Rocky Marciano

My favourite boxer, he truly earned his title through sheer power of will and dedication. He wasn't meant for the boxing game, totally uncoordinated, two left feet, insanely short reach, susceptible to cuts, started the fight game very late, was very out of shape when he did, was so awkward that Charlie Goldman and Al Weill the first time they saw him spar where laughing at how awkward he was. Despite this he went all the way and them some with the help of of his trainer, the stumpy Italian kid from Brockton denied himself all the pleasures that come with being the champ of the world and by simply working harder than anybody in a sport were working hard is a necessity he became a legend.

Even if you aint a fan of the man, you have to give him respect for how hard he worked and what he achieved with what he had. His willpower and obsession with not losing was inhuman.

 

Where do you rate him in an all-time Heavyweights list?

 

Night he beat Walcott, under those circumstances, he might be only guy who could have done it. Ref was biased, and he was blinded in middle round,s plus Walcott was on his game that night.

Anything in book on ref being with Walcott at weigh in?

 

:deal

 

:bart you stink as a poster.

 

Archie Moore, Walcott x2, Charles x2. I believe even though you can argue Walcott and Charles were past their best times, it's still a pretty impressive record.

 

I'm a great admirer of Rocky. I have him in my top 3.

I think on his best day he could have beaten anyone who ever fought. His will to win was an intangible that doesn't show on the tape.

On the downside, I have to say he was a very dirty fighter. He hit low, hit on the break and after the bell. He hit La Starza when he was on one knee. He may have done that to others.

Out of the ring, his cheapness was legendary and almost laughable.

On that point, we was not unlike a lot of people who grew up during the Great Depression. That has to be factored in.

 

Which fighters fought ATG in every fight?

 

The logic and point of this question escapes me

 

He was he embodiment of a warrior. A true fighter. He was a utilitarian in the ring; no fancy moves, just a mindset to bust the other guy up.

Much has been said and will continue to be said about his opposition, but it wasn't his choice to have his peak years when they happened. Same goes for his skills and style. You can say the same about many other greats. If you're a pessimist and a nit-picker, you can tear down many resumes and skillsets, deficiencies, but at the end of the day, Rocky won. Every time out.

"If if if if if......" Well, yeah, fill in the blank with such-and-such and he may have run roughshod over the same opposition the same way if they were in his shoes, but they didn't; Marciano came along at the right time.

Lots of fighters peak in an era where their competition isn't particularly great, but even other greats drop the ball at some point, due to a number or factors, hanging around too long is a biggie. Marciano took that ball and ran with it, never letting go until he was across his finish line. That's gotta count for something.

 

I'll add that I don't think his competition was that bad. Several of his opponents would have been tough to handle on their respective nights for just about any over greats, in their own ways.

 

I'm pretty sure if he didn't fight either one of those guys you'd crucify him for it.

Those are all championship bouts we're talking about here. So yeah, I believe it's pretty impressive to defend your title 4 times against 3 different ATGs.

However, wins over old Joe Louis (still top ranked at that time), old Lee Savold (still top ranked at that time), young Rex Layne (top ranked), title eliminator bout against Harry Matthews (undefeated for almost 10 years), combined with his championship bouts I've already talked about, make a pretty good record. Not a perfect one, but it certainly don't stink.

 

1. Your link doesn't work
2. Please ignore the trolls
3. What sources/interviews does the book use?

Cheers :good