January 2002 - July 2006 - The Jerry Quarry Foundation

If a fighter attacked him he would stand his ground and deliver two or three
hard body blows before moving out and re-loading. He was also very strong for
his size...and unlike Frazier he could also fight moving backwards. No one
could intimidate him. He would just give that all knowing smirk and proceed to
kick your ass. Although he didn't have the body of a Max Bear or Ken Norton he
was probably the best conditioned heavyweight ever. Against the the all time
greats, he would more than likley be the underdog but I wouldn't put it past him
to beat any heavyweight in history. He didn't have the size, he was smaller
than most high schoolers today, but his conditioning and his will would carry
him through the toughest opponent. Anyone who can move a 300 pound heavybag
with 11 inch fists has to be given his due. That said, the greatst finisher of
all time was Joe Louis. You NEVER wanted to fight him twice. Look at his
record. |
|7/5/05 01:44:07 AM|Kent|Murrieta, Ca||ketnallenent@aol.com||||10|Marciano is a
top five heavyweight of all time and even though he was small, he had the
strength and punch of a much larger man and the will to win. There have been
very few, if any who had more heart than Rocky.Although he appeared
awkward he was harder to hit than a lot of people realize. He would bend down
low and he knew how to use his lack of height to his advantage.I think
he would lose to Ali and Louis, prime verses prime and maybe to Foreman and
Holmes also but after that, I don't think there are any others who could take
him, regardless of his small size.|
|7/5/05 02:47:35 AM|Massimo |Roma||4||||10|Why are you so critical about the
guys Frazier fought and not about the guys Marciano fought ? Were Marciano's
avversari any better than Frazier's ? Gimme a break (sorry, I couldn't help
myself...)! I know he fought the best of his generation and didn't duck anyone,
but were these guys that good ? How many Daniels did he fight ? Marciano was
great but I'm not sure I can rate him at top 5. What would have happened if
someone as big and powerful as, say, Frank Bruno had hit him with all the power
right on the chin ? I'm not sure Rocky could take a punch so much better than
Frazier! I think he was very similar to Frazier as a fighter, he had a similar
agressive style and the same heart, but with a difference: Marciano could hit
harder than Joe, but Joe was a better defensive fighter (Marciano didn't have
any bobbing and waving). Again, Rocky was great, but I would have wanted to see
him against powerful guys like Foreman, Lewis, Lyle, 19/23 years old Tyson,
Bruno, Boncrusher Smith, Tim Witherspoon, Tony Tucker, Nicolay Valuev, Wilt
Chamberlain and many others.He was knocked down by Walcott and Moore, after
all!|
|7/5/05 07:34:08 AM|Angelo|Washington, DC||funktron@yahoo.com||||10|Massimo:
You answered your own question. I wasn't around back then, so it's hard for me
to vouch for the caliber of Marciano's competition---but by looking at the
rankings year after year when he was active, it appears he fought the guys he
should have fought. Again, I'm not an expert, but I can't see anyone who
belonged in the ring with him who was "avoided." As for the Rock vs. today's
supersized heavies: He'd have a very difficult time with someone as large as
Lennox Lewis. I honestly don't think Lewis would knock him out, but Lewis
ridiculous height and reach advantage would make it very hard for Marciano to
penetrate him. When Lewis had his "A" game, he was well conditioned, determined
and able to adapt to his opponents style. Of course, you look at the tape of
Willard/Dempsey and you can almost picture Marciano hitting Lewis in the mid
section for about 8 rounds, then firing off head shots when Lewis guard came
down. But I do get your point---Marciano would be even SMALLLER now than he was
back then (that theory of relativity again!). |
|7/5/05 09:06:03 AM|Kent|Murrieta, Ca||kentallenent@aol.com||||10|Angelo, I see
your point about Marciano having a difficult time with L. Lewis but Rocky could
overcome adversity and if Lewis could be knocked out by guys like Rahman and
McCall, then I don't think he could take Rocky's best shots.Rocky was