Marciano: Protected or Avoided?

[TheTeddyBear]

Hey guys, I'm up at 3am and bored so naturally I'm questioning the world.

Was Rocky Marciano heavily protected at end? There are some fights that could've been made but weren't that make me question his validity. Of course I wasn't around back then nor were any of you but do you think he was avoided and some matches were just missed or do you think his people steered him away from dangerous up and comers?

He retired at 32 years old in 1955, at that time the following were on the come up all with double digit wins and 0 or 1 loss.

Floyd Patterson(whom I think was intentionally avoided)

Igemar Johansson (a fight Rocky thought about taking after he beat Patterson but was too far out of shape after 4 years of non training. Rocky easily could've given him a title shot as Igemar was 16 or 17 and 0 at the time of rocks retirement.

Zora Folley (had a great record at the time of Rockys reign)

Sonny Liston was 13-0 at the time of rocks retirement and had Rocky fought to the age of 35, just 3 more years Sonny would've been top 10 in the world and likely a mandatory.


If Rocky stays active and fights until age 37 like most modern day heavyweights this is what the top 10 in 1960 looks like.

Floyd Patterson, Champion

1Sonny Liston 2Eddie Machen 3Zora Folley 4Alejandro Lavorante 5Robert Cleroux 6Ingemar Johansson 7Cleveland Williams 8Henry Cooper 9Cassius Clay 10George Logan.

Was Rockys departure necessary to keep him the golden boy of the white heavyweights and revered for years to come or would he have survived with a perfect record still fighting to age 40?

He got out right when what I consider the golden age of heavyweights was picking up. If he fights until age 40 that would've put him active until 1963 which there would've been some ridiculous fight opportunities along the way.

[ViperSniper]

Rocky Marciano is an interesting fighter to breakdown. I've always felt the thing that held Marciano back from other ATG'S is all his best wins came against guys out of their prime. Not to say that these guys weren't credible opponents nor good wins. However, when comparing his best wins to other HW greats wins, then they start falling short to fighters who had wins over fighters closer to their prime days.

By saying that, he does have that famous undefeated 49-0 record which holds more weight than other undefeated records held by other fighters. He fought against many greats & proved he was no hypejob by either getting into some tough fights, against top fighters or winning in fashion.


Rocky may have had a slight idea but sure he would not have been able to tell who was gonna be what out of the next generation but I feel Floyd Patterson was the most realistic fighter Marciano could have taken..then Johansson when he caused the upset against Floyd.

Had Rocky Marciano fought up until 35-37 then how'd you see his career unfolding instead Teddy?

[Warlord]

I'm on vacation now, so not a lot of time, but I've posted several times now about this issue.

1.) Rocky wasn't protected. Who should he have fought that he didn't?

2.) If you look at the guys Rock fought, and when he fought them, his comp record is far better than he is given credit for. I don't remember the exact number, but in his run up to the title, and during his entire title reign, Rocky never fought anyone ranked lower than #2 by Ring magazine.

3.) Which ATG heavyweights fought and beat better competition? Not Dempsey, Louis, Frazier, Tyson, Holmes, or Vitali.

[TheTeddyBear]

WAR the main point of the post is why did he retire at 32? With only 49 fights when that era it was almost normal to have 100+ fights? He left right as some serious contenders were coming in. He thought about a comeback after being out 4 years but decided against it why not have just stayed active? We could've seen him against Cleveland Williams, Floyd Patterson, Sonny Liston, Hell maybe even a young Clay had his punch carried him that long! I just find it strange he called it quits so young with so much momentum.

[blackbelt2003]

32 in the 1950's is a bit like 38 (or even older) in the modern era.

However, I do think Rock got out at the right time, legacy wise. Another year or two of activity may have put an L on his record. Rocky trained and fought with massive intensity...the sheer effort and will he out into everything meant he wasn't going to have a long career like Walcott or Charles.


Black

[ViperSniper]

Rocky says here it was due to a promise he made to his wife..

[Dickagon]

I think he retired on top after fighting the best availabe. He retired to enjoy the rest of his life and his earnings from being the hw champ. Boxing is just filled with greats that had to keep fighting to make money, we're used to seeing a man fight until he's a shell of himself

Beating Louis was a hard fight for him. If I remember correctly he cried after the fight. Louis was a living legend. I don't think he wanted to be in Louis's shoes for another win on his record or another paycheck.