They were both hard-hitting pugilists, but was Rocky Marciano also a better boxer than Tyson?

Also? Are you implying Rocky hit harder? I cannot agree there.

And no he's clearly not a better boxer. Mike was close to boxing perfection at his peak

 

Tyson was the better boxer. He has more talent, God Given talent and he had a more complete skillset. Combinations, defense and punch variety.

 

No.

 

Stupid ****ing question, again.

 

Though i regard Marciano more highly, Tyson was very clearly better at the technical aspect of boxing

I'd give marciano the edge in chin, stamina and heart. Their power is very comparable. Tyson is clearly faster. In a fight between them anything could happen

 

i was agreeing with you until right about here. Marciano had such a punch variety that he sometimes made up new ones on the spot, he hit from all angles wherever he could find a target

 

Here we go again...

 

I think pure boxing skills go decisively in Tyson's favour. There was more method to Marciano's style than some give him credit for, but he never really developed a jab or a counter-punching game. I don't particularly hold that against him, as his lack of height and reach meant that trying to develop those skills at the expense of his more established traits (power, toughness, stamina, making himself a small target, pressure / stalking etc.) would have simply been pointless. But Tyson (despite having his flaws, such as a lack of an inside game and a somewhat repetitive style of attack), who was of similar height and reach (though not build) to Marciano, was able to outjab and counter very competent, rangy guys like Tucker and Biggs as well as simply overpowering them with his offensive skills. In those fights, particularly against Biggs, he was starting to look like something pretty close to the complete Heavyweight had his upwards trajectory been maintained.

As I said, Marciano wasn't the brainless human punching bag armed only with an iron chin and a heavy right hand as some claim, but I don't think he had the all-round skills of Tyson, particularly in terms of mastering those mid-range exchanges.

 

I wouldn't say so...

I will give a big edge to Marciano in stamina, and ability to carry a fast paced fight the full 15 rounds...

But I wouldn't say he was a better boxer skillwise, or that he hit harder.

Tyson outweighed Marciano by about 25 pounds. That would account for a bit more hitting power while speed was much more comparable

 

Tyson having not a inside game is a total myth........he broke Biggs down with bodyshots.....broke razors ribs with bodyshots......knocked down Spinks with a bodyshot.......ko'ed several others with uppercuts........if that is not inside work then you are watching the wrong sport.

Tyson threw every punch in the book textbook style vs marciano who was a crude slugger who most of the time missed by a mile while wildly winging shots even tripping over.......

Tyson waxed a far fresher Holmes in a handful of rounds while Marciano went life and death with similar fossils in glass chinned Moore/Walcott and the Ghost of a ghost of Joe Louis.

In real life Tyson would make quick work of Marciano, he is TAILERMADE for him.....going to to toe with prime Tyson is absolute suicide......and in a time machine the obscene Marciano nuthuggers on this board would not put ONE penny on Marciano to win......

 

We'll have to agree to disagree on Tyson's infighting skills. Body shots don't necessarily equate to inside fighting - I'm talking about making room when the other guy is smoothing you, fighting your way out of clinches rather than accepting them or getting pushed back etc. Tyson tended to accept the clinch and threw very, very little in seriously close quarters. Nobody would dispute he had a great body hook, especially when he followed it with the uppercut, but he tended to throw it having worked his way to mid-range behind a jab or ducking low as he came in. I think his lack of fighting from clinches and susceptibility to getting smothered / pushed back was a clear weakness, personally.

Odd that you have countered me saying this by laying in to Marciano, though, seeing as I agreed with you that Tyson had the better all-round skills. I also agree that he's a bad styles match up for Rocky, and that Marciano gets taken out early in this one.

 

Tyson was undoubtedly better from a technical standpoint.

There are advantages that you can cite in Marciano's favor, but this is not one of them.

 

Tyson.