So basically you're matching a prime Marciano with the undertrained, over the hill and overconfident Liston who fought Ali. Not the best way to match fighters.IrishRufusMurphy wrote:Marciano vs Liston....would be a great slug fest.
Liston's jab was one of the best in heavyweight division. I have even heard stories that Liston could knock a man out with that jab. He was really strong---I heard that he had to wear 20 ounce gloves and his sparring partners had to wear chest protectors when he trained with them.
I have seen alot of Liston fights, and myself outside of that jab and his sullen look and power---the man had little else. The man was like a moder day Tyson, his greatest weapon wasn't skill or power, it was the ACT he put on. He intimidated people. He had them fear him.
Marciano was not one to be intimidated, in Marciano's era, real tough guys never had to prove that they were tough---they just did what they had to do---they didn't act like KING KONG and act like a thug.
Like with Ali, I think Liston would be confused by Marciano, as the "Rock" never showed fear and never took a step back and could take so much punishment---it would be like when Tyson fought Douglas and Tyson broke down when he realised Buster wasn't going to fold over.
Liston was weak mentally. Marciano was tough both physically and mentally---his whole life he had to over come odds. He was told he was too short, yet he beat guys like Carmine Vingo who was 6'4". They said he was too light yet he beat and dropped men over 200 pounds. They said he was too damn clumsy, yet he beat the best boxers of skill.
Besides many men Marciano fought said he was the hardest puncher they ever faced---I think I read an article once, where they said they wanted to test Marciano's punching power and the machine came back saying that "The Rock's" punch was equal to that of an armor piercing shell fired from a gun.
Plus his style of fighting from a crouch and bobbing and weaving was so unorthodox it was hard as hell for any man, skillful or not, to figure out how to beat him.
I don't see Marciano being scared of Liston or having a problem with Liston---cus ffs how would the Rock be intimidated? What was Al Weil or anyone gonna tell him? "Don't fight this guy Rocky he's too strong and he's an ugly mean mother fornicator?"
I don't think so. Marciano and Liston are alot alike---Liston was a thug and did odd jobs on the side for gangsters---Marciano had ties with the mob (meaning the mob were behind Marciano). So where really is the intimidation?
Floyd Patterson may well have had heart, cus there were alot of fights he was knocked down and kept getting up again---but let's face it, outside of being one of the fastest and skilled boxers at Heavyweight, Patterson had one of the biggest glass jaws next to Frank Bruno.
Patterson is in my opinion a very over-rated fighter, and he was a better fighter AFTER he lost the title, than he was as champion. He fought greater opposition after he lost that belt than when he had it.
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Myself I think this is how it would go:
Marciano would lose a few rounds, due to that jab, but sooner or later he would find his niche and start attacking the body and after a few more rounds bring it back to an even fight---in the later rounds he would build up a tremendous lead---thus Liston would start to break down mentally.
Marciano would bring it on and on, and hurt Liston bad. Liston gives up in between rounds, because he realises he cant put away the "Rock" as easy as everyone else he fought---and knows he is losing and that the fight is too tough.
Thus a Marciano win via TKO in the late rounds. Hell he did it twice against Ali, I could only imagine the world of hurt Marciano would have done to him. Ali just confused and frustrated Liston cus he was too damn fast---this fight would be Liston pissed off, bruised ego, and beaten up and giving up or giving in after realising no matter how hard he punches and how big a growl he makes he cant put away Marciano.
Liston is bigger, stronger and faster than Marciano. This fight would be a bad match of styles for Marciano. It would be like Foreman/Frazier except that the patient Liston would take a few more rounds to KO Rocky.
Rocky got busted-up badly by just about every good fighter he faced. Imagine what Liston's punches would do to him.
And your comment on Sonny having "little else" was WAY off the mark. Even Ali called Sonny a great boxer skill-wise.
As far as Sonny "acting like a thug" George Foreman(who was Sonny's stablemate) once told me that Sonny wasn't trying to be mean, it was just how he was. He was an angry dude and it emanated from his being. If it was fake people would have seen right through it. The depth of hostility in that man was no joke.
