David Haye vs Rocky Marciano @ 200

IMO surprised at this

Haye who was scared of one of the gay towers would get STEAMROLLED by Rocky!!

 

There are only 2 or 3 fighters in history at 200 lbs or under that I'd pick to beat Marciano. David Haye isn't one of them.

 

Lol

He wouldn't be in my most likely out of 50

 

Which guy did Marciano beat that makes everyone think he's so great?

I'll admit I'm semi-trolling here, but this is a legitimate question.

 

For me, it's more HOW he beat guys

Jersey Joe Walcott and Ezzard Charles were both seriously good cruiserweight fighters when he fought them... both were a little past their very best, but they weren't shot... Archie Moore tends to just get forgotten as a heavyweight (mainly, in my mind, because of the loss to Patterson) but he beat some of the top heavyweights of the day comprehensively and Rocky really beat the daylights out of him, just brutalized him... For me, he's got to be one of the meanest and most relentless fighters ever... he had exceptional strength and determination, he had more tricks up his sleeve than he is typically given credit for, he had a good chin and he hit really hard... I can't envision anyone between 180-200 pounds having an easy time with him... He wasn't a great heavyweight in the post-Liston sense, but he was a great cruiserweight for sure. There was a kind of irrestible force quality about him, he imposed himself on guys.

 

I am porky M and M

 

he beat some legends out there....all of them past their prime though but still good enough to beat all the other younger contenders out there....jersey Joe probably gave a prime performance against Rocky..perhaps Ezzard Charles as well in their first fight...Rocky beat some younger undefeated guys like La Starza who was pretty good

what makes Rocky interesting is that he fought the type of opponents that would give all fighters with his style problems...veteran legendary fighters who know every trick in the book and had good defense...Rocky broke them down

other interesting point is that despite Rocky and his legendary stamina...IMO his training habits were good stamina wise...but poor in regard to his weight....the man should have been packing on some pounds...he was big in the legs but underdeveloped upstairs....he used to avoid eating protein before his fights...was obsessed about being light as fuck before fights...certainly lost some power and strength when in the ring.....these days if Rock were around I would expect him to be a 215 to 220 pound bowling ball of a fighter..IMO of course

 

You can play this game with almost any fighter.

 

Absolutely. Sometimes it seems like Marciano is overrated, and it is hard to imagine him doing particularly well against more recent elite heavyweights, but he is fucking legit - no doubt about it.

As you said, you basically just have to remember he's a cruiserweight.

 

Exactly... To me, against anyone 200 or smaller, Marciano is a beast

 

Rocky glasses that idiot in under six. I think and have always thought the Marciano-Frazier topic was interesting. Joe probably hooks him into submission, but something about Marciano makes you re-think conventional wisdom.

 

You guys make some good points. Still wouldn't bet on Marciano over Haye, though.

I'd bet on Liston, Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Holmes, Tyson, Holyfield, Lewis over Rocky though. Pretty much any lineal/legit hw champ up to the Klitschkos. Though I think he could put on 15-20 lb of muscle in the modern era & make Wald Pussy shit his trunks in the ring.

 

He gives Holyfield hell at 190, I think. May even beat him

 

Holy was stronger & faster, could box or brawl with equal facility in his prime. This would be a good, competitive fight, but it wouldn't be a close one. Only chance Rocky might have is due to Holy being a little green at the weight (imo the best version of Holy wasn't the one from the first Qawi fight, but the one from the Dokes fight, circa '89 or so)

 

I don't think Holy was stronger, personally

Marciano was freakishly strong for his size

 

I don't think Holyfield is stronger than Marciano...Marciano pretty much bossed around every fighter around the ring....I agree with Holy's ability to box and brawl but you can pretty much throw boxing out of the equation for this fight...One thing i always felt and noticed was that you can slow Holy down with bodyshots....Riddick Bowe did that big time...just sucked the energy out of him...Rocky is gonna wear him out IMO....TKO by round 10 in a brutal fight....only way I see Rocky losing is on cuts IMO

 

Whats interesting is that Rocky IMO left is a little late to become heavyweight champ of the world....he started boxing at what age 21? By 28 he was heavyweight champ of the world.....he most def. looked like he was slipping post the ezzard charles fights...against Don Cockell he just appeared to lack a little steam on his punches...i know his back was giving him some problems......anyhow having said that....imagine if Rocky had fought and defeated a young Floyd Patterson...might have changed the way a lot of people look at him today

 

I think folks who have an anti-Rocky agenda would probably say something like "Floyd was green at the time of the Marciano fight".