Quote Originally Posted by nuggetdotcom View Post
Forgive me if I'm wrong, but did Rocky ever fight anyone under 40 for a world title?
LOL! Not many, if any!
Same ole same ole though.
Not too blame for the era he fought in, but here is something to add to it: After Rocky starched Archie Moore, the mongoose went on to fight about 40 more times over 8 years getting stopped by a young Floyd Patterson & Cassius Clay. Around 30 of those he KO/TKO'd his foes.

Could same be said of the LHW division? Maxim had just won over Ray Robinson who quit over dehydration. But the old mongoose got his day by beating that very LHW 17 years into the game- when today's fighters retire!
Yet he held it for 10 years up till 1962 & 1/2 way is when he went to HW, got overwhelmed by a guy he dropped aka Rocky. In other words I see Moore as a worthy competitor whose ring years wasn't a reason to question Rock's win over him.

Rock's 2nd last fight was against a guy around age 28? Don't know much about Don Cockell other than he was the British & or Commonwealth champ. Rock bruised & abused him.

Ezzard was way past his prime, everyone whooped him when Rock did.

Seems the HW division was in shambles? As the old vet Joe Louis vacated the title that was constantly vied for by the 2 old geezers of Charles & Walcott. Charles won it, then Walcott-over any youngins' at the time.
When Rock fought him, it was Jersey who had the lead on 2 score cards. And we know the ending, both guys threw a right, Brockton's got there 1st. Hard to say how much Walcott had faded in his last few fights as that was before my time.

I can only say that no matter the age- Rock threw an insane amount of punches guys in their 20s don't throw. His last fight, @NoSavingByTheBell can tell us; he may have thrown a few hundred punches in the last 2-3 rounds of his career.
Few young guys can stand up to that, so I double down, Rocky in his 20s up to his 30s would have thrashed today's LHWs. He wouldn't have considered HW division cause he'd weigh 183-188lbs.