Why do people think Marciano had such a great chin?

Moore stopped heavyweights on accumulation of punches, not because he was anywhere close to being a KO artist or anything above 175lb. Marciano needed fewer punches from him to go down than other heavyweights.

 

Walcott & Moore were great sneak punchers who could lay traps and nail you with great shots - Moore was a great finisher too. Walcott could really bang - Curtis Hatchet Man Sheppard who fought numerous greats rated Walcott & Moore as high up among the best punchers of their time - when Walcott put Marciano down, Marciano said, "I wasn't hurt by the punch, not even dazed." Archie Moore well - it's difficult to know where to start with him? for comparison's I guess you could say he finished Bert Whitehurst quicker than Sonny Liston could, he was one of only 2 men who really stopped Harold Johnson - no mean feat - for instance Bob Satterfield wasn't able to stop Johnson? Clarence Henry & Nino Valdes two respected heavyweight punchers didn't put Johnson down - Archie could hurt you and stop people no problem - Archie proved himself beyond any shadow of a doubt - every fighter I've heard commenting on his punching generally raved about his power - he was no George Foreman that;s for sure but who was?? Just because he didn't happen to face a pure monster like Foreman - doesn't mean you can automatically say he wouldn't cope against say Foreman? Joe Louis said "This kid is tough enough to beat anyone." and i'm pretty sure he had enough experience to make that call?

Star referee Harry Kessler had this to say:

"Marciano, of course, was short for a heavyweight, wide through the shoulders, with thick short arms. Rocky's idea of finesse was to throw boulders for 180 seconds of each round, or until the object of his disaffection disappeared below his line of vision, stretched prone on the canvas or slumpted in a corner. Not onlythat, Marciano could take a punch - anybody's punch. And he did, plenty of them. But the man was impervious to pain. According to a psychoogical profile performed on The Rock, the more punishment he absorbed, the more something in him convinced him that he could not and would not lose! His chemistry and physical make up combined to wrap him in armour and load his fists with cannonballs. Nothing hurt him!"

He was an extremely experienced referee who refereed the like of feared power punchers like Cleveland Williams so he probably had a good guage on this.

Carmen Basilio who knew what toughness was call Marciano "A great fighter, very tough."

Marciano was just a great great fighter from an era that most people today can't really comprehend or appreciate - the standard of fighters all round was just so much higher in the 50's - the depth was incredible.

Rex Layne was a good banger too and he couldn't hurt Marciano too badly - Carmine Vingo too was considered a big big hitter - he apparently did hurt Rocky - but again Rocky whethered it and came raging back .

I really don't understand - Marciano was RENOWNED throughout the boxing world for his toughness - ability to take punishment etc so, you know that's basically it - you don't become famous for your toughness and granite chin without actually having one - he was just that type of fighter

 

A technical boxer with decent power like Walcott poses a togher test of a chin in many ways than a big limited puncher.

I guess the deal with Marciano's chin is not just the number of punchers he fought but also the results that his oponents failed to atain against it.

The only people who managed to put him on the deck were Joe Walcott and Archie Morre, and virtualy every heavyweight champion without exception has been put on the floor by a lesser puncher than them. Muhamad Ali is rightly regarded as having one of the best chins in heavyweight history and he was put down by lesser punchers, as were Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Sonny Liston Evander Holyfield. All these guys are regarded as being among the elite teir of heavyweight chins.

So yes I do think that Marciano is rightly placed among the elite teir of heavyweights in terms of durability.

 

Rcoky had great heart, and great stamina. I think his chin was solid, but not as good as his heart or stamina.

 

A good chin is more of a mindset than a physical trait. Marciano, LaMotta and the likes knew nobody can knock them out and so nobody could knock them out.

 

that's a good point. And I just want to add that just because someone gets knocked down or gets wobbled doesnt mean they don't have a good chin. a well placed punch will affect anyobdy no matter how tough.

Example: featherfisted Paulie Mallignaggi knocked down a resiliant Lovemore N'Dou (N'Dou has never been KO'ed in 47 fights).

 

"Having a beard or a chin is a function of your will power, your ambition - your refusal to yield." - Larry Merchant. :good

 

Because it compliments the rest of his face so well.

 

The whole thing is rather subjective, but Marciano was only knocked down by men who were strong enough punchers to knock out world champions and who were champions themselves. I don't think the counts ever got to five on him. We don't know the limits of his chin because it was never reached, amateur or pro.

Ali had a great chin--but he was knocked down by Sonny Banks and Henry Cooper. I don't think they match Walcott and Moore.

Joe Louis--stood up to Max Baer's punches, but was ko'd by Schmeling, knocked down by Braddock, Galento, Buddy Baer, Walcott, Marciano, and rocked by several others. Still, I would say he had a pretty good chin considering how many top men he fought.

Larry Holmes--seems to have had a very strong chin, but knocked down by Kevin Isaac (4 ko's in 24 fight) and Renaldo Snipes.

Joe Frazier--knocked down by Bonavena (2) and by Mike Bruce.

George Foreman--ko'd by Ali, knocked down twice by Lyle, knocked down by the light-hitting Jimmy Young (11 ko's in 56 fights)

Sonny Liston--knocked down by Marshall, Took count against Ali, ko'd by Martin. If my memory of the fight report by Boxing Illustrated doesn't fail me, knocked down by Willis Earls.

Certainly one can make a case for this or that fighter having a better chin than Marciano, such as Jeffries, but the bottom line is that all these men were knocked down by lesser punchers, battered into helplessness, or outright knocked out, none of which happened to Marciano.

 

The bottom line.

 

Having strong will is not enough. There have been countless times when fighters who seemed as tough and sturdy (both mentally and physically) as anybody in history, but there came a fight where it wasn't enough.

 

Shazaaaam!

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