Rocky Marciano - how would he have done if he'd have boxed from 1967 to 1975?

Question

20 years later than he did. The question was asked yesterday putting him forward and back 10 years. 20 years would put him slap bang in the middle of the Golden Age of heavyweight boxing. How would his career have developed, and what would his final record have been?

Answer 1

Ken Norton or Joe Frazier would have never beaten the Rock!!! Quarry? Bonavena? c'mon guys give the man some credit. But like someone said yesterday I guess its because he was a white italian people hold him in high regard. Anyone who thinks that Frazier who was basically the same size as Rock would beat him needs to change the bong water.

And if Frazier who was the same size as Rocky could do so good  in the 70's why couldn't Rocky? Frazier himself said he couldn't have beat Marciano.

Ali and Rocky would be a war and probably a trilogy of fights. Norton could punch, had an irritating defense but a shaky chin, Foreman would have been a war but big George didn't use his head in a fight until he returned to boxing in 87'. Imagine Foreman pounding on Rock and the frustration that he wont go down!

Sure the 70s' were the best era for the heavyweights but half these guys wouldn't last 10 rounds with ''The Brockton Blockbuster''.

Archie Moore knocked Rock down. Moore had more kayo's than anyone in boxing history, Walcott was the only other fighter to put him down.

When Moore fought Clay years after he fought Marciano and was stopped why wasn't Clay critisized for fighting an old man??

Comparing fighters from different era's is fun and from some of the answers so far very amusing, but to even suggest that Rocky Marciano would have 6 -7 losses is pure disrespect to a great champion and warrior, h**l half the fighters in boxing history let alone the 70s' would have died trying to keep up with Marciano's legendary training.

In short he would have held his own in the 70s' with Ali being the only one I can see giving him problems.

Answer 2

only ali would have a chance of beating him

Answer 3

Interesting question, but, of course, it's one of those we'll never have an answer to.

It's true that styles make fights, but it's the style you use rather than the one you "have" that determines how you'll do in any given fight.

There is NO WAY Ali could have beaten Liston, but he did.  And there was NO WAY Ali could have beaten Foreman, but he did.  There was NO WAY Leon Spinks could have beaten Ali, Douglas could have been Tyson, Leonard could have beaten Hagler, etc., etc.  But upsets happen all the time.

Not to get off track, but everyone said there was NO WAY Patterson could beat Liston.  For once (or twice) the NO WAY guys were right!  

It's not likely that Marciano could have gone through the top heavyweights of the period indicated and been undefeated, but the idea that he would have lost 5 or more fights is hard to swallow.  IMO, it can only be based on an image of the style Rocky used to fight the guys he DID fight.  But I don't think he would have used the style he used in the La Starza fight against Foreman or some of the others top guys (Hearns didn't use his "Bombs Away!" style when he fought Leonard).  Rocky may look similar in style to Joe Frazier, but he was not Joe Frazier and I don't think he would have approached Foreman the way Frazier did.  

Not that this means a great deal, but in 2002 The Ring Magazine rated Marciano #12 on it's list of the 80 best fighters of all time (all weights considered).  Only one contemporary heavyweight that he could have fought in our scenario was rated ahead of him (Muhammad Ali at #3).  I'm not sure what criteria were used for the rankings, but the fact that you have to go to #22 (Evander Holyfield) to find a contempory heavyweight on this list suggests that Rocky was more than a hard-hitting bum.

P.S.  Sorry, Floyd, but there's a reason Ali called you "The Rabbit."

Answer 4

george would kill him

Answer 5

foreman and ali and frazier would have tougher opposition than walcott, charles and la starza, so i son't think he would have retired undefeated.

ali would have beaten him.

frazier or foreman vs the rock would have been brutal fights.....marciano vs foreman would  have ended early regardless of who won...but i lean towards the rock.

marciano vs frazier.....i pick marciano as well.

marciano vs shavers.....wow! rocky here too.

Answer 6

Wow, I think It would have been Ali-Marciano in MSG for the championship instead of Ali-Frazier I.

Answer 7

Ali, Frazier, Liston, Norton, Forman, Holmes, would have all given him trouble, and at any given time the fights easily could have ended his undefeated streak.   Rock would have been a slight underdog to any of them, and a slight favorite over guys like Patterson or Johannson.   It is a safe bet he would have lost to a couple of them.  Even the B level fighters of the day like Shavers, Williams, Ellis, Quarry or Bonavena would have been a lot better than most of the guys Marciano faced in his actual career.  

In stead of 49-0 Rock would have retired with about 4 or 5 losses at 44-5.

Answer 8

This is obviously a question designed to stir up people's pride in their race,so I ll spend as little time on it as need be.No one in modern boxing history had the guts and cast iron will to win than Rocky,Ive compared styles and watched all these often boring boxers like the above,and would say if Rocky were as heavy as these people,his style and power would have sparked anyone of them,full stop.The bitter rants of Holmes is I believe at the heart of this,the above fighters were all defeated numerous times,Rocky wasnt!!

Answer 9

Rocky would have lost to Ali everytime they fought.

He would have gotten beaten by Foreman like Frazier did probably last about 3 or 4 rounds each time.

Frazier & Marciano would have been a brutal match & I think if they fought twice they would split.

Rocky would have struggled with Ken Norton also.

If Rocky was in that era he would have had about 6 or 7 losses,  he would have fought all the guys I named at least twice & he would have lost twice to Ali & Foreman & probably once to Frazer & once to Norton so that's 6 losses right there.