If Marciano woulda KO'ed Patterson in '56....

[brocktonblockbust]

...and then retired----would his detractors be saying anything different about him?

[Beanflicker]

Personally, I think it would have done a great deal for his legacy. I don't know if the Rock had enough left in '56 to get the job done though, considering his injuries and back problems.

[X]

No, I dont think so. Floyd was young and quick, but I think even an old Marciano would have eventually caught up with him and battered him into submission. I dont think Floyd would have had the firepower to keep Rocky off him (and nobody trained as hard as the Rock)

The only difference would be that he would have retired at 50-0, and I guess there would have been some additional kudos in that.

I hope that he would have then retired without ending up in front of a young Sonny Liston.

[Beanflicker]

I think you're not giving Floyd Patterson enough credit. He was incredibly quick and if Rock beat him at that stage in his career, I think it would have done a ton not only for his legacy, but in the discussion of "Prime Rock vs Prime Ali". I know Patterson and Ali had vastly different styles, but if The Rock could catch up with Patterson, a good argument could be made that he could have caught up to Ali.

[beenKOed]

...and then retired----would his detractors be saying anything different about him?

No, and the Monarch Butterfly would have still made it's yearly migration cycle.

[Dark Lord Al]

Floyd had a weak chin when he fought punchers , so a come from behind KO for Rocky would be my pick.

[Bobthepen]

I know Patterson and Ali had vastly different styles, but if The Rock could catch up with Patterson, a good argument could be made that he could have caught up to Ali.

So you'd make a good case for Liston catching up to Ali?

[Beanflicker]

I know Patterson and Ali had vastly different styles, but if The Rock could catch up with Patterson, a good argument could be made that he could have caught up to Ali.

So you'd make a good case for Liston catching up to Ali?

Good point hahah. Never said I would personally make that argument, I don't think Marciano wins more than 2 or 3 rounds vs Ali.

[Master]

If Rocky could have competed he would have fought Patterson but probably could not stand straight to train because of his back to even consider fighting Floyd. He would have wanted to have that 50th fight. If he had beaten Floyd would it have improved his legacy probably but then there would always be another challenge like Liston, then Ali...This is why Lennox retired at the right time, there is always another fight out there and you have to find the right time to stop and commit to it.

[brocktonblockbust]

If Rocky could have competed he would have fought Patterson but probably could not stand straight to train because of his back to even consider fighting Floyd. He would have wanted to have that 50th fight. If he had beaten Floyd would it have improved his legacy probably but then there would always be another challenge like Liston, then Ali...This is why Lennox retired at the right time, there is always another fight out there and you have to find the right time to stop and commit to it.

not sure his back was really fucked up or if he just wanted no part of Al Weill anymore. Besides taking 50% of his purse each fight, Weill made a cool 100 thousand dollars on the side by betting on the Marciano-Cockell fight in San Francisco and when Rocky found out he wanted to kill him.

[Master]

It is a shame that Rocky had to retire because of a horrible contract that he was in. That would be such a shame.

I hate it when fighters end up like this especially when they are in the peak of their career like Bradley and Gamboa. Wasted years that you can never get back.

[brocktonblockbust]

It is a shame that Rocky had to retire because of a horrible contract that he was in. That would be such a shame.

I hate it when fighters end up like this especially when they are in the peak of their career like Bradley and Gamboa. Wasted years that you can never get back.

agreed. I thnk a contract-free Marciano fights on.

Come on he was only 32 years old and 21 days when he fought Moore in Sept 55.
He took the cruise to South America and his old lady started bitching that that was enough, etc.
I say he woulda been itchin for a fight by that Summer say June 56 and woulda got it with Nino Valdez from Florida who was really a great fighter. I say it woulda been a slugfest with Rocky KOing Valdez in about 6. Then after resting maybe 4 more months (he knew his time was short and had only 1 more good fight left in him) he woulda taken on Floyd patterson about October 1956---unfortunately for Floyd as he may have hurt Rocky early with that lightning left hook, but as Rocky staggers a bit and throws a wild right which misses Floyd, the breeze from the Rock's missed punch KOs patterson right there and they bring in the medic. Rocky retires 51-0 with 45 KOs in January 1957.

[Beanflicker]

As much as I feel for Rock for that slave contract, Marciano was known as a schiester after he retired too.

Stu Hart told a story where he paid Marciano to come in make an appearance with his pro-wrestling league, and afterwards Rock lied to Stu and said his cheque didn't show up in the mail. After Stu sent him another one, Rock cashed both and skipped town haha.

[Master]

However in Rocky 2 a villainous bad man named of Liston wins the title and the world cries out for the Rock to sort out Sonny. Marciano wins a miraculously fight with a late KO.

Rocky retires but in Rocky 3 a young upstart named Clay goads and publically humiliates the Rock and once again Rocky enters the ring to shut the mouth of the Louisville Lip.

And Rocky lives happily ever after.

[X]

Later, after he has retired for a while, a huge ex-Soviet robotic and seemingly unbeatable fighter gives the Rock no option but to challenge his (especially after he digs up the corpse of Jersey Joe Walcott and kills him all over again). After a wild slugfest, when Rocky is behind on points he comes up with a miraculous late KO. The soviet claims he dislocated his shoulderand quits in the 9th, but Rocky keeps hitting and kicking him while he is on the floor until all that is left is a large puddle of gore. The US boxing authorites immediately declare Rocky the new champion

After having retired for ten years, in about 2018, he notices that the heavyweight division is dying on its feet with no decent or colourful fighters around. The MMA stage an all-style compu-box tournament, that has the current heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder losing to a gypsy woman from the crowd in the first round. Wilder is keen to get his public recognition up and agrees to spar an exhibition with the Rock.

Inevitably it gets rough, and the fight ends in farce when Rocky disappears from the ring after the 6th round, only to soar into view, Fan Man-like, piloting an aeroplane, which he then crashes into the ring.