Is Marciano the greatest of all-time?

Question

I know there are some racist haters who try to downgrade Marciano, but his record against the best competition doesn't lie. He was the greatest conditioned athlete ever!

Ali lost to Ken Norton all three times they fought, and lost to Frazier who was a one-arm version of Marciano. Marciano would kill Ali just like the computer said.

NORTON LOST TWO ON THE SCORECARDS TO ALI, BUT EVERYONE INCLUDING ALL THE GREATS SAID HE ACTUALLY WON ALL THREE.

Answer 1

I beat my little sister at checkers some 50 times in a row. Impressive, but that didn't mean I'm the greatest of all time. Just meant that I didn't have the competition to prove myself. Ali did. His resume of brilliant victories over all-time greats is unparalleled. You go on and on about Norton. Ali clearly beat him the second time, and Norton blew the last round in the 3rd time instead of going after the champ. Now folks who claim that you've got to clearly beat the champ to take the title better not be the same people that claim Norton won the 3rd fight. Because Norton let Ali ralley.

Ali's record against THREE all time greats was 5-1 with 4 KOs. Marciano's? 0-0, with 0 kos. If you somehow think his beating up old Louis and Charles or ancient Walcott and Moore counts for anything, you're just being delusional. No-one in any sport had as difficult a schedule as did Ali. I'll say it over and over, Ali was sandwiched between 3 all-time top 10 fighters Liston, Frazier and Foreman. And knocked
them all out.


***additional***
Just because you say it, doesn't make it so. Ali won 2 and lost 1. Clearly won the 2nd fight despite a broken hand. Just because Ali had trouble with Norton, it doesn't take away from his brilliant victories, which make indistubably the greatest career any boxer ever had.

Answer 2

Marciano was a great great fighter, but he was no Ali. Ali left the game in his prime. Came back and lost to a well conditioned Frazier and fought for a title too soon. He lost to Holmes when he was around 44 yrs old. Lets be serious, He redefined the sport. Greatest footwork, Jab, hand speed and boxing IQ in heavy weight boxing history. Too much for Marciano to handle. The the greatest of all time is Ray Robinson in all actuality.

Answer 3

You're Kidding Right?
Norton didn't win all 3 fights!!
"Ali avenged the defeat when he beat Norton by a split decision"

Please learn to research, before you open your dumb *** mouth.

Ali-6'3 200lbs. +



Muhammad Ali is known as "The Greatest" boxing champion there ever was. In a sport that is so physically demanding and tortuous that gracefulness, technique, and showmanship often go unnoticed.


Rocky-5' 10 1/4" and 184-185 pounds

Ring Magazine founder Nat Fleischer wrote that in terms of boxing ability Marciano was "crude, wild swinging, awkward, and missed heavily.


Fighting Style-

Ali's best weapon was the Left Jab. How would Rocky Marciano get throught that to fight on the inside with ALI?

Speed- a 6'3 200 plus that moved liked a lightweight, constantly throwing accurate punches is not going to get touched by a slow slugger, that weighs almost 50 pounds lighter!!!!

Ali fought fighters with the same power, that weighed far more,
dare I say Sonny Liston?
George Foreman?
Frazier?

How many fighters can take 3 years off, and come back to capture the title?

Rocky Marciano isn't even top 10.
That record has an asterisk.

Answer 4

If you think a one dimensional brawler who comes right in the front door at 185lbs (Marciano) would beat up on a boxer with lightning fast hands, a 4-6 inch advantage in height and reach, who is 20-25lbs heavier and utilizes angles and a jab (Ali), you have should not be posting questions about boxing. Cannot say for everyone else, but my ideas are not race based, just based on the matchup and tools that each would bring to the fight and my own perspective as someone who actually boxes. Assuming they fought in both of their primes, I just don't see Marciano winning this fight. I don't see him not getting knocked out! He was a great fighter and I don't think anyone can deny that, but to say that he would beat Ali is beyond stretching it. He MAY have a punchers chance because of his brute strength, but I don't believe he would have been able to land his 2. Ali would have kept a jab in his face and peppered him with his (2). Although Ali had all the physical advantages, he would not have traded shots with Marciano and utilized his foot speed and moved around and blasted Marciano when he tried to follow him. I don't think Marciano would have been able to hit him. Ali KO's Marciano in 4!

Answer 5

the fact that rocky marciano was never defeated in 49 pro fights and scored 43 knockouts and retired undefeated world heavyweight boxing champion is the mystique that will always make him larger than life, there is no question of his endurance and conditioning, but by todays standard marciano would would lose primarily on cuts by ringside doctors because it is a known fact that marciano was bleeder.

Answer 6

Stonewall......I think Rocky was one of the greatest & I agree with Nat Fleischer who didn't even place Ali in the top 10 of all time....I remember when Cassius Clay " won " a decision over Doug Jones in a fight where something like 48 out of 50 sportswriters thought Jones had won.....and then Jones lost to Ernie Terrell ( Brother of singer Tammi Terrell )----Ali was fast admittedly-----but he never was a puncher. The Liston that Ali beat was a tired old man who was at least 10 years older than he admitted to being. It has nothing to do with race.....but Ali was & is vastly overrated & conversely some great fighters like Joe Frazier & Larry Holmes are still unfairly forced to live in the shadow of Ali & are thus underrated....SADLY...ALTHOUGH YOU ARE 100 % CORRECT WHEN YOU SAID THAT ( IN THEIR PRIME ) MARCIANO WOULD KILL ALI ----JUST LIKE THE COMPUTER SAID---- So many boxing fans still choose to ignore the accuracy of the computer & thousands + thousand of statistics that were used by denying the outcome of the computer fight. I bet many of these same fans also deny that the world is round ?

Answer 7

You have a great arguement. The closest you could come to Ali - Marciano was when Marciano fought Ezzard Charles. Charles tired at the end of the first fight leading the way for Marciano to get the decision.

Marciano was one of the best conditioned athletes and was a non stop puncher who threw bombs from the crouch. Ali looking at his overall career took breaks during rounds, you never saw Marciano doing that. Ali would have to fight non stop to stay away from Marciano.

Ali was faster but Marciano definitely had more power in his punch. Would have been a great tactical fight.

Answer 8

elmer_fu said everything for me. I LOVE the opening analogy as well, I always use a similar one when describing Marciano. Great post.

Answer 9

No, God no. Marciano was a brawler that was lucky enough to never have to fight Joe Louis in his prime and he ended his career before Ali took over the Heavyweight divison.

Answer 10

After reading some of the ignorant and vulgar responses you received, I almost passed on this question. Each generation believes "the greatest" came during their very own generation. There can arguments made for many boxers, especially when boxers stepped into the ring without any gloves. Depending on where you reside, your style of boxing, and other intangibles will almost always present a different "greatest" of all time.

If you can't answer a question with some level of intelligence or respect, please find another site to visit - AND STAY THERE!!!