Quote Originally Posted by X
If you watch video of Schmeling (and taking the jerky quality of the frames into consideration), he had a big right hand but not much else about his skills was world class.

He was not particularly big, average jabber, no KO in his left hand. Granted, he was tough as hell (apart from when he won his world title on the floor).

He would not have had enough firepower to keep Marciano off him for 12 rounds, never mind 15. I think Marciano wins 8 out of 10 fights against Max, by stoppage but not outright KO.

The 2 that Max wins would have been stoppages on cuts
This is pretty accurate. Those that think that Walcott was a bum are way off. He was an incredibly well-conditioned fighter, a rare case of a man who really didn't reach his prime until he was in his mid 30s. Walcott was chiseled and strong, someone who would be totally devastating if he were fighting as a cruiserweight today. It was a respectable achievement for Marciano to have beaten him.

From the fights of Schmeling that I saw, particularly his 1st fight with Sharkey and his fight with Young Stribling, I have concluded that Schmeling was a great fighter for his time. He rarely held and looked a bit like Dempsey, bobbing and weaving and coming in out of a crouch. He often held his left hand low. It's hard to pick him over Marciano though because of the difference in punching power. It might very well have been a serious war with little clinching and tons of punching. If that was the case I can't see Schmeling lasting more than a few rounds with Rocky.