record is not gonna stay unbeaten. Frank may not have won the title in Rocky’s era but who would have stopped him?
He wasn't good enough in his own era because the man to beat was Mike ****ing Tyson. A top 10 H2H monster. You don't think Bruno would've had a chance against men like Willard, Carnera, Burns? All of whom were lineal.
Frank would always be a contender, he didnt have what it took to go in against the best HW in the world and knock them out. Maybe he gets lucky and catches someone at the right time the way Leon Spinks did, but even Leon couldn't repeat his own trick in the rematch.
Tyson, Douglas, Holyfield, Bowe, Moorer, Foreman, Briggs. This was the murderers row of lineal HW champs during his own era. He didn't do it then, he wouldn't be expected by me to do it again.
Rocky Marciano. A great champion. But his own fans are doing him an injustice. Does he beat Liston, Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Holmes, Tyson? You all know the Lineal list. Never mind alphabet. Worst thing you can do for Rocky is make him a fighter he wasn’t. He was like the aforementioned. Great but beatable. Let him be the only unbeaten world heavyweight champion to date. But please stop making him unbeatable. Bowe, Lewis, Foreman just to name three. How about Fury, you still reckon he can’t be beat?
He never faced Moorer, Foreman, and/or Briggs, men he would've had a decent to solid chance of beating as is. Also, do you have any doubt the Douglas of the Holyfield bout loses to Bruno Also this is a diversion from the main argument. Just because he couldn't cut it in his era, doesn't mean he couldn't in far less inferior eras when men like Willard were champions.
Douglas of the Holyfield fight? I thought these were peak/prime against peak/prime discussions. Anyway I just want to make one thing clear. Most people are afraid of making comments against boxers of past years. The main one being Rocky. Let’s put things into perspective. I didn’t want to really put it this way out of fear of upsetting people. But let me just say. In no way does Rocky stand a chance against George Foreman, Lennox Lewis, Riddick Bowe, Tyson Fury, Ali, Holmes. Please give Rocky the credit he deserves and stop putting him in a position where his ability and greatness are questioned. His own ass fans are making him overrated.
