Rocky Marciano vs. Joe Louis

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by William Walker, Jul 2, 2021.


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  1. William Walker

    William Walker Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    1. Rocky of course forced every bit of action there was. The first round actually saw a great in-fight with Joe on the ropes. The fighting was pretty close. Louis landed very solidly I thought. As the round approached its end, the two were trading big shots, the best of which was a right overhand by Rocky that stunned Joe. Marciano.
    2. Marciano missed a wild right, but landed a big left hook that rocked Joe. The two fought a rugged battle on the ropes once again. Rocky shook Joe up with a winging right. Marciano.
    3. Louis jabbed and hooked with fair effectiveness. Marciano pinned Joe on the ropes near the end, but Joe failed to score effectively there. Louis.
    4. The two swapped uppercuts inside. Little separating the two this time. Marciano.
    5. The only round I thought that was fought almost exclusively at long range. It was also one of the closest. Rocky landed several solid right hands, but Joe countered nicely all the way. Even.
    7. Both landed solidly, but neither landed significantly. Marciano.
    8. The end draws near. Not only the end of the fight, but the end of a prolific career. The round went underway like most of the others. Rocky on the attack, and both landing solidly. Rocky was landed more punches more accurately though. They looked shorter to me as well. About a minute into the round a lone left hook sent Joe on the seat of his pants (as a side note, this is a good proof of how much Joe had declined since the early 40s; he would never have been decked by such a slow, obvious punch). Joe wisely took a knee, although it would not help him any. Rocky rushed in, blasting away with both fists. Joe tried to hang on, but only delayed the inevitable. About 30 seconds later, Rocky had Joe on the ropes, two left uppercuts and a right hook sent the former champ sprawling through the ropes. It was all over.

    Final score going into the 8th (minus one round): 4-1-1 for Marciano.

    Verdict: Despite being rather sad to watch, it may classify as a classic KO, certainly one of the Rock's best wins and performances. I was personally surprised at how decent of a fight it was though. Joe looked better in this loss than he did any of his other comeback fights earlier that year. He looked sharper actually. Not that he was at all close to winning, but he gave Rocky an honestly tough fight.
     
    William Walker, Jul 2, 2021
    William Walker, Jul 2, 2021
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  2. mr. magoo

    mr. magoo VIP Member Full Member

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    Louis despite his age gave a galant effort against a prime ATG. I’ve never considered this fight as a knock against him.
     
    mr. magoo, Jul 2, 2021
    mr. magoo, Jul 2, 2021
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  3. BCS8

    BCS8 VIP Member

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    I don't think anybody considers the fight a knock on him. He was not prime. Nevetheless, he was also not completely shot and still had something in the tank. Marciano doesn't get credit for defeating a good, if not great, opponent here.
     
    BCS8, Jul 2, 2021
    BCS8, Jul 2, 2021
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  4. mr. magoo

    mr. magoo VIP Member Full Member

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    It was still a good win for Marciano. I didn’t consider this as Joe Louis the “ ATG” who Rocky fought but rather Joe Louis “ the aged contender “ who was still better than the vast majority of the division. Even he was only functioning at 65-70% of his original capacity, that still made him a force to be reckoned with.
     
    mr. magoo, Jul 2, 2021
    mr. magoo, Jul 2, 2021
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  5. roughdiamond

    roughdiamond Ridin' the rails... Full Member

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    My brain has been so warped by ESB that I thought this was a H2H match up thread lol. Good post Will.
     
    roughdiamond, Jul 2, 2021
    roughdiamond, Jul 2, 2021
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  6. William Walker

    William Walker Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    Ha ha. Ty roughdiamond.
     
    William Walker, Jul 2, 2021
    William Walker, Jul 2, 2021
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  7. Gazelle Punch

    Gazelle Punch Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Pretty much saw it the same way you did. Up and comer v an older lion. Natural progression of things. Goldman didn’t want Rocky taking this match. Thought Louis may be to crafty for the still learning Marciano.
     
    Gazelle Punch, Jul 2, 2021
    Gazelle Punch, Jul 2, 2021
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  8. Fergy

    Fergy Walking Dead Full Member

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    One of the those passing of the flame fights but with extra emotion behind it.
    Rocky made Joe realize that, that's it, no more.
     
    Fergy, Jul 2, 2021
    Fergy, Jul 2, 2021
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  9. Dempsey1238

    Dempsey1238 Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    Louis was still a good fighter, not a great fighter. I think what Rocky did after this fight, the Walcott fights, the Ezzard Charles fights and his win over Archie Moore that makes him a legend. This was more of a moving up the ranks fight imo.
     
    Dempsey1238, Jul 2, 2021
    Dempsey1238, Jul 2, 2021
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  10. robert ungurean

    robert ungurean Богдан Philadelphia Full Member

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    I see Joe being alot more shot here than most people. I dont put much into this fight. Joe was a shell IMO
     
    robert ungurean, Jul 3, 2021
    robert ungurean, Jul 3, 2021
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  11. RulesMakeItInteresting

    RulesMakeItInteresting Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    All he really had left was a fine jab, and Marciano himself said it stung like hell. But Joe was way past it.

    Prime Louis would have been a nightmare for Rocky imo.
     
    RulesMakeItInteresting, Jul 3, 2021
    RulesMakeItInteresting, Jul 3, 2021
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  12. swagdelfadeel

    swagdelfadeel Obsessed with Boxing

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    Excellent but my scorecard was a bit different. Don't remember it but I had Louis ahead after 5 rounds, and despite being more than shot put up an excellent performance.
     
    swagdelfadeel, Jul 3, 2021
    swagdelfadeel, Jul 3, 2021
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  13. RulesMakeItInteresting

    RulesMakeItInteresting Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    I've watched that fight a million times precisely BECAUSE of that jab. I rank that with Foreman vs Briggs as being one of the best jab showcases from an aged fighter.
     
    RulesMakeItInteresting, Jul 3, 2021
    RulesMakeItInteresting, Jul 3, 2021
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  14. swagdelfadeel

    swagdelfadeel Obsessed with Boxing

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    I can't watch Foreman-Briggs anymore. The decision sickens me to no end.
     
    swagdelfadeel, Jul 3, 2021
    swagdelfadeel, Jul 3, 2021
    #14
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  15. Greb & Papke 707

    Greb & Papke 707 Active Member Full Member

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    Wasn’t Joe coming off a 8 fight win streak before this? I’ve always heard people kinda bash Rocky for this win but Joe was still game even if he wasn’t exactly prime
     
    Greb & Papke 707, Jul 3, 2021
    Greb & Papke 707, Jul 3, 2021
    #15
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