Re: I think Marciano would eventually find Ali over 15 rounds
I don't think Marciano would have knocked Ali out. I just don't see him hitting him with that kind of consistency.
Marciano was teeing off on fat Don Cockell with flush shots to the chin and had trouble putting him away.
Ali had a great chin and was a great survival artist when he was hurt.
Re: I think Marciano would eventually find Ali over 15 rounds
Ali was never knocked out by giants,cant see a small Marciano doing it.
Re: I think Marciano would eventually find Ali over 15 rounds
All due respects to the Rock, but the only time he would find Ali would be when he looks up and finds him standing over him during visiting hours at the hospital when Ali visits to check up on the Rock after eye surgery! The Ali of 1966/67 makes mince meat out of the Rock within 6 rounds.
Re: I think Marciano would eventually find Ali over 15 rounds
Marciano would have at least as much of a chance against Ali as Frazier did, probably more so, in my mind, because he was harder to hit. I know the common thought is that Marciano was a punching bag and Frazier some type of defensive genius, but that is simply not the case. Angelo Dundee, Lou Duva, Joe Walcott, Ezzard Charles, Archie Moore and Roland LaStarza all commented on how much harder it was to hit Marciano, in actuality, than it seemed to be just watching him. Most specifically, he would be hard to hit with jabs and right hands because of the way he moved forward, with his weight back and to his own right. Frazier, conversley, was right there to be hit and thus had to bob and weave to avoid punches that Marciano would simply have ignored, being out of range. The place where Marciano would be most vulnerable to getting hit would be inside, and he'd take that exchange and win it all day. There is no way on earth that Ali can be considered the same quality of in-fighter as Moore or Charles and they could not win that battle with Marciano.
Ali would find himself having to reach with jabs and to land his right hand while constantly having to move into Marciano's right hand to do so. He would simply surround Ali's best punch and make him pay to get in a position to land it. Charley Goldman would see to that. Marciano would win a wide decision, going away, or maybe get a 14th or 15th round tko.
Re: I think Marciano would eventually find Ali over 15 rounds
Quote:
Originally Posted by
greynotsoold
Marciano would have at least as much of a chance against Ali as Frazier did, probably more so, in my mind, because he was harder to hit. I know the common thought is that Marciano was a punching bag and Frazier some type of defensive genius, but that is simply not the case. Angelo Dundee, Lou Duva, Joe Walcott, Ezzard Charles, Archie Moore and Roland LaStarza all commented on how much harder it was to hit Marciano, in actuality, than it seemed to be just watching him. Most specifically, he would be hard to hit with jabs and right hands because of the way he moved forward, with his weight back and to his own right. Frazier, conversley, was right there to be hit and thus had to bob and weave to avoid punches that Marciano would simply have ignored, being out of range. The place where Marciano would be most vulnerable to getting hit would be inside, and he'd take that exchange and win it all day. There is no way on earth that Ali can be considered the same quality of in-fighter as Moore or Charles and they could not win that battle with Marciano.
Ali would find himself having to reach with jabs and to land his right hand while constantly having to move into Marciano's right hand to do so. He would simply surround Ali's best punch and make him pay to get in a position to land it. Charley Goldman would see to that. Marciano would win a wide decision, going away, or maybe get a 14th or 15th round tko.
better than I coulda said it. Thank you. Marciano breaks every rib Ali has. Marciano hit WAY HARDER than Frazier. Way harder. Not even close. Frazier had to leap into the left hook to make it rocket-like. Rocky threw off=balance shots harder than Frazier's best hook.
Re: I think Marciano would eventually find Ali over 15 rounds
Re: I think Marciano would eventually find Ali over 15 rounds
Well, one thing for sure. Marciano would crush Joe Frazier prime for prime... no disrespect to the great Smokin' Joe. But this doesn't necessarily translate to a win over Ali. Ali fought and defeated two much larger, and arguably harder punchers than the Rock: Sonny Liston, and George Foreman. And I agree with Mars from a few posts back. It depends on the version of Ali we're talking about. Coupled with Ali's speed, footwork, and boxing ability... you just cannot discount the physical advantages Ali also had (height and reach).
Re: I think Marciano would eventually find Ali over 15 rounds
^I think Marciano vs Frazier is a much more interesting fight than Marciano/Ali.
Re: I think Marciano would eventually find Ali over 15 rounds
In 1966 Ali fought George Chuvalo and won a unanimous decision. Despite the scores he had a lot of trouble with Chuvalo, who has maintained since that he would have won had the judges scored body punches (he also said the saying you were in a close fight with Ali is like spitting on the Pope; sacrilegious.) At the time many thought that Chuvalo had drawn the blueprint for how to beat Ali.
If a prime Ali had a hard night with George Chuvalo, Marciano would have taken him to hell.
Re: I think Marciano would eventually find Ali over 15 rounds
Ali would have beaten Rocky as would have Joe Frazier, Christmas is over.
Re: I think Marciano would eventually find Ali over 15 rounds
Aint gonna happen,
Never coulda happened,
Styles make fights,
People make styles,
You can only fight whats out there.
Just be respectful to both legacies, true ambassadors of our sport. Unfortunately born in different eras but it gives us something to talk about with our grandsons/sons/dads/grandads... let it go.
Re: I think Marciano would eventually find Ali over 15 rounds
Ali had problems with just about everybody, same like Holmes. Ali was rocked by just about every opponent--Doug Jones won the fight, Cooper and another guy floored him, Chuck Wepner floored ahim and went 15 rounds, Chuvalo beat him on pionts, Ken Norton won all 3 fights, Bob Foster cut him, Frazier was wining the 3rd fight if his eyes didnt close, Ali would get waxed in a rematch with Foreman who could probably beat Ali just using his jab and conserving his energy better than Zaire, an old Patterson was "the toughest fight I ever had" said Ali himself. Frazier really showed in the first fight that Ali was only great for his Iron Chin and not much else as Ali's fucking head in that fight should have come off his shoulders on dozens of occasions due to monster left hooks that should have decapitated him. Ali proved he could take any punch from anybody and still fight on. Just that he didnt do too much fightin after Frazier took his head off in the mid to late rounds.
Ali struggled with everybody. Name a fight Ali didnt have a scare or get hurt bad.
Marciano would destroy Ali.