Joe Louis vs Rocky Marciano, prime and prime.....

[yancey]

What happens?

[Robinson]

A good grueling fight. I see Louis winning. Louis is wobbled and maybe
floored. He is up quick.

Marciano is bloody and spends alot of time eating alot of hard shots
jabs, combinations and counters. He does his best to trap Louis, but
can never nail him down long enough.

A good fight that see's the end. Though depending on the ref and
ring side Dr. As Marciano's cuts can see some stopping the fight and
awarding the TKO win to Louis.

[Goodnight, Irene]

Superior handspeed, reflexes, versatility, reach, precision, combinations, finishing ability, & comparable hitting power.

What do you think happens!? Marciano gets absolutely annihilated in eight rounds. TKO.

[giacomino]

I think it's a more difficult fight than some would imagine. A lot of people seem to take Marciano lightly in hindsight, despite his 49-0 record. Louis was superior in most every category, but Marciano was amazingly strong for his size and had tremendous stamina and will-power. Marciano in his prime would be one of the best fighters Louis ever fought. I think Louis gets the nod, but he takes some big shots and wins with a late stoppage on cuts or a UD.

[Klee Gluckman]

Based on what I have seen on video. Ill go with Joe but Marciano was never beaten and is a live underdog.

[allworld80]

Superior handspeed, reflexes, versatility, reach, precision, combinations, finishing ability, & comparable hitting power.

What do you think happens!? Marciano gets absolutely annihilated in eight rounds. TKO.

X 2

[Djanders]

I think Joe would win it, but it wouldn't be easy...in my opinion.

[raylawpc]

I don't know who would win. But I do know that Louis had two of his toughest fights against guys who fought effectively out of a crouch: Galento and Godoy (I). (When Galento got clipped, it was when he abandoned the crouch.) With the possible exception of Jeffries, nobody used the crouch more effectively than Marciano.

Louis, however, was at his destructive best in rematch situations. Maybe Marciano wins the first fight and Louis wins the rematch?

[Goodnight, Irene]

Louis had one of his toughest fights against Galento?

Must've been a secret re-match I've never seen. I have the fight. He was rarely troubled.

[yancey]

Louis had one of his toughest fights against Galento?

Must've been a secret re-match I've never seen. I have the fight. He was rarely troubled.

"rarely troubled"

Except for when he got knocked on his ass.

[raylawpc]

Louis had one of his toughest fights against Galento?

Must've been a secret re-match I've never seen. I have the fight. He was rarely troubled.

"rarely troubled"

Except for when he got knocked on his ass.

[Goodnight, Irene]

...& you're other instances where Louis was troubled, outside of a measly flash knockdown, would be?

Sorry, but one knockdown (flash or otherwise) in a fight you win inside of four rounds, leaving him absolutely decimated & helpless against the ropes doesn't equate to, "one of his career-toughest" fights.

You guys can point to that knockdown all you want, & I don't blame you --- it's the only thing which marrs Louis' performance that night. Now, Yancey, tell me all about how Holmes, in his rematch with Shavers, had, "one of the toughest nights of his career." Don't leave out Ali's eternal struggle with Wepner, while you're at it.

"Rarely troubled...except for when he got knocked on his ass."

Though the above sentiment is plainly wrong, the statement is spot-on --- ergo, my point stands. One quick knockdown does not big trouble make.

[raylawpc]

...& you're other instances where Louis was troubled, outside of a measly flash knockdown, would be?

Sorry, but one knockdown (flash or otherwise) in a fight you win inside of four rounds, leaving him absolutely decimated & helpless against the ropes doesn't equate to, "one of his career-toughest" fights.

You guys can point to that knockdown all you want, & I don't blame you --- it's the only thing which marrs Louis' performance that night. Now, Yancey, tell me all about how Holmes, in his rematch with Shavers, had, "one of the toughest nights of his career." Don't leave out Ali's eternal struggle with Wepner, while you're at it.

"Rarely troubled...except for when he got knocked on his ass."

Though the above sentiment is plainly wrong, the statement is spot-on --- ergo, my point stands. One quick knockdown does not big trouble make.

It was a tough fight because

(a) Louis said it was.

(b) Galento rocked Louis at least twice in the first round; and

(c) Galento knocked Louis to the canvas.

But my point was how opponents who operated out of a crouch could trouble Louis. Godoy, of course, went the limit. But if you look at the Galento film, you'll see that Galento was effective in landing and defending when he used the crouch. He got blitzed when he stood straight up and traded with Louis.

My point was that fighters could use a crouch effectively against Louis - and no heavyweight fought more effectively from a crouch than Rocky.

[Goodnight, Irene]

No mention of the angles & footwork Louis used to completely annihilate (his own mother wouldn't have recognised him --- perhaps literally) Godoy in the return?

One cancels the other out.

[tennessee]

rocky losing every round before dropping the brown bomber with a short right for the full count around the 13th rd.

[raylawpc]

No mention of the angles & footwork Louis used to completely annihilate (his own mother wouldn't have recognised him --- perhaps literally) Godoy in the return?

One cancels the other out.

What part of "Louis . . . was at his destructive best in rematch situations," did you not understand?

Did I not posit above that, even if Marciano won the first bout, Louis would have been a much tougher proposition in a re-match.

[Goodnight, Irene]

Marciano couldn't carry Louis' jackstrap. Isn't the evidence on film clear enough for you?

[Collins2000]

Marciano couldn't carry Louis' jackstrap. Isn't the evidence on film clear enough for you?

Oooh, here's big tough drunken dribbling GI making offensive comments about another great fighter.

Now watch the clown start crying that he is being singled out for being a complete pudendum.

[raylawpc]

Goodnight Irene is really easy to get along with once you learn to see it his way.

[Flump]

This would have been a great fight, can make a case either way, I see this as being something like Marciano-Charles, except Louis has more sting on his punches, I think Louis wins a close decision, with Rocky's face looking like a slab of raw steak by the end.

[Goodnight, Irene]

Can't get enough of me, can you, Collins?

[Collins2000]

Can't get enough of me, can you, Collins?

There's nothing quite like watching a fool in action, GI.

(PS How long before you start whining about being attacked again?)

[Collins2000]

Goodnight Irene is really easy to get along with once you learn to see it his way.

Well, like BRR and DaveV, he's never wrong. And the sheer depth of his knowledge eh?

[BoxBuzz]

With no disrespect meant to either of these great fighters, Louis would have won this fight, (or the trilogy if you will) and the fight that they actually had demonstrates this to my satisfaction. Just template Joe operating at a far greater capacity entering the ring on that very night and the outcome of the actual fight gets stood on it's head.

IMHO.

[Goodnight, Irene]

Look! It's BoxBuzz! Sicc him, Collie.