Great HD vid: Marciano KO2 "Kid" Matthews (#3 ranked in world) 1951

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3JOrqcfeI8

I love how Rock could get a guy thinking "right hand" and smash him with a jackhammer lead left hook.

Matthews had such a good fight plan, too. The way he was leaning up on his front foot to give the illusion of being close, then drawing back to make Rocky's punches fall short and countering. And how he'd let Marciano get set then take that little step to the right- like what McGirt did to Simon Brown in their fight- like he was doing when he got hit with that left hook.
There is a story about Mathews and how he came to work with Jack Hurley, who trained him for many years, including this fight. Mathews was 57-3 when he went to Hurley, who told him there were two rules. First, no arguing with the trainer. Second, no more fights until you learn how to fight. This kind of annoyed Mathews who thought that, being 57-3 and all, he was pretty good. Then, as he put it, Hurley proved to him that he couldn't fight at all, and he went nearly a year before he got back in the ring.
Hurley, a hero of mine, is the inspiration for the trainer in the WC Heinz classic "The Professional."

dont know anything about Hurley---interesting story, will look into it.

so what did Kid do wrong? Seems he stuck quite closely to the fight plan. How did Marciano set that double hook up? Looks like a jab to the midsection got Matthews leaning into the first of the hooks.???

Marciano was whipping that left hand the whole second round; he missed badly with a few, some were blocked, but he landed a few. Watching it again, there seems to be a spot where a left hand has an impact on Mathews- by the 4:00 mark he seems shaky. He fought such a beautiful first round and then a few seconds.
I don't think he did anything 'wrong'. Sometimes when you are thinking, the other guy is thinking too. Charley Goldman was very astute and he had a minute between rounds to point out that, by avoiding the right, Mathews made himself vulnerable to the left. But Mathews fought a nice first round; that was the way to beat Marciano.
Of course, it would end up being trial by fire, but that is what Moore and Charles and Walcott saw. Make him reach then fight in with him. I haven't seen the Moore/Marciano fight in a long time, but I'd bet that the knockdown moore scored is similar to what Mathews was trying. Get Marciano to wing the right from too far away and counter with your right.