Though I am a Marciano fan....

[bradlee180]

32 year old champ Rocky Marciano announced retirement in 1956.

Sonny Liston turned pro in '53,
was 14 wins and 1 loss(avenged) by '56,
jail and boxing ban mid-'56 to '57,
back to boxing in 1958.

What could have been?

I don't think the Rock would have been prime anymore in 1958 at 34 years old.
In 1956 the Rock had substantial lower back pain which was a major cause for his retirement (in addition to not having any real challengers anymore and no big money fight on the horizon.)

Some points to consider:
The Rock absolutely had the power in his right hand to put out even Sonny Liston if he hit him right on the chin. The Rock could take a helluva shot. The Rock did not get frustrated and kept working at cutting down his more skilled opponents late in the fight. Competitive heart and mentally TOUGH!
Marciano would NOT have been scared of Liston, and intimidation/fear were a big part of Liston's arsenal. There is the Rock's bad back by 1956 though, this for a crouching fighter.

It would've been a great fight.



No way in hell that a young 21 year old Patterson with no chin could have ever beaten a guy like Marciano. Patterson's much better than he's given credit for nowadays, and he's got an impressive highlight reel worth watching for any boxing fan, but there's no way he would have ever beaten Marciano.


Ingemar Johanssen?
I hate to say it especially because the man passed on recently, but heart is the crucial difference between Marciano and Johanssen RE the Olympics.
Marciano had the better chin, better conditioning, more resilient.
Johanssen had a great right hand, "the Hammer of Thor."
Johanssen still touched greatness for a time though, capturing the Greatest-Prize-In-All-Sports at a time when that still really meant something. Johanssen deserves his respect, but he couldn't take Marciano.


Of the three listed, I think Liston is the only real threat to Marciano.
The Rock retired in '56, and I think Liston would've been able to beat Marciano in '58, but I don't think the Rock would've been prime anymore by then.

Now if Liston hadn't gone to jail in '56 and '57, that could've been a great contest (if it was even allowed to happen; Liston may not have been given a shot anyway due to the politics of the time.)

Fantasy matchups are all we're left with.


Marciano wasn't the greatest of heavyweights, but he certainly belongs in the Top 10 All-Time Greats list in 117 years of gloved Heavyweight boxing.




Rocky Marciano TAKES the Title from Jersey Joe Walcott:



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