Originally Posted by
marbleheadmaui
No way you're 32. Come on!
Marciano simply wrecked the division. I'm not sure one can ask for any more than that of a fighter. When he retired? It took the sport 18 months to find/develop the next guy in Floyd Patterson and to win acclaim he had to beat a guy the Rock had already beaten in Archie Moore.
Marciano had some very specific limitations.
-He had the reach of an alligator (67 inches IIRC)
-He wasn't very big, 5'10-185 or so
-He wasn't particularly fast of hand or foot
-He started late and so never developed a high, consistent level of skill. He could be very wild and often off-balance
-Gifted boxers often made him look ordinary...for a while.
But he also had some real talents.
-He was overwhelmingly physically strong for a man his size. He trained by throwing large rocks among other things and he had a special 300 pound heavy bag that he'd punch. He took one hell of a punch and could sustain one hell of a lot of punishment.
-He may have been the most fit heavyweight who ever walked the earth. He could throw punch after punch after punch after punch and never get winded. A near freak in this department. When he did get rocked he had remarkable recuperative powers.
-He had very heavy hands. A consistent comment from his opponents was that he hurt them no matter where he hit them. Forearms, shoulders, elbows, hips, chest etc. He was a battering ram puncher.
-He understood EXACTLY who he was as a fighter. He understood all of the above and so he fought to his strengths. His fitness enabled him to fight out of a crounch (try that next time you're in the ring if you want a fitness test). He didn't get discouraged by being hit and he thought about solutions to in-ring problems in the context of his strengths and limitations.
-He occasionally did things extremely well and when he did? The results were explosive. Watch the five seconds before he finishes Joe Walcott from a view that shows his feet and watch the wonderfully quick double shuffle that gets the distance just right so he can land Susie Q. Or watch the Irish Bob Murphy-Kid Matthews fight and then the Marciano-Matthews fight. Matthews beat Murphy by leaning back to avoid Murphy's excellent left hook, In round one and part of round two that same tactic works against the Rock. But in the middle of the second the Rock figures it out. He moves Matthews to the ropes and throws a left hook that Matthews leans back and mostly evades. Then Marciano takes one more step in and throws a second hook and the Kid has nowhere to go. Fight over.
-He was mentally extremely tough. He hung in there with LaStarza in the first fight and though often behind in fights he never stopped coming. When Ezzard's elbow split his nose into two separate pieces and Al Berl told him he could only give him one more round? Rocky stopped Ezzard in 90 seconds.
What's it all mean? He was one hell of a fighter. The best comparison I've seen made is to Joe Frazier. They aren't exactly the same, but as boxing comparisons go it isn't bad. I think Marciano, like Frazier, gives any fighter under 215 say one hell of a tussle. Guys over 215 he'd mostly destroy too, but probably not the greats over 215. You want to beat Marciano? You'd better be a truly tough guy, in damned near perfect physical condition and come ready to go all night long.
Marciano would have thrived even more in the era when fights went to a finish and he would have been easier to beat in 12 round fights.
One more thing on Ali and Marciano. They sparred for like 50 rounds shortly before Rocky died when they made the computerized super fight. Now of course a lot was scripted but the stories were that when Ali started to get out of line Marciano would pound on his body and leave Ali bruised up. All the times I heard Ali talk about Marciano it was with great respect. My own view (and interestingly enough my Dad's who loved the Rock) was that Ali would probably have stopped the Rock on cuts.
Thanks: 
Likes: 
Dislikes: 
Re: Some Of The Old Timers Weigh In...... "MARCIANO"
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks