Rocky Marciano Knockout Power

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Here are some comments made from fighters who fought Rocky Marciano

Joe Louis - "It hurt to bump into him....He hits harder than Max Schmeling...this kid is tough enough to beat anyone." "The Rock didn't know too much about the boxing book, but it wasn't a book he hit me with. It was a whole library of bone crushers."

Jersey Joe Walcott - "Marciano was a one-punch artist. He threw every punch like you throw a baseball, as hard as he could."

Ezzard Charles - "Rocky numbs you all over. Wherever he hits you, he hurts you; on the arms, the shoulders, the neck and the head."

Archie Moore - "After a fight with Marciano, it felt like you had been beat all over the upper body with a blackjack or hit with rocks."
"He could hurt you, sure, but it was the quantity of his punches. He just had more stamina than anyone else in those days. He was like a bull with gloves."

Roland LaStarza - "I would throw a hard punch, then he would throw a hard punch. The difference was that Rocky would throw 10 more. He just never stopped throwing punches."

Harry "Kid" Matthews - "He was a great puncher, one of the best of all-time. He just threw one punch after another, and all of them were hard."

Phil Muscato - "I can still feel his punches. He kept punching me in the upper arms until I could no longer hold them up to defend or throw punches".

Bernie Reynolds - "He had amazing strength. Any time Marciano hit you, he could hurt you. He didn't do much flicking; every punch was a knockout punch."

It is the Knock Out that excites boxing fans. The power puncher who can take out an opponent with one savage blow at any time in the fight is always going to make for an interesting fight. There have been great sluggers in boxing; Dempsey, Louis, Foreman, Sugar Ray Robinson, Archie Moore, to name a few of the best. The Ring magazine rates the best punchers on the criteria of those who can knock out quality opponents even in the later rounds, and who can knock out heavier opposition. Of the heavywieghts, the September 1997 issue of The Ring rated the three best punchers as Joe Louis, Jack Dempsey, and Rocky Marciano. Of Marciano they said he never sought refuge in a clinch, never tired, and couldn't be hurt, He was an unstoppable force, breaking bodies and spirits. It was a hellish experiance to fight him, like Dempsey and Louis, he was able to get his whole body into a punch."

When Marciano was destroying all challengers with devastating knockouts, the U.S. Testing Co. was asked to measure the power of Rocky's wallop. Its findings: "Marciano's knockout blow packs more explosive energy than an armour-piercing bullet and represents as much energy as would be required to spot lift 1000 pounds one foot off the ground."

A lot of people thought how does a 187 pound man hit harder than a 200+ pound man when both are trained fighters? There's a saying in boxing that a fighter is born with power and it cannot be teached. Throughout boxing history this theory has proven it to be true. One heavyweight is a formidable knockout artist while another rarely hurts an opponent and must win by points, even though they might be identical in height, weight, and the size of their muscles. Part of it lies in how a fighter sets himself when he delivers his blow. A pure boxer stylist will be on his toes, mobile, with little contact with the floor when he hits. The force of his impact comes from his arms and shoulders only. But a slugger, a Jim Jefferies, Joe Louis, Dempsey, Frazier, Foreman, Tyson, or Marciano, will plant his feet flat as he punches, using the floor for leverage to get more of his body weight behind the punch.

Another part is "commitment to the punch". The fighter who is worried about a counter blow is going to hold something back. He wants to be able to block the counter punch if it comes. But, the fighter who has no fear of retaliation, who accepts that he might get hit in return and couldn’t care less, will put everything into the punch. Marciano knew before he stepped into the ring that he would get hit a lot during the course of the fight. He accepted it beforehand and didn’t let it interfere with his intention to bang away at his opponent. When Rocky let go he was totally committed to the punch, putting every ounce of energy and body weight into every punch. Marciano’s incredible power began in his feet as they pushed off the mat. The energy was fed by his thick, muscular legs, the swivel of his hips, and the twist he’d put into his upper body as he snapped forward his arm and fist.

Where would you put Rocky Marciano on the list of all time greatest punchers in Heavyweight history?

I must say this is whole "modern" propaganda is getting a little silly now.

There is less than a decade between Rocky Marciano and Muhammad Ali respectively winning the title. Are we supposed to believe that in this space of time man evolved? Or that leaps forward in training and diet result in is a new breed of boxer?

It really is without foundation or substance and its just getting silly. 2 out 3 of these mediocre Haye of Klitschkos would not even hold titles if it wasnt for this ridiculous multi belt system now and we are supposed to believe than a genuine heavy hitter like Marciano is some kind of unevolved sub race that is outdated?

I find it all rather sad when Ive watched the likes of Wladimir and Haye tumble over to fighters that would be lucky to have a boxing career at all in Marcianos day.

BALTIMORA wrote:Have to agree with IG-it certainly seems that there's a degree of baiting going on, rather than genuine debate.

It is starting to become a little '1984' on here.

Cant decide if the baiter is a WUM or a jackass .Might have spelt baiter wrong as well .Perhaps just missed a few letters preceding it

skidd1 wrote:

Cant decide if the baiter is a WUM or a jackass .Might have spelt baiter wrong as well .Perhaps just missed a few letters preceding it

Agreed. I'd expect a bit more from a mod.

care to elaborate guys?

Y I Man wrote:care to elaborate guys?

Read his posts..I have no problem with different views but his are highly debateable and i am being diplomatic there.
I have seen a poster warned for biting back.No probs with lively debate but it works both ways

Thanks guys, good to know i'm not alone on this one

I've tried not to bite but it's getting to the point where it's not debating any more rather antagonising propaganda, if on the flipside I went around saying the best of today couldn't hold a candle to the old timers i'd be accussed of bias and a lack of objectivity.

As Balti has said we expect more from someone who's a moderator, Ox and Windy have gone about things the right way at no point have they got in our faces and told us what to do.

As for the question, Marciano is the proud owner of the worlds greatest knockout over Walcott. That punch was poetry in motion and would have taken out anyone.

See that's the thing-this argument that 'if anybody executes that perfect punch, their opponent will drop' is all good and well, but not everyone manages that! THAT'S what garners Marciano that level of respect. I'd say the evidence is certainly available to suggest Marciano's punch power compares more than favourably with that of more modern big-hitters, even if we aren't able to definitively and scientifically compare them under 'lab conditions'.

Marciano is one of my all time heroes. A genuine superstar. Those "modern training techniques, nutrition and science" have nothing on what Rocky did.

He always came in in shape and he hit hard. He had to have a special "heavy bag" manufactured - because he kept breaking the standard version.

There is NO WAY that you can underestimate or scorn that type of power.

He would struggle with the reach of a guy like Wlad or Vit - BUT - are we seriously saying that he doesn't stand a chance? When he landed his Suzie Q on Walcott - what would that do to Wlad?

He beats Tyson in my opinion - if they fought 100 times, I reckon Tyson would take 20-30 - the rest to the Rock. Rocky's chin was excellent and he would walk Tyson down - and Tyson wasn't as good off the back foot.

Yeah, some cogent argument breaking through the antagonistic rhetoric-
and looks like some people are wondering ,with some justification, "Who watches the watchmen."

oxring wrote:Marciano is one of my all time heroes. A genuine superstar. Those "modern training techniques, nutrition and science" have nothing on what Rocky did.

He always came in in shape and he hit hard. He had to have a special "heavy bag" manufactured - because he kept breaking the standard version.

There is NO WAY that you can underestimate or scorn that type of power.

He would struggle with the reach of a guy like Wlad or Vit - BUT - are we seriously saying that he doesn't stand a chance? When he landed his Suzie Q on Walcott - what would that do to Wlad?

He beats Tyson in my opinion - if they fought 100 times, I reckon Tyson would take 20-30 - the rest to the Rock. Rocky's chin was excellent and he would walk Tyson down - and Tyson wasn't as good off the back foot.

Sorry Ox. I have to disagree. Rock for all his much vaunted power was a notoriously slow starter. Tyson was a very fast starter. I can only see this going one way and that is a Tyson KO within 2 rounds. Tyson's hand speed and power punches in bunches would have overwhelmed Rock quickly. Tyson punched just as hard, if not harder than Rock IMO.

Tyson would kayo Rocky, Louis and Frazier in one night...FACT!!!