Rocky Marciano vs. Jimmy Ellis (both prime)

Ellis had the skill, but lacked the will to stay focused on a game plan sometimes. Especially against men he had no business mixing it up with.

Shavers told Ellis' camp "Tell your light heavyweight boxer that Earnie Shavers is coming for him", an obvious taunt highlighting the fact Ellis wasn't a natural heavyweight to instill fear. Instead of being cautious and trying to box Shavers, Ellis ego prevented him from doing this and he was aggressive from round 1...and was KO'd. That was the Acorn's clever plan all along since he knew he probably couldn't outbox Ellis.

So you're 100% spot on that a combination of Ellis' bad habits and Rocky's relentless pressure would lead to Ellis' demise. I would predict Rocky has trouble early, but eventually kicks things up a notch around round 4 and eventually wears Ellis down by rounds 8-10.

As a side note, Ellis would probably be Rocky's 5th best win overall. He was a good fighter with many good attributes and skills, but a little undersized and lacked the raw power to keep Rocky from bulldozing him once he's hurt.

 

While he had skills, I think in his mindset and in his heart Jimmy Ellis was more fighter than pure boxer. That served him well at times but worked against him at others.

I like that about him — he could have probably been proto-Jimmy Young had he wanted to be, but he had too much warrior in him to go that route. (And I like Jimmy Young, but Ellis was a ‘to thine own self be true’ kind of fighter.)

 

Quarry and Holyfield too. They could've been marvelous boxers/defensive fighters if they had a more cautious mindset.

 

Ellis was a terrific , vastly underrated fighter ... it would be a ar w Rocky but that's why ultimately Jimmy, over 5, would lose ... he was too brave ..

 

To be entirely fair to Ellis... He DID have Shavers hurt bad in the first, and Earnie had to hit him while holding the back of his head to take him out.

Also gonna go out on a limb here and say that Rocky probably gets dropped at least once before he knocks Ellis out. Jimmy had some pretty admirable punching power, and Marciano will be right there to feel it.

 

Yes, all that is true. Shavers did use crude tactics to nail Ellis. But that might not have happened if he didn't try to slug it out with Shavers.

 

Marciano via stoppage

 

Ellis just flat out isn't durable enough. Rocky around 9

 

The Ellis that won the WBA title had developed into a really good fighter. He beat 2 good tough contenders in Quarry and Patterson. He compares favorably to Charles and Walcott. I think 47 Walcott and 49 Charles might beat him but he would beat the versions that faced Rocky. He was in his prime years they were on the downside.
Ellis would outbox Marciano but his upper body was not overly strong and there were some questions about his stamina. However Ellis had a very good sneak right ask strongman Bonavena and he went 15 with Quarry and Patterson annd gutted out a tough win over the powerful Chuvalo fighting hard to the final bell.
Ellis builds up an early lead that holds up to Marcianos second half rally.
Decision Ellis.

 

Bonavena was a more talented version of Marciano and Ellis had his way with him. I think there would be an excellent chance of Ellis scoring a stoppage.

 

Ellis would win this fight low diff. The majority are wrong.