Rainy Day Boxing brings you a compilation of various boxing legends taking about the great Rocky Marciano, with some motivational highlights and footage thrown in there.
Hearing these guys talk to and about each other in those days... With respect and admiration. Conducting themselves with poise and dignity. Seeing Walcott and Marciano talk to each other like that... It really stands in a stark contrast to a lot of the dumb shit we see in the modern era.
According to Marciano himself, Muhammad Ali would have won. Rocky said three boxers in his lifetime were a bridge too far for him, a young Joe Louis, Sonny Liston, and Ali. Louis for hand speed and power, Ali for pure speed, and Liston for technical excellence and pure brute strength. --by Mike Stanton and Fight City Rocky Marciano said of Liston: “He isn't faking his toughness, and his strength is just something you got to see, and that jab, he can knock a man out with the jab!" When asked how he would have fought him, the Rock shook his head and said “I’d have done my best, but Lord God he is strong…” Joe Louis said in Gods of War: "It didn’t matter what stance Sonny fought from, he was the best I ever saw.” Muhammad Ali said in "The Greatest": "with George I had to let him hit me, with Sonny I had to keep him from hitting me!” Nino Valdes, as he lay dying from cancer, drugged heavily with morphine, was asked by his family if it hurt, and said: “Not as bad as getting hit by Sonny Liston!" Sonny Liston v. Wayne Bethea Aug 1958 -- Referee stops the fight upon discovering many of Bethea's teeth in his mouthpiece. Bethea said after being stopped by Liston: “He must have hit me with a horseshoe in his glove!" Liston hit Bethea and knocked out 7 of his teeth, broke 9 more for 16 lost teeth from one blow! Zora Folley, then #1 contender for the heavyweight title said when Liston hit him: “The lights went out, when I woke up I asked Sonny what happened and he said 'I hit you" Jonathan Eig wrote of Sonny in Ali: A Life: “Liston does not merely defeat his opponents. He breaks them, shames them, haunts them, leaves them flinching from his punches in their dreams." "When Sonny was forced to throw the Ali rematch, his reputation and legacy went down with him. A predominantly white, racist media always feared and hated Liston, and were only too happy to humiliate him after that bout, and forget about him almost entirely after he died." -- author Paul Gallender The story of Liston winning the title from Patterson, memorizing a thank-you speech to deliver when he arrived back home (memorized because he couldn’t read) and then realizing nobody was waiting for him at the airport, and how crushed he was... fuckin' sad, man. Sonny was born into a family that couldn't afford for him to go to school, and when the family mule died, his father hitched his 9 year old son to the plow. Why? Simply the history of kids working on the farm. However the story would seem to accentuate the point of how strong Liston was. He grew up with a father that eventually disappeared and a mother who was on and off drugs. He use to hang out in abandoned houses and hide from other people. By the time he was twelve he had been arrested for street robberies and burglary around Brooklyn. He was rescued out of a orphanage/ boys home for juvenile offenders by Cus D’Amato not because he was a shining knight but he could make money off his athletic talent. Liston was a different breed; what a specimen.
"Of all the men I fought in boxing, Sonny Liston was the scariest." -- Muhammad Ali "He's the meanest fighter that ever lived. No one's more intimidating. Not even myself." -- Mike Tyson "Liston compares favorably with any of the heavyweights of the past. Any of them. When somebody asks me, How does Liston compare with Joe Louis?' I have to stop and think. So you know how good a fighter Liston is." -- Cus D'Amato "Sonny Liston stood up to me and actually made me give ground. No one has ever done that to me before or since." -- George Foreman "Possibly the greatest left jab in the history of the heavyweight division. That left jab could go through brick walls." -- Bert Sugar "I boxed heavyweights for four years till I realized Sonny Liston wasn't my cup of tea. When I saw him come on the scene, I said I'm going to get back down where I belong." -- Willie Pastrano "When you got hit by Sonny Liston's jab, it felt like you were getting hit with a telephone pole." -- Ray Schoeninger "Nobody hit those bags like Sonny. He tore bags up. He could turn that hook, put everything behind it. Turn and snap. Bam! Why, he could knock you across the room with a jab. I saw him knock guys out with a straight jab. Bam! In the ring, Sonny was a killing machine." -- Johnny Tacco "Liston could scowl as hard as any man in or out of the ring. And, of course, he invented the big stare." -- Joe Louis "When Sonny gave you the evil eye - I don't care who you were - you shrunk to two feet tall. And one thing more; he could fight like hell. They forget it now, but when Liston was champ, some people thought he was the greatest heavyweight of all time." -- Harold Conrad "Liston was the biggest puncher I ever fought." -- Chuck Wepner "If you got hit with the right hand, you wouldn't get up." -- Floyd Patterson Liston was the most powerful intimidating Heavyweight ever. He never gets enough credit bcz of the two Ali fights which were dubious to say the least. Ali was seen as the bright new future and Sonny was forced to step aside, then found dead in really suspicious circumstances when he might "talk" about the deceit. His life story is better than any fiction novel, he deserves more respect than he gets. Before the first Clay fight Joe Louis told Sonny that he was going to bet on him. *"Joe, save your money,"* Sonny said... (Sonny obviously knew what was gonna happen) (It's in Liston's biography).
From the book 'The Real Story Behind the Ali-Liston Fights' -- "'During the first Liston-Ali fight at the Convention Hall in Miami Beach on February 25, 1964, Sonny had a bad left shoulder. He had gone to see Joe Louis' doctor who treated him for bursitis, but there wasn't enough time for the treatment to work. Sonny was around 45 years old at the time which was a well kept secret. His oldest sister wrote he was born 1919 a year after the Great War. He asked the Florida Boxing Commission for a postponement of the fight. He was turned down and fought the six rounds with the damaged left shoulder, which he completely tore up during the fight."' "'In the second fight at St. Dominic’s Hall in Lewiston, Maine, on May 25, 1965 a really bizarre situation developed. According to Gallender, Malcolm X's people had a hit out on Ali (Ali sided with the rival Elijah Muhammad). Elijah's Black Muslims kidnapped Liston's wife and son. Sonny was told to lose the fight to Ali or he would never see his family again! The fight lasted one round with Liston going down from the famous 'Phantom Punch'."' Argh. This incompetent SOB of a referee. *Ali never went to a neutral corner, only then can the count begin.* Worst decision of all time. Obviously Liston's age (20yrs older than Ali) wasn't enough to secure Ali a win. Liston's kids had to be kidnapped by Ali's friends (Nation of Islam). ( Ali undoubtedly won both fights. *It's just nice to understand why and how they were predetermined illegitimate wins* )
From the book 'The Real Story Behind the Ali-Liston Fights' -- "'During the first Liston-Ali fight at the Convention Hall in Miami Beach on February 25, 1964, Sonny had a bad left shoulder. He had gone to see Joe Louis' doctor who treated him for bursitis, but there wasn't enough time for the treatment to work. Sonny was around 45 years old at the time which was a well kept secret. His oldest sister wrote he was born 1919 a year after the Great War. He asked the Florida Boxing Commission for a postponement of the fight. He was turned down and fought the six rounds with the damaged left shoulder, which he completely tore up during the fight."' "'In the second fight at St. Dominic’s Hall in Lewiston, Maine, on May 25, 1965 a really bizarre situation developed. According to Gallender, Elijah Muhammad's Black Muslims kidnapped Liston's wife and son. Sonny was told to lose the fight to Ali or he would never see his family again! The fight lasted one round with Liston going down from the famous 'Phantom Punch'."'
He surely was the most hard working boxer ever with ali , tyson and holyfield and his hardwork even made his physical attributes shine more but I still won't say he wasn't genetically gifted. He's the hardest hitting heavyweight ever after probably the bronze bomber 💣
@@PowerBattles joe louis himself said that he hits the hardest Rocky broke ali in a sparring Not tyson fury but deontay wilder hits Harder for sure but that's it. No one else than him.
he is the odd case of being the favorite yet underdog at the same time. Never lost yet statistically so disadvantaged: short reach, short height, small fists, clumsy footwork. Just pure heart and willpower. The fact that he was so sickly as an infant that the doctor said it was up to his fighting spirit if he is gonna survive. Man was born to defy the odds.
@@wambokodavid7109oh give me a fcking break!!!! that's just racist freaking stupidity!!! Rocky was doing shit inside there you can't understand!!! His style absolutely smothered his opponents reach and jab making them obsolete and taking away most of his opponents main weapons. His style absolutely maximized his advantages and and made him hard to hit!!! He controlled the ring and head movement. Francis didn't land 6 punches the last two rounds while rocky landed more than 80 POWER SHOTS PER ROUND AND usually over 100! He destroyed 4 all time greats! He destroyed everyone in his division who had claim to the title including the British champion who had beaten two former American champions. Ezzard Charles was the holyfield of his day and while rocky walked around at 200 lbs he learned from ezzard Charles to chew his food and spit it out because those guys already hit hard and needed stamina and endurance to fight like that! This is the generation that Crossed over with Ali and trained Ali and Foreman but you freaking think you're better or got something to say? Just STFU.
@@Stout_Krout_Bullyboylet's hear about Sonny liston you racist troll? Rocky didn't like gay people so what that's his problem and he also served by boxing in the Army
What? So Foreman didn't fight with complete Chaos? Was Foreman intentionally trying to lose against Ali? So Manny Pacquiao wasn't unyielding? Usyk wasn't unyielding? Beterbiev wasn't unyielding? Rocky was no better than the other champion.
@@GG-jm6kk So little 185 lb Rocky with tiny reach only goes the distance (15-rds) *ONE* time during his extremely short career and u base all his greatness on that *ONE* little tiny accomplishment? Yet u say I'm the "butter cup" lmfao hahahaha 😆
1946 *(Rocky's amateur bouts)* 1. April 15, 1946 Henry Lester *(L-DQ3)* 2. August 23, Frederic L. Ross KO-1 3. August 23, Richard Jarvis KO-1 4. August 23, Joe DeAngelis *(Loss-3)* 1947 5. January 17, Jim Connolly KO 1 6. Jan 17, Bob Girard *(Loss-3)* *1947-03-17 Professional Lee Epperson fights Amateur Rocky Mack aka Rocky Marciano. Then Rocky goes back to the amateurs Jan, Feb, March 1948.* 1948 *(Rocky's back to amateur bouts)* 7. Jan 26, Joe Sidlaskis KO-1 8. February Charlie Mortimer KO-3 9. February George McInnis TKO-1 10. March 1, Coley Wallace *(Loss-3)* 11. March Fred Fischera KO 12. March George McGinnis W-3 *1948-07-12 Professional Harry Bilazarian fights Rocky Marciano. Don Cuoco & Don Cogswell just started legal proceedings to remove the Rocky Mack fight vs. Lee Epperson bcz once Professional you cannot go back to the amateurs.* Louis Bravely fought *(17)* years...........Rocky only *(7)* years Walcott Bravely fought *(23)* years.......Rocky only *(7)* years Charles Bravely fought *(20)* years.......Rocky only *(7)* years Moore Bravely fought *(27)* years.........Rocky only *(7)* years Savold Bravely fought *(19)* years........Rocky only *(7)* years Matthews Bravely fought *(19)* years...Rocky only *(7)* years LaStarza Bravely fought *(14)* years.....Rocky only *(7)* years Cockell Bravely fought *(10)* years.......Rocky only *(7)* years Lowry Bravely fought *(16)* years.........Rocky only *(7)* years
*Combined Walcott Charles Moore Louis already had 431 fights before they fought Rocky. Add the 96 fights Louis had during his 4 year military service, that's 527 fights not to mention Walcott and Louis retired for 6½ years. Those four were already ring worn and washed. Anyone that says otherwise is biased.*
@@Studentofsweetscience_ALB_NY Liston should be ranked very high among heavyweight champions as one of the greatest. I feel I always honor him by my jumping rope to the James Brown song "Night Train".
According to Marciano himself, Muhammad Ali would have won. Rocky said three boxers in his lifetime were a bridge too far for him, a young Joe Louis, Sonny Liston, and Ali. Louis for hand speed and power, Ali for pure speed, and Liston for technical excellence and pure brute strength. --by Mike Stanton and Fight City Rocky Marciano said of Liston: “He isn't faking his toughness, and his strength is just something you got to see, and that jab, he can knock a man out with the jab!" When asked how he would have fought him, the Rock shook his head and said “I’d have done my best, but Lord God he is strong…” Joe Louis said in Gods of War: "It didn’t matter what stance Sonny fought from, he was the best I ever saw.” Muhammad Ali said in "The Greatest": "with George I had to let him hit me, with Sonny I had to keep him from hitting me!” Nino Valdes, as he lay dying from cancer, drugged heavily with morphine, was asked by his family if it hurt, and said: “Not as bad as getting hit by Sonny Liston!" Sonny Liston v. Wayne Bethea Aug 1958 -- Referee stops the fight upon discovering many of Bethea's teeth in his mouthpiece. Bethea said after being stopped by Liston: “He must have hit me with a horseshoe in his glove!" Liston hit Bethea and knocked out 7 of his teeth, broke 9 more for 16 lost teeth from one blow! Zora Folley, then #1 contender for the heavyweight title said when Liston hit him: “The lights went out, when I woke up I asked Sonny what happened and he said 'I hit you" Jonathan Eig wrote of Sonny in Ali: A Life: “Liston does not merely defeat his opponents. He breaks them, shames them, haunts them, leaves them flinching from his punches in their dreams." "When Sonny was forced to throw the Ali rematch, his reputation and legacy went down with him. A predominantly white, racist media always feared and hated Liston, and were only too happy to humiliate him after that bout, and forget about him almost entirely after he died." -- author Paul Gallender The story of Liston winning the title from Patterson, memorizing a thank-you speech to deliver when he arrived back home (memorized because he couldn’t read) and then realizing nobody was waiting for him at the airport, and how crushed he was... fuckin' sad, man. Sonny was born into a family that couldn't afford for him to go to school, and when the family mule died, his father hitched his 9 year old son to the plow. Why? Simply the history of kids working on the farm. However the story would seem to accentuate the point of how strong Liston was. He grew up with a father that eventually disappeared and a mother who was on and off drugs. He use to hang out in abandoned houses and hide from other people. By the time he was twelve he had been arrested for street robberies and burglary around Brooklyn. He was rescued out of a orphanage/ boys home for juvenile offenders by Cus D’Amato not because he was a shining knight but he could make money off his athletic talent. Liston was a different breed; what a specimen.
"Of all the men I fought in boxing, Sonny Liston was the scariest." -- Muhammad Ali "He's the meanest fighter that ever lived. No one's more intimidating. Not even myself." -- Mike Tyson "Liston compares favorably with any of the heavyweights of the past. Any of them. When somebody asks me, How does Liston compare with Joe Louis?' I have to stop and think. So you know how good a fighter Liston is." -- Cus D'Amato "Sonny Liston stood up to me and actually made me give ground. No one has ever done that to me before or since." -- George Foreman "Possibly the greatest left jab in the history of the heavyweight division. That left jab could go through brick walls." -- Bert Sugar "I boxed heavyweights for four years till I realized Sonny Liston wasn't my cup of tea. When I saw him come on the scene, I said I'm going to get back down where I belong." -- Willie Pastrano "When you got hit by Sonny Liston's jab, it felt like you were getting hit with a telephone pole." -- Ray Schoeninger "Nobody hit those bags like Sonny. He tore bags up. He could turn that hook, put everything behind it. Turn and snap. Bam! Why, he could knock you across the room with a jab. I saw him knock guys out with a straight jab. Bam! In the ring, Sonny was a killing machine." -- Johnny Tacco "Liston could scowl as hard as any man in or out of the ring. And, of course, he invented the big stare." -- Joe Louis "When Sonny gave you the evil eye - I don't care who you were - you shrunk to two feet tall. And one thing more; he could fight like hell. They forget it now, but when Liston was champ, some people thought he was the greatest heavyweight of all time." -- Harold Conrad "Liston was the biggest puncher I ever fought." -- Chuck Wepner "If you got hit with the right hand, you wouldn't get up." -- Floyd Patterson Liston was the most powerful intimidating Heavyweight ever. He never gets enough credit bcz of the two Ali fights which were dubious to say the least. Ali was seen as the bright new future and Sonny was forced to step aside, then found dead in really suspicious circumstances when he might "talk" about the deceit. His life story is better than any fiction novel, he deserves more respect than he gets. Before the first Clay fight Joe Louis told Sonny that he was going to bet on him. *"Joe, save your money,"* Sonny said... (Sonny obviously knew what was gonna happen) (It's in Liston's biography).
Anyone who says he didn't have technique look at his knock out of Jesery Joe Wallcott and that was in the 13th round as well and he times that punch perfectly one of the best knockouts in world history
Best conditioned Heavyweight boxer of all time he would work up to running 15 miles so over a half marathon every single day in training. Modern heavyweights run 3 to 6 miles 3/4 times a week! People call him small I'm suprised he weighed so much with that cardio
Just a simple and honest question. How the hell do you know Modern Heavyweights only run 3 to 6 miles only 3 or 4 times per week? U don't!!! U don't have a clue who runs what and when!!!
Also Heavyweight was only 175 lbs back then so Rocky definitely does not represent all Heavyweight categories and Super Heavyweight categories. The average Heavyweight today weighs 250 similar to Joshua and Parker. Zhang weighs 285,, Rocky 184.
Take note that Joe Louis, Jersey Joe Walcott, and Archie Moore NEVER said they could have taken Rocky out IF they had fought Rocky earlier in their careers when they were younger!! Respect.
@@kartzstormstool861You a clown. Ali himself respected Marciano and stated multiple times he would have been his toughest opponent if they fought, saying it could go either way. Who are you to casually dismiss his abilities and assessment ? No one. Sit back down on that couch.
A legend no doubt but miles from the greatest. Would’ve lost crazy lopsided decisions to the likes of Ali and Homes. A prime Louis would’ve walked through him too.
Like Cus D'Amato said, he was a very smart fighter. He used his natural "clumsy" style to make himself harder to hit, to allow himself to get close enough to pound away. You can see ring intelligence by noticing who adapts best throughout the fight. Who is able to take what the other guy is doing and get their own shots in while nullifying their opponent. It wasn't just pure determination, but maybe 70% attitude and 30% style, something like that.
Angelo Dundee alsol said that marciano was far more intelligent in the ring that people realized. he was not always this I hit you you hit me fighter. He knew how to absorb the blows that were thrown, he had defensive skills. My only wondering about Marciano was how would he have fought against really bigger men. The only great boxer he fought was was way heavier than him was Joe Louis, and a past his prmie Louis, but he still did very well if you consdier that Louis was a favorite going into the fight. I cnanot thaink of that Cuban boxers name right now, though last name Valdez. that boxter would have had a 20 pound weight advantage, and might have been tgougher that Lastarza, and most certainly Cockell, who Valdez knocked out. Sonty Liston though would have proablably stopped him.
@@elnick1000Archie Moore had just beaten nino Valdez and he had many losses. Rocky had big opponents but hims , walcott ezzard Charles and Moore basically cleaned them all out. Rockys biggest opponent was 6' 5 259 lbs. Rockys brothers said the bigger ones were easier for him. He picked them apart but had more trouble with faster good fighter alike ezzard Charles and walcott. Rocky was low to the ground and his style absolutely smothered his opponents reach and jab making them obsolete on the inside. Bert Suger said he watched Rocky getting hit ringside against such a big Heavyweight it was lifting both of Rockys feet off the canvas but wasn't fazing him. He also said Rockys right hand punch was the most deadly weapon ever brought into the square circle.
@@elnick1000 It would have gone one of two ways. If we bring a prime Rocky to 2024 with his 1952 body size, he would not be a heavyweight. He would fight one weight below HW. OR, by bringing him to 2024 and giving him a lifetime of the best training, the best nutrition, the best medical technology, the best equipment (ie, shoes), etc., he very well may have been a couple inches taller and 20 lb heavier, which would make him a small heavyweight in this generation. We'll never really know. As it has been said, he could only fight the men they put in front of him, and he did do that. He never ducked any fighter. He had no fear in the ring.
@@ScottHendrix-yz3du Regarding Valdez, he had won a split decision over Charles, but Charles go the title fight. Valdez had been number one contender by Ring Magzine for two years. Also, sad no footagle of the fight availalbe, when he lost the second time to Moore, Valdez had felt he was robbed. I think Marciano would have beaten Valdez, but it would have been tough, and not as easy as when he beat Cockell, who Valdez would defeat by KO in Britain.
@@Stout_Krout_blackdavidfrost ANd by the way, Bennie Freynolds got beat up by Robert Mitchum apparently. Also felt that Marciano should have fought Nino Valdez. He was number one contender for nearly two yrs by Ring Magazine, asnd would have outweighted Rock by 20 pounds. That would have been good on his resume. HIs win over Louis though can not really be discounted. While certainly not the boxer of 10 years previously, he was still formidable, and was actaully a favorite going into the fight.
Marciano's 3rd fight against 175 lb Eddie Ross's career 19 wins 5 losses looks okay until you see *he fought 10 debuting amateurs and 7 other opponents with 10 fights or less.*
Determination. It's not what makes a strong fighter, or man, or woman, but a strong person. Being able to see yourself candidly and surpass the limits that you're told you have. Do your best, for you, and you'll surprise even yourself.
Keep in mind when he won the boxing world title he had only put on gloves 6 years prior. It would be the equalivant of Jake Paul right now fighting Usyk or Fury and knocking them out cold with one of the best punches ever thrown in boxing history
No boxer in the history ever had anywhere as much stamina as Rocky, who always threw power punches with full force until the last round, and never let his opponents breathe! Rocky was so terrifyingly tough, he immediately got up after taking a perfectly timed punch from the legendary Archie Moore who said himself it was as hard as he ever hit anyone in his career and looked like nothing happened to him at all. Marciano hit so hard, that when researchers from the millitary tested his explosive energy, they discovered that it was comparable to a piercing bullet. Rocky's spectactular trainer Charley Goldman developed his brilliant style in which he always stayed very low and hard to hit well if at all. THIS is how unstoppable Rocky Marciano was
This came from Rocky’s determination in his heart, his cardio was so good because he endured grueling long runs and training sessions, he was determined to live a consistent life of dedication to the sport of boxing for his entire career, no booze, no women, no parties, just pure hard work every day of the year.
I totally disagree with people who say that Rocky did not have good foot work and skills. That’s the legend, but it doesn’t really make any sense. Think about the fact that this guy had extremely short arms, and yet somehow always managed to get inside, even with elusive fighters. That takes extremely, adept foot work and movement. Also, the way that he used space and cut off the ring in order to create the opportunity for his gazelle punches, you can see that he was not the knuckle dragging lummox that he’s made out to be. He moved extremely well and with great efficiency of energy. He was also an incredibly accurate puncher who had a gift for how to use leverage from every imaginable angle. Very few fighters could be as powerful from so many angular positions and this made him dangerous from every imaginable posture. Most fighters can only throw their really hard stuff from two or three different positions, but Rocky had murderous power from almost any posture.
In the last round of the archie moore fight before Marciano knocked him out he threw 97 punches and landed 67%! His accuracy was amazing modern heavyweights punch stats don't come close.
@@Stout_Krout_blackdavidfrost why are you so butt hurt about Marciano. We've had our discussion on the subject a week ago. The argument can go on and on without a conclusive answer but only theory and speculation with biased thrown in as to who was the greatest boxer, therefore I'm done. Rocky Marciano was the worst ever. There, satisfied? I sure do hope you can now sleep well at night.
It was in the 1970s, I walked into an Irish bar in NYC. It had old and current black and white photos of boxing greats (when bars had boxing photos hung along the walls). One photo caught my eye and I couldn't stop staring at it. It was a photo I never saw before or afterwards and I can never find on the internet, so it must've been from a private collection. It was a photo of Rocky Marciano punching a heavy bag. What impressed me the most was that he looked like he was carved out of granite. I can still remember that photo to this day. It was awesome!!!
Rocky Marciano was in the "holy trinity" of the the greatest boxers of all time with Carlos Monzon and Sugar Ray Robinson. He was also IMO! The greatest conditioned athlete of any athlete in any sport in history if you know how he trained. It was INSANE.
I just want to say that I really really enjoy and appreciate these videos of this format and would definitely welcome more videos of other fighters in the future. It’s very rewarding and beyond interesting to hear the thoughts of his peers on his character and skill set.
Just keep in mind Ali lived till 2016 and there was only one boxer he said he didn't think he could beat. This makes sense as Ali was dropped three times in his career all from a left hook on the inside. Marciano was exceptionally powerful in both arms but his left hooks were brilliant and more powerful than Coopers, Frazier's and sonny Banks. Marciano also was the best conditioned heavyweight of all time, his cardio was off the charts. He also fought in 6oz horsehair and cotton and was only knocked down once in his career and got up before the count of 2, whereas Ali fought in 8oz foam meaning more padding. So Marciano would be able to take a punch in 8oz gloves with ease. Also Ken Norton beat Ali in part by neutralising Ali's jab, the moves Norton was using to do this were the same as what Marciano used to neutralise a jab.
You make valid points however you're overlooking a crucial factor. The fighters he fought weren't really heavyweights, not compared to the physical specimens that came after his era. Marciano would've been the one at a disadvantage, even Joe Frazier would've outsized him bone structure wise. He's lucky to get out when he did, Sonny Liston would've flattened him. 🥊
Also keep in mind ali was fighting his case in supreme court and needed the money offered to him to film around with Marciano. Didnt help that rocky died soon after and ali obviously wouldn't make any fans with negative comments. First quote he had on the computer fight was that the computer was made in Alabama
@@martytdd1606 mm SIZE isn t always what wins in marshal arts Joe Louis beat MAX BEAR ABE SIMON . BUDDY BEAR PRIMO CANAIRA allbig men and Joe was 200 to 205 in his prime ARCHIE MOORE BEAT NINO VALDES you can t prove it
He had an insanely high ko rate, but that makes a lot of people miss the fact that he was also ahead on points for almost every fight even before getting the ko. In fact, Jersey Joe Walcott may have been the only one to have him out-pointed before Rocky reversed his fortune with that one punch in the 13th round. Charles wasn't out-pointing Marciano, but he did manage to be the only person to out-damage him until Rocky got desperate enough to keep increasing his intensity. Rocky was both a power puncher and a volume puncher, in a vastly underappreciated era of defensive wizards in the heavyweight division. His short arms made him dangerous on the inside, and he was deceptively evasive at every rage despite his aggressive style. He'd throw non-stop power shots from bell-to-bell, standing chest-to-chest with you. He'd never let you think, or even let you breathe.
@@albanyorganics3030 Yes indeed, and his back didn't even touch the ropes until the 15th round. Charles and Walcott are both two of the most underrated heavyweight fighters ever. Even more than the great Sonny Liston and Larry Holmes.
Little white 184 lb Marciano had a featherweight arm reach of 67" inches. Imagine penguin🐧arms Rocky trying to fight authentic Super Heavyweights with 50 to 80+ pound weight advantages and 80" to 85" arm reaches? What an embarrassment Rocky would have been today. Sonny Liston's arms were like tree trunks, and his two 15 inch ham-handed fist were made for destruction. He was able to generate incredible bone breaking teeth shattering leverage with his 84" reach. Nobody goes toe to toe with Sonny, not even Big George. Liston would have KO'd Rocky in one round. Little white 184 lb Marciano had a featherweight arm reach of 67" inches. Imagine penguin🐧arms Rocky trying to fight authentic Super Heavyweights with 50 to 80+ pound weight advantages and 80" to 85" arm reaches? What an embarrassment Rocky would have been today. The less said about 254 lb Humphrey Jackson the better. He only had 7 fights as a pro and had found a way to be KO'd by a guy with 1 fight. So this was little white Rocky's so called authentic Heavyweight opponent he faced? Another Typical Undercard C-Level Factually Marciano would bust a payphone clean off the wall just to retrieve his 10 cents even though he had 30K in his pocket. He was half a bubble off plumb. It's in his biographies.
I think because Rocky Marciano's style was so unorthodox that many people saw and still see him as an awkward fighter with powerful punches. When in reality he was a smart fighter who made a style that worked best for him.
What a great video thank you so much. It's sad that so many today don't realise just how amazing he was, 'O he was too small, o he wouldn't be a heavy weight today.' who cares. Listen to these all time greats and hear what they have to say. And as we've just seen with Fury and Usyk, Usyk isn't a big heavyweight, he was a cruiser weight and only has 23 fights to his name. And he's just beaten an all time great, a mountain of a man in Tyson Fury. Boxing is NOT about how big you are. If it is, tell that to Jack Dempsey
He made 6 title defenses and fought lots of unknown tomato cans however he was a so powerful and had a great will and very strong the longer the fight the stronger he got is what they say .
@@kartzstormstool861No he did not. He retired because his manager was taking half his money, and his wife was on him to get out of boxing and spend more time with his family.
Unlimited stamina, Massive punch bigger heart, every possible thing going against him and overcame it all. No i don't think he could compete with the giant modern heavyweights, but he is an all time great who would rule the cruiserweight division. Do NOT let the casuals ans haters tell u he was a simple brawler with no defense. U dont go 49-0 with poor defense that just doesn't happen. Was he unorthodox? Yes was he much more subtle? Yes but he absolutely was a boxer
I think Marciano was a better technical boxer than people give him credit for. The way he set up the right hand that won him the heavyweight championship was a thing of beauty. He backed Jersey Joe into the ropes without even really throwing a punch, he cut off the ring giving Joe only way to get out and that was towards Rocky's best punch his right hand. Rocky throws a couple of low and slow left-hand jabs to measure and close the distance, as well as giving Joe an opening to throw a right hand of his own, but Marciano throws a short right hand before Joe can get his off. KO punch lands, the ref could've counted to 100 and Joe still would've been out. We have a new heavyweight champion of the world. They kind of show it 4:55 but it's cut down a bit.
His fights with Wolcott and Charles are evidence of his greatness. He was like a wrecking ball with arms in the ring. Heart, strength, determination, punching power and non-stop aggression from beginning to end. I don't think Ali or Tyson could have beaten him. Even Ali needed a break in the middle rounds in a long fight. If he got tired with Marciano boom boom out go the lights. I don't think Tyson would fare well with Rocky either.
Well seen as whoever wins Usyk and Fury is most likley going to retire undefeated they will join Marciano as the only heavyweight world champion to do so.
Floyd was a gentleman and a talented heavyweight. But Rocky would have destroyed Patterson. Cus kept Floyd away from Rocky and the belt, soon as Rocky retired Floyd moved up. Cus even admitted this and so did Floyd.
Oh yeah he has whole essays lmao, dont understand people like that. And its always the same phrases too. “Little marciano, overrated, old joe louis… “ he even enjoys using out of context quotes too, makes it seem like he’s smart or something. Reality is, he’s absolutely miserable. Edit: Yep he’s here, Stout Krout & David Frost. He’s using the same profile pictures as other commenters to blend in.
The most hated and underrated heavyweight ever. People say he's too small but forget that david tua , joe frazier and mike tyson were all under 6 feet and were still one of the best heavyweights. He probably would have even bulked for today's standards amd imo could have easily reached around 220 lbs. Marciano may not have that much muscle mass and lifting strength but he for sure has the most impact strength in boxing history after deontay wilder. He has the most stamina , most durability , the greatest granite chin , the most endurance and the heart of a lion. Truly the true and ultimate GOAT 🐐 👊 🥊 could have literally beaten every heavyweight in history even after starting boxing at 23 or 25
I dont see how a cruiserweight who's best scalps are older men and older lightheavweights, who retired before he reached their age, is the most hated when italian americans still call him the greatest in 2024
@@devilface97 he defeated everyone who was put in front of him He could've literally destroyed everyone in boxing history cause of his unmatched physical attributes amd abilities.
Great video! I'm curious though what the original videos look like before the AI remastering (what I assume is going on here), some of them are incredibly distracting-maybe it was even less watchable before the remastering though.
Most lists made by people who knew something...put Rocky Marciano at 4th to 5th on their all time HW lists. Bert Sugar, the GOAT of boxing historians, put Marciano #4 on both of his lists. He had Ali and Joe Louis ahead of Rocky for good reasons. 1. Rocky was nearly Ko'ed by a 40+ yr old Jersey Joe Walcott. Walcott beat that man to a pulp before he got the lucky KO in. 2. Archie Moore gave Rocky a hard fight. It lasted into the middle round, and Archie was also in his 40's. 3. Ezzerd Charles gave Rocky a very hard time, and even went the distance... Charles was about as light as rocky, and was never a true HW. 4. Rocky had trouble with fighters who could move. 5. Ali and Louis were the smartest HW boxers ever. They won every trilogy or rematch the ever fought. If Rocky fought those 2 more than once, he would certainly lose the 2nd and 3rd fights.. even if his style would beat them the first time.
Tell me your black, without actually saying it 😂. You guys love hating on him, its pathetic. How about Usyk and Fury? They crap as well, because they're white?
SIMPLE : ROCKY HIT THE MOST PUNCHES, AND HARDEST BECAUSE HE TRAINED THE HARDEST : PER DAY...10 MILES ROAD WORK...15 ROUNDS OF SPARRING AND 2 HOURS EVERYTHING ELSE...LIKE MEDICINE BALL THROWS...AB WORK...SPEED/HEAVY BAG.🥊
Joe Walcott? Charles? Walcott was better as an old man, look at his record!! And Charles was a year or two away from his best, and same age as Rocky so hardly out of his prime either. Joe Louis is the guy who was generally out of his prime, when he fought Rocky. Forget age, Moore and Walcott were better when they got to their mid to late 30s.
@@OldSchoolBoxing1 not too mention too rocky was pretty much forced to fight Joe Louis by his management because Louis was having financial difficulties and Marciano's management was like we invested enough money in to you, your going to re pay the favor kind of thing
@@OldSchoolBoxing1, what about them? None of them are top 10 all time heavyweights. Rocky is a great champion. But it is hard to rank him because he never fought another great champion in that fighter's prime.
Ted Lowry that went the distance twice against Rocky? Roland LaStara went the distance also. From what I read everyone that was ringside said both Lowry and LaStarza were robbed in their first fights against Rocky.
Ike Ibeabuchi vs. David Tua threw 91 punches in round one according to CompuBox, 91 again in round two, and 95 in round three, obscene numbers for a Heavyweight. By the final bell, Ibeabuchi and Tua had combined to throw 1,730 punches, breaking the Heavyweight record set by Ali vs. Frazier III, when they combined for 1,591 punches - in 14 rounds, two rounds more than Ibeabuchi and Tua had to work with. Ike threw 975 punches, the most ever by a single Heavyweight. Both fighters had a brawling fight style, they were both 24 years old at the time of this epic battle and they were both undefeated going in to this fight. 226 lb Tua's record stood at 27-0 23 KO's while 236 lb Ibeabuchi's record stood at 16-0 12 KO's. This fight is the stuff that dreams were made of. Two Super Heavyweight warriors stood toe to toe exhibiting exceptional heart and endurance. Both boxers threw bombs and neither took a backward step. 21 months later, 245 lb Ibeabuchi confirmed that he was indeed the best up and coming Super Heavyweight on the planet by knocking out undefeated 26-0 quick and slick southpaw Chris Byrd. Ibeabuchi was now 20-0 with 15 KO's and only 26 years old. (Byrd would later become two-time Heavyweight champion.) No Heavyweight of his generation possessed more ability. He was a prodigy. He had amazing power. He had fierce determination and he had no fear of anybody, and he believed that he was the King, that nobody could beat him. He’d walk into the ring and you would almost have this vision of a bull coming at a matador with the steam coming out of the nostrils.
He was one of the best considering he was not a very big heavyweight but let’s be honest he chose his opponents carefully, he fought Jersey Joe Walcott who was over the hill(38), Ezzard Charles who was a jumped up light heavyweight and Don Cockell a jumped up British light heavyweight nobody remember’s and Archie Moore a jumped up middleweight who was 42. Just saying. I mean how would he fare against giants like foreman, klitchko , fury etc?
The K bros fighting Marciano Is as much as a mismatch as the K bros fighting someone like Canelo. It's complete nonsense to think that he is capable of laying gloves on wladimir and get past his high guard.
Frankie u r right if he fought ezzard Charles two years earlier Charles would have beat him Charles lasted 15 rounds with supposedly the greatest puncher of all times. Charles health was deteriating still took everything rocky threw. Liston foreman Tyson would have killed rocky
The real rocky as opposed to the reel rocky😅 just kidding nothing less than respect for Stallone. The cinematic franchise that he started is one of the most successful of all time. As for Marciano? I believe that he could've knocked out a young Ali.
No question… the legends were great ! But here’s the secret .: when a new upcoming fighter hits the scene from Dempsey to Tyson ; they’re new fresh undamaged . So they beat all the contenders around . They last 5 years … then strangely get beaten by a moderate opponent. Like a Douglas or a spinks . Why is mayweather the exception? 1. Floyd learned he only has to defend against losing! Ie he stopped winning but never lost . Fighting from within an invisible cage . 2. Floyd turned into a businessman, thus money mayweather . Which champion identified with that ? The brown bomber ? Iron Mike? Lennox the lion ? Nooo .. the Easton assassin? The Bronx ( raging ) bull ? The Manasseh mauler . Ad infinitum … a pimp or promoter or manager carries such a label . Not a fighter . But hey - gotta respect the man . He’s sitting on top of a mountain of cash ! ❤😊
