Why was Marciano so successful?

Neither of which changes in any way the post fight ring reports of Layne's performance by the press.

The AP said this:
Associated Press: “22-year-old Rex from Utah’s sugar beet land failed to live up to the gaudy promise of his Nov. 24 upset over tired old Jersey Joe Walcott.”

ps Layne was described as both an 11/5 and a 9/5 favourite.

 

Here is a newspaper article. Note that it states Layne was "highly regarded" as well as being third ranked.


MARCIANO DEFEATS Layne
NEW YORK, July 12 (AP)
Rocky Marciano caused "an. upset by
knocking out the third ranking
heavyweight. Rex Layne, in ' the
sixth round oí a scheduled 10
round fight to-night. ' . Marciano
caught Layne with a right to the
jaw 35 seconds after the start of
the sixth round and Layne slowly
dropped to the canvas.
A big crowd cheered the 26-year
old Marciano for his terrific knock-
out victory. He was an 11.5 under-
dog. Layne had been knocked off
his feet only once before in a regul
lar fight, although Joe Louis felled
him twice in exhibition matches.
Marciano, 185 lb., established
himself as' a dangerous contender
for the world's heavyweight title,
Layne, 193 lb., had been highly re-
garded in his campaign for a
championship fight.
Marciano hammered at Layne
with hard rights, then moved in-
side with his bead down to upper-
cut him with his left. He* soon had
Layne in trouble- Layne's eye was
bleeding from the second round on-
wards. It was closed completely as
he collapsed in the sixth.
Marciano took charge from the
opening bell at Madison Square
Garden. He crouched to nullify the
power of Layne's rights under the
heart and never gave his opponent
room.
A right uppercut staggered Layne
in the second round. Another drove
him to the ropes in the third then
his knees sagged after he had taken
a smashing right. Marciano had a.
slight edge in the fourth when
Layne fell to the floor.-It was not
a legitimate knock-down however,
because Marciano bumped him'
after landing a right.
Layne appeared tired in the fifth
and was an easy target for several
wild swings to the head. He was
knocked into the ropes near the
close'of the round. The end came
quickly in the sixth.

 

Having one bad fight that you win by decision does not ruin a fighters career. Many great fighters had stinker performances. The press and the public have short term memory.

 

Here is another article describing both fighters as the top two young prospects for the title AND that Layne was "the unanimous pick to win this bout by the "experts". I have looked up at least five separate articles going into this fight and ALL talk of both fighters in glowing terms. Lanes bout with Brion was a stinker but the stink did not linger which is typical. Layne was touted highly by the press going into his bout with Rocky.


https://news.google.com/newspapers?...AIBAJ&sjid=PcgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2896,1258603&hl=en

 

I said his bubble had been burst,and I believe the ringside reports of the Brion fight support that view.
It's really not important enough for me to have back and forth posts on.
The beginning of April 51 Layne was number 5,the yearly rankings have him at no 6 in1950 and not ranked at all in 51.
I've already read those articles.

 

Layne was third ranked when he fought Marciano. It was after this bout that he tumbled in the rankings. Marciano ruined him.

 

It dosnt change the fact that skilled big heavyweights had not been invented yet? That the training had not reached the point here a giant can develop into an effective superheavyweight? Is that what your saying? That we can't hold Rocky against something that did not exist? Or that we should hold it against him that he did not live at a time where this was in effect?

 

And one more UP article stating that Layne was highly touted due to his win over Walcott and getting off the deck to ko Satterfield.

https://news.google.com/newspapers?...AIBAJ&sjid=dE0EAAAAIBAJ&pg=3158,4393752&hl=en

 

Great work, Perry.

 

Of course. Read the ringside reports of the Robinson-Abrams fight. "Experts" advised Ray to forget the middleweight division off his showing.

One other point.

Newspaper quotes are of marginal value I think. Whether it is an issue about boxing, or any other issue, big or small, about sports, politics, or just life, you can find an opinion on either side expressed by a newspaper reporter or commentator. They are paid to push the envelope on opinions to sell their product.

 

And THAT has been my point for months on this forum. You can find anything you want to find in newspaper reports. You need to weigh what you read in the newspapers along with expert opinion from that time as well as expert eye witness accounts.

The Dempsey Sharkey fight is a classic example. Newspaper accounts show that review of the film of the fight was split with some reporters swearing the blows were low while others clearly stated in headlines that the body blows were clearly legal. When you sort through things what you find is the majority of writers picked Sharkey to win and much was written after concerning how these reporters would explain their pick. Exclaiming their fighter was fouled and would have won if the foul did not occur was an easy out. Then when you break down those that saw a low blow vs those that did not it's obvious what occurred.

Then of course viewing the film objectively reveals the punches were very fair. So for many years most (some on here) stated Sharkey was hit in the ***** by Dempsey prior to the ko blow. In fact they were chiming what they had heard handed down since that time without actually examining the filmed evidence which reveals something completely different.

 

Perry

We disagree on how definitive the film is in exonerating Dempsey. I do think it does not present irrefutable evidence that Dempsey "hit him in the b-lls" as many claim.

Another good example of reporters taking a position to cover their behinds is the first Ali-Liston fight. So many reporters sneered at Ali and were proven so badly wrong that their immediate fall back position was that the fight was fixed.

To me, it is obvious on the film that Ali was much the better fighter.

I remember Ali commenting on the film of the fight in the 1970's and playfully asking how they managed the special effect that had Liston in slow motion and Ali so fast the eye couldn't follow him.