Is Rocky Marciano relevant today...

[Mars_ax]

With the advent of UFC and its offshoots, plus the lack of real talent in the heavyweight division today do you feel that Rocky Marciano is unknown or overlooked to all but the die hard boxing fan or at least known only to those over a certain age...

Marciano is one of those Heavyweight greats along with Johnson, Jefferies, Dempsey, Louis, Ali, et al, who will never be forgotten. As for the UFC, it's still "green" and unlike Pro Boxing, it remains to be seen if it will stand the test of time.

[Gandalf]

He was of his era and eras ultimately shape history. He isn't relevant today, but his mark in history is cemented.

[Spicoli]

Not sure if your asking if he's relevant or 'known' really, but I guarantee most mma types as well as boxing fans recognize the name. Nice tie in though

[Dia bando]

Of course Marciano is relevant, the man retired undefeated HW champion of the world not to many
people are undefeated so that is a feat in itself.

[BIG H]

Of course Marciano is relevant, the man retired undefeated HW champion of the world not to many
people are undefeated so that is a feat in itself.

Can't argue with that, but I would argue, that there are many other HWs through history that would also have finished 49-0 should they have fought Marciano's opposition at the stage in the careers of those he fought.

[Dia bando]

Of course Marciano is relevant, the man retired undefeated HW champion of the world not to many
people are undefeated so that is a feat in itself.

Can't argue with that, but I would argue, that there are many other HWs through history that would also have finished 49-0 should they have fought Marciano's opposition at the stage in the careers of those he fought.

I no what you mean but you still have beat them, and you can only fight who's about at that time.

[Beanflicker]

Marciano was a great HW and a boxing legend, but IMO is one of the most overrated boxers of all time, due in large part to the fact that he had a pretty, undefeated record. Well, Sven Ottke also retired undefeated but how many times do you hear his name come up when talking about modern greats? Like mentioned above, there are a LOT of HWs of past and present who would have retired 49-0 had they fought the same opposition.

When I hear people call him the greatest HW of all time, or say that he would have whipped Muhammad Ali (often citing that computer fight, ugh), I feel physically ill. Marciano would have been BRUTALIZED by the bigger HWs after him (Liston, Foreman, Frazier, Tyson, Lewis, Bowe, ect ect) and IMO would have been beat by a few of the HWs before him (including prime Joe Louis and Jack Johnson). He sure as hell would have been outpointed by the bigger, faster, slicker, more skilled guys of the late 60s/70s like Ali, Holmes, probably even guys like JImmy Young.

Even his power is overrated. We've all heard the tales of how he had a heavy bag specially made for him, how he threw punches like he threw fastballs, ect ect. Don't get me wrong, Rocky could hit with the best of them, but he had a "break you down" power, not the huge one-punch bombs that guys like Foreman or Tyson had. Disagree? Watch Rocky's fights against guys like Don Cockell and tell me that you could invision Foreman, shavers, Tyson, Liston, ect hitting Cockell with as many flush punches and Rocky did without him going down.