Marciano-Louis: Right place, right time for Rocky?

[ViperSniper]

We all know Marciano had fought a much older Louis who was eventually knockedout. How would a fight look between the two had they fought in their primes? Would the result be the same or would a younger Joe Louis be too sharp for Marciano?

[and the NEW]

He definitely got Louis at the right time. Louis looked about 80 years old in there.

But Rocky may have always had the style to trouble Louis. Durable, could take the punch and still grind at him. I reckon prime v prime would be mighty close, give me Louis just because of the cleaner, sharper shots, but this would be a war!

[ViperSniper]

Haha well no question he got Louis at the right place, right time but more whether the result would have been different or not, which you seem to think would have been different.

I can also see that, but a Marciano ko victory is still likely. However I see more Louis having much more success keeping Marciano at the end of his jab and right hands, would have the timing and snap on his shots to keep Marciano off. Marciano would have success along the ropes but not often enough.

Marciano could run the risk of getting stopped by cuts but feel he'd have enough savy to go 15 but fall short.

[and the NEW]

Yeah, the old shell Louis survived into the 8th with Marciano, so I can see a prime Louis surviving the distance.

The difficulty for Louis here is that he is not a boxer mover. He shuffles more with his feet and likes to throw his shots very short. This will allow Marciano to get a lot of time infighting, even without forcing Louis to the ropes. Both guys would leave a part of themselves in the ring in this one.

[Dickagon]

It'd be an easy night for Louis. He'd parry away all of Marciano's jabs and would be able to counter him pretty easily.

[blackbelt2003]

I think their respective battles with Walcott shows how close these two are...although Louis was even past his prime in those two fights.



Black

[and the NEW]

Almost impossible to make a comparison based on one fighter, you know that Black. If you were going to do that, why didn't you add in that Ezzard Charles took out Louis whilst Marciano took him out. Granted, Marciano got to both Ezzard and Walcott at the very end of their careers, while he was still in his prime.

[Warlord]

(01-12-2017 05:38 AM)Dickagon Wrote:  It'd be an easy night for Louis. He'd parry away all of Marciano's jabs and would be able to counter him pretty easily.

What jabs? LOL. Rocky's best weapons were his left hook and phantom overhead right. Joe didn't get caught with those because he was old. He got caught with them because he never saw them coming.

Joe kept his left low with short fighters like Rocky because he thought (knew) they couldn't reach him. The problem is that Rocky had a masterful overhead right that Joe was open to already.

Rocky used it to brutal effect throughout his career. Joe may have lasted longer in his prime, but I still don't feel confident that he would last the full 15. Rocky was just a terrible stylistic match-up for him.



The funniest thing is that the best example of this punch I saw in recent times was in MMA, not boxing. Dan Henderson used the phantom overhead punch to absolutely brutal effect in his career.



I won't explain the mechanics, because I'm sure most of you know them already, but watch Dan position his feet perfectly, look at Mike's body and throw the punch as if going to the body, Mike's left hand drops, Dan changes the trajectory and drops the H-bomb. Just a perfect example of the kind of punch Marciano threw better than anybody in the history of the sport.

People that think Rocky was just a caveman have no clue as to the subtleties of his game. The man was a master in his own way, and a devastating puncher.

[and the NEW]

Man, the only time I have seen the stars was after being hit with that overhand right. The trouble is, the guy leans right and you think the right is coming, but it is slightly delayed as they crouch and then it comes from nowhere. I was hit by a guy who didn't have exceptional power with that, and never felt so woozy in all my boxing days.

[Dickagon]

Marciano had a good jab but wasn't consistent with it.

Marciano fought so sloppy against Louis. An old, bald washed up man with TBIs was catching him, avoiding shots and eating some of the best punches Rock could land. Imagine an old bald Marciano vs the heavyweights that came after him and him being judged by the last fight of a 17 year long career. Stylistically a prime Louis was a bad match up for Marciano. He'd be eating counters all night.