Rocky Marciano vs Harold Johnson 1954 What Happens?

This happens to be your sweet spot . What do you think ?

I think Johnson troubles him and might cut him up behind that great jab but Rocky is way too strong over 15 and nails him ..

 

I don´t think there is any fighter around his weight that would beat Marciano. Johnson is great, one of the most skilled fighters ever - I tend to think he is too un-imaginative at times, too conventional. But he won´t be able to handle Rocky´s pressure, strength and power. KO in the midrounds.

 

Harold Johnson was a wonderful boxer, but I'd hate to think about what would have happened to him after a few rounds with Rocky..I don't think Johnson's offensive arsenal was dynamic enough to stave off the Blockbuster. Marciano was the unstoppable force of the 50's and it would have served Harold no good to pursue a futile quest of that kind.

 

I like Marciano late.Johnson was an immaculate boxer, but essentially a counter puncher to be successful at this ,you need enough pop to keep your opponent honest.I don't think Harold had sufficient steam on his shots to deter Rocky.Marciano eventually walks him down,though he may be behind on the points when he does so.

 

Yeah, it wouldn't be a ko in any of the early rounds..I'd say anywhere from 9 to 12 for Rocky.

 

Anyone think that maybe Rocky Marciano might be abit too unorthodox for Johnson?

I think it would be hard for him to figure 'The Rock' out and he would be overwhelemed early.

 

Because of that I think he would always have problems with unorthodox fighters.

 

Sorry, I missed that.

Like Billy Smith was abit unorthodox and he gave Johnson afew problems IMO, he made it untidy then BOOM.

 

Harold Johnson was an excellent boxer and had some solid wins over heavyweights. I am afraid however in a fight with Marciano the type of power he would be up-against would be formidable. I see a wear down battle with the Rock getting a KO somewhere around the 10th but would not be surprised if it was earlier from 2-10 with a Harry Mathews type trapping

 

Rocky didn't represent the sort of jab oriented textbook orthodoxy Liston practiced. To Marciano, nonscoring parts of the body like arms were targets, as LaStarza so painfully experienced in their rematch. Sonny was more likely to provide the sort of chess match Harold excelled at. The Rock would just seek to steamroll him, hammer away at him until he crumbled.

 

Take a look at Johnson's title match with Moore from around this time, and you'll see why his chances of beating Rocky over 15 are rather slim at best.

Johnson was actually a better fighter around the early '60s, when he was more disciplined and got consistently better placement on his punches. His defense was tighter and he didn't get tired or "get caught" like he occasionally did back in the mid '50s. That Johnson would've been a match for just about anyone from 175 to 200 pounds.