With a nod to the thread about the best 80s heavyweights, how would the unbeaten Marciano have fared against them? Apart from Holmes and Tyson would you have given any of the others any chance against the Rock? Lets say Tim Witherspoon Pinklon Thomas Michael Dokes Mike Weaver Trevor Berbeck Gerry Cooney Frank Bruno Gerrie Coetzee Tony Tucker Bonecrusher Smith
These guys would have a chance - slim and none. People who didn't live through this era as I did are not aware how **** poor most of these fighters were. Some of them had talent, but they didn't have the dedication necessary to really compete against the top level. That's why any of them who faced the only true top level fighters in the era - Holmes and Tyson - were roundly beaten. Just as they all would have been against Marciano.
Tim Witherspoon would have been a good one to keep him away from. Tim's overhand rights, defense and awkward style along with his chin could have given him some problems. Cooney, Smith and Tucker would have had colossal size advantages over him. I guess he wins some and looses some.
Mike Weaver had talent, heart, dedication and conditioning. He gave a prime Holmes fits and beat peaking versions of Tate, Coetzee, Tillis, Mercado, Williams, Duplooy and arguably Dokes in their rematch. Had it not been for long layoffs due to injuries he might have held on to the WBA a little longer and chalked up some more good wins. Weaver was a throw back to a lot of old school fighters and I could see him doing well in pretty much any era. As for the rest, there are some I agree with and some a mildly disagree with. I concur that drugs, laziness, bad management and corrupt promoting led to a lot of failed conquests by many of these guys from that period.
On paper he should beat them all, but the liklihood of him loosing to one of them is quite high. I think that Witherspoon and Dokes would pose the greatest risk.
Tucker has the skillset and physical tools to school Marciano. Neither a prime Lewis not prime Tyson were able to ko him.
if Tucker could avoid Tyson, in sure he can keep Marciano at bay, but knowing tuckers lack of action, Marciano might win this aggression alone
I have always thought that, outside of Holmes, Weaver was "the best of the rest" of the early 80s - the only one of them, as you make clear, that really achieved much. I also thought he was absolutely cheated by the quicky stoppage in the first Dokes fight, and indeed should have gotten the nod in the second. But, a prime Marciano would have beaten him
Agreed, but I was only pointing out to another poster that not all the 80's heavy's were lacking in talent, dedication, etc.
