Who Was First to Break Dominance: Schmeling, Marciano, Johansson, Other?

Marciano broke the color line with 4 title defenses against black men

 

Prior to Marciano there was like a ton of white heavyweight champs then a string of 3 black heavyweight champs so I wouldn't really call that black dominance yet. Johansson was only preceded by Patterson so I'll go with Morrison (weak choice) or Vitali Klitschko since he won a title before Wlad.

 

There was no black dominance when Schmeling beat Louis, from 1930 until 1936 when Schmeling upset Louis there are only 6 black heavyweights featured in the end of year top ten rankings,that's out of a possible 60.

 

Marciano had two what I would call soft defences ,Lastarza and Cockell, his others were against top contenders, he ducked nobody.His manager was more circumspect,which was his job.

 

Yes, Cockell was a joke. Valdes should have gotten that shot

 

LaStarza was not a soft defence.

He was the current #1 contender.

Cockell perhaps, in as much as you can call a #2 contender a soft defence.

If the champion fought the #2 today, everybody would throw their hats in the air!

 

To address the original question:

We don't really start to see any sort of black dominance until the late 195s0. Most of the top contenders of Louis's era were white, and we see a mixed picture through Charles, Walcott, and Marciano.

Johansen does stand out as a bit of an interlude in my mind. The tide had definitely turned when he lifted the title.

We had a bizarre near interlude, when the unranked Axel Schulz probably bested George Foreman, but lost the decision controversially.

The tide really turned big time, after Lennox Lewis retired, and the former Soviets started taking over the division.

Now in another bizarre twist, we have Joshua and Wilder in possession of all the belts!

Who knows who the future belongs to!

 

Ten months prior to challenging Marciano ,Lastarza was floored and beaten by lightheavy journeyman Rocky Jones14-9-2,he beat Jones in the rematch and squeaked by a diminished Rex Layne by split decision. Lastarza was a soft defence and I don't care where he was ranked! Show where he was ranked no 1 please?

 

You don't care where he was ranked?

Was Marciano supposed to give the title shot to a lower ranked fighter, who might have posed him a more interesting problem?

How would the media have received that, given his history with LaStarza?

No, he definitely made the right choice!

 

No comment on his record going into the fight?
Rocky Marciano, Champion
1952

1. Jersey Joe Walcott
2. Rex Layne
3. Ezzard Charles
4. Bob Dunlop
5. Clarence Henry
6. Johnny Williams
7. Roland LaStarza
8. Heinz Neuhaus
9. Karel Sys
10. Jimmy Bivins

1953
Rocky Marciano, Champion

1. Nino Valdes
2. Ezzard Charles
3. Dan Bucceroni
4. Roland LaStarza
5. Earl Walls
6. Don Cockell
7. Clarence Henry
8. Tommy Harrison
9. Bob Satterfield
10. Coley Wallace

 

The October, 1953 issue of The Ring had these ratings for the month ending August 18,

Champion-----Rocky Marciano

1-----Roland LaStarza
2-----Ezzard Charles
3-----Dan Bucceroni
4-----Nino Valdes
5-----Tommy Harrison
6-----Bob Satterfield
7-----Heinz Neuhaus
8-----Don Co-kell
9-----Earl Walls
10----Harry Matthews

 

Thank you.

 

Yep ,,as Lewis was winding down we had the emergence of the Europeans coming to the front. Something that just at least 10 year's previous would have seemed highly unlikely.