The Rocky Marciano versus Trevor Berbick

Yup, there's no way it has anything to do with him being a 6 time defending lineal HW champion.
Can't be.

 

We live in a time when many people consider it "racist" to point out the role of race, but I stand by my post in the other thread about the racial factors that led to Rocky's deification: https://www.boxingforum24.com/threa...-mike-tyson-and-rocky-marciano.615493/page-13

 

Maricano's fan base comes from holding two of the most important records in heavyweight boxing, 49-0 and 88%. And, unlike guys like Holmes who openly ducked fighters, he did it against the best of his generation.

Most people who disrespect him do so because he is white. Since race is being brought up as an issue, let's just say it like it is.

 

Muslims are proud Tyson and Ali, among casual followers of the sport, thats to be expected.
Italians are proud of Marciano, as they should be as well, why not?

That's a very small element when it comes to his legitimacy as a great champion.
There are plenty of highly respected people historically who give him the highest of praise, who come from all races and backgrounds.

 

That is a very sweeping generalization ,one unsupported by a shred of evidence. FYI When Marciano became champion he wasn't greeted with any particular enthusiasm,he suffered badly in comparisions with Dempsey, comparisons in which he was seen as a poorer, cruder ,slower,facsimile of the Mauler .Old Ring magazines with confirm this. What colour was Dempsey? Marciano doesn't make my top ten and I am white so how do you explain that?
p.s. Dempsey does comfortably.

 

I think a lot of fans of Rocky are white,just as Joe Louis drew a huge coloured fan base to himself.Is that fundamentally wrong, to root for your own? Birds of a feather etc. Yanks root for a Yank to beat a foreigner,Brits do the same.

Lets face it the white US boxing fan hasnt had much to shout about in the heavyweight division since Cooney. I don't mean to suggest that White US fans would cheer on one of the Klits against an American black challenger,I don't believe they would.A few red necks maybe , but the majority would be patriotic imo. Colour doesn't bother me one way or another.The up and coming Fury v Wilder has me in a quandary as I don't like either guy,but,given that I think Fury is cynically treating it as his pension plan and will retire after losing it,I will root for Wilder to win and set up a clash with AJ.
I'm not very patriotic so maybe I'm an anomaly, [Ill be rooting for Usyk tonight,]as I want to see him move up to heavy at some point and Bellew is taking this fight as his cash out . Racism is mindless and ugly. Are white Rocky fans racist,imo no.But maybe him being white was a factor in their initial choice of hero IDK ? Rocky detractors here ,are they all black? I've no idea which posters are black .I do know four who are less than enamoured of the BS attached to him that are white, and I'm one of them.Perhaps we are reverse racists?

 

I’m white and my two favorite fighters ever Ali and Marciano. I didn’t appreciate Marciano really till I sat and watched everyone of his fights on film several times. He was someone who I had considered slow, a brawler whom had bad defense and a whicked right. Well I was right about the right. But watching his fights closely you appreciate his defense, more of a swarmer, had power in both hands, and his best assets his endurance and chin. I do think his resume goes both ways. It’s amazing in the sense he has several wins over top 20-25 (Louis, Moore, Charles) given two of the three were older but I’d say Moore and Charles were still great fighters. The age is concerning but when looked at by today’s standards he was fighting babies. Had good wins against other older but excellent fighters in Walcott, Savold, Schkor. Some prime guys like under rated prime Rex Layne and maybe over rated but still undefeated LaStarza.

 

I have a sensational article somewhere that pits Marciano vs the early 80's brigade with Dundee breaking each match down in depth and there was a bit of a face story too from memory. Holmes, Page, Witherspoon etc etc.

 

I think the adulation he’d receive would be very similar had he been of any other race or background. His successful career and retiring undefeated is going to be enigmatic no matter which color he was.

I’ve read thousands upon thousands of comments on both my Marciano and Ali videos. And the ethnic pride aspect is pretty equal for both. And they don’t reperesent anything but a tiny minority opinion. The overwhelming majority of people just are in awe and appreciation to what they bring to the ring.

 

It is absolutely true. I am not tying to "help," I am trying to say things as they are. Some of them make no bones about it.

You have a man who holds two of the most important records in heavyweight boxing, took on all comers, fought in an exciting action style unparalleled today, with crazy power and stamina, lauded by Joe Louis, Jack Dempsey, Joe Walcott, and Muhammad Ali, and you have a couple of **** bags who try to degrade him while defending cowards like Larry Holmes, who ran a little girl from his best. Why is this...?

There is a concept in psychology called "projection," where you attribute to others the very thing that you are doing. That is what is going on here. I can state very clearly why Marciano is my #3 heavy of all time. There is no reason to object to a man who was manifestly great.

Projection my friend. I am indeed "helping." And Post script, Larry Holmes knew deep in his heart he couldn't carry Marciano's jock strap. A coward projecting on a great man.

 

But this is not how things ended, and we have been over this. See last post for more detail.

By the way, I don't find you to be part of the anti-white brigade. You're all right.

 

That’s the problem. Guys like you think people are “degrading” Marciano whenever we point out that we think his style, size, and skill set wouldn’t match up well with any number of big, skilled heavyweights from more recent decades. Nobody in this forum questions Marciano’s greatness or criticizes him as a man (unlike you and Holmes, for example). How is any of this “anti-white”??