Rocky Marciano vs Lennox Lewis

The question is why didn't the great trainers of the past pick up on this and train the Giants to fully utilise their size advantages.

What's your opinions of a Steward trained Carnera?

 

To answer your question obliquely a reporter was saying , in the old days they used to put a rubber band on fighters penes to prevent them losing their strength.Angelo Dundee over heard the conversation and said "they coulda put 6 bands on Carnera he still wouldn't have made a fighter!"

 

I wouldn't say Wlad is a natural fighter yet he dominated the sport for a decdade.

 

Very well stated C ...How do today's "bigger is better " advocates
who besmirch large heavyweights of yesteryear such as a Fred Fulton,
a Carl Morris, a Buddy Baer, yes a Primo Carnera etc, be so sure that these guys , who were obliterated by "poor little weaklings" like Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis, would not have held their own with the
Klitchko "statues" of today ? Answer they are only guessing...
Nat Fleischer always insisted when the great Joe Louis was ruling the roost, that a great punching 200 pound heavyweight hit hard enough to ko any dreadnaughts regardless of weight...I have said this before,
what nature gives a behemoth in heft it must take away in speed, dexterity and flexibility...Case in point, why is there no 250 pound
star male ballet dancer ? Logic will dictate the answer...

 

You've got to admit though, Lennox Lewis wasn't half as cumbersome as the likes of Carnera. He didn't look out of sorts mixing it with one of the greatest small heavyweights of all time Evander Holyfield. Maybe boxing did evolve after all?

 

Yes there are now big good guys out there who can look unbeatable.

Marciano flattened SHW shkor who was a former top ten ring ranked fighter, doesn't mean he could flatten a SHW who's p4p ranked and current champion.

 

Steward couldn't do anymore with Carnera who actually fought a lot more often than modern fighters. What ever Manny could improve on would only replicate the seasoning of fighting so often. Much of the advances in gyms only compensates for the seasoning process that previously developed within competition itself.

Besides, what would be the point of Steward preparing Carnera for a 12 round pace rather than 15? or in Steward tailoring a strategy for Carnera against a simular weighted opponent to himself when the best fighters in carneras day were so much smaller?

When George Foreman came back he knew heavyweight boxing had slowed down. He knew the changes in the newer era meant his age was less of a factor. Size and strength suited older George.

carnera was trained and groomed against faster smaller young guys and his style was compromised to adapt to this. Each era the great trainers adapt to the environment.

The extra strength and ability giants appear to have now has a lot o do with the pace slowing down, strategic game plans changing, equipment and rule changes.

 

People have got bigger around the world, at least the working classes have. More guys of the giant size are fighting each other. Fast twitch muscles might have nothing to do with it.


Where is the 7 foot Joe Louis?

 

Wlad has excellent ko power in both hands and a punishing jab,he also really knows how to maximise his physical assets Carnera had none of these qualities, he pawed with his jab , and did not have good power.

 

Wlad had an unbeatable style as long as he avoided getting tagged

 

But that's down to technique and could have been taught, who knows what power Carnera had if only he knew how to punch properly.

 

Yes and once he got tagged the way he carried on was pathetic, looked like a fish out of water at times. Not a born fighter at all IMO.

 

He responded to hurty punches from Haye very well.