Who is the best modern heavyweight (90s and onward) that you would pick Rocky Marciano to beat?

I can't believe I forgot, the GOAT Bill Wilson, and the 9-22 Keene Simmons (who gave Marciano trouble, nearly stopped him on a cut, and forced him to resort to low blows)!! That completely changes everything! Based on that, I pick him to KO Joshua, Wilder, Fury all in the same night.

 

That is akin to dredging a pond, removing most of the muck, then using a straw to get the final dregs out.

 

I'm just gonna point out this was the post I was replying to. It is factually incorrect. There is a huge difference between 1 and 10!

This post is making an argument based off an incorrect fact while suggesting it is a lack of experience in fighting 200lbers that would hold Marciano back. There is no mention of any other attributes but "weight" in this post, and that is what I have addressed.

 

Why all this strawmen crap, I haven't made a single argument or claim concerning the quality of these men....it's been done to death.

There was a factually incorrect statement made about the number of 200 lb+ men Marciano fought. I pointed out Lantern's error.

You tried to list out all the 200 lb men Marciano fought and also got the number wrong. I pointed out your error.

My advice. Read boxrec more carefully.

 

Beating 200 pound roadkill has zero relevance to fighting champs of the 90's and beyond.

The version of Joe Louis he beat wouldn't make it past prelim bouts in the postmodern era.

 

Fixed it for you.

 

He doesn't have the time for two accounts. I'm surprised he has time for one, to be frank.

 

And this is called "moving the goal post."

Your first post was only concerned with the size of Marciano's opponents. Stating incorrectly he only faced one opponent over 200 lbs.

You claimed you looked at boxrec but this was something a few seconds of minimal research could have corrected. You have refused to admit fault on that point, instead trying to debate me on the quality of opponents you didn't even knew existed a few posts back.

If you want people to debate you, I recommend not shifting goal posts so liberally...that just says to me "I'm not gonna get anywhere with this guy."

Nothing wrong with lazy research if you are open minded, stick to your guns. It looks to me like you completely abandoned your ORIGINAL point about size once you were corrected on that point. So your just looking for reasons now...good luck.

 

I don't know which opponent you are referring to as "decent." So not much to go on.

Concerning the claim itself, I disagree. I feel Louis, Kockell, and Shkor could fit under the broad banner of "decent." I think old Louis was quite good actually.

The bigger argument. I feel Marciano's power would be effective against any heavyweight. If he can move a 200 plus pound prize fighter of any quality with his punches....then he can. End of discussion.

When we bring the "quality" question into it, it's no longer about that though. We are asking if Marciano had the overall tools to defeat super heavies. I think he has what it takes to best a careless unnatural fighter like Joshua, but probably not Fury. Fury would utilize his physical advantages and avoid getting hit, Joshua would get caught as he did against Ruiz, and all his muscles won't make the Rocks punches jar his brain less.

 

I can understand why many might favor Holyfield, but these analyses are both very poor.

 

They were nowhere near decent by 1990's standards.

And Old Louis was not quite good. He admitted this himself. Contemporary scribes viewed the situation the same.