By Tommaso Nappo: The list was compiled based on the criteria of ability to take a punch, and quality of opposition. It does not I repeat does not take into account the individual fighters skill level or accomplishments. Some of those that earned an honorable mention were current fighters – David Tua, Vitali Klitchko, Oliver McCall,. These guys can all take big time shots, but the quality of big time punchers faced is limited.
Rocky Marciano
Rocky Marciano killed in a plane crash August 31, 1969
By Sam Gregory: August 31, 1969 Rocky Marciano died when the small plane he was traveling in crashed in Iowa, a day before this 46th birthday 41 years ago.
On June 5, 1952 Jersey Joe Walcott defended his heavyweight title for the last time. Thirty-eight year old Walcott beat Ezzard Charles in a fifteen round unanimous decision.
Marciano – What means more the 49 or the 0?
By Dennis Broadhurst: Rocky Marciano, a boxer that everyone has heard of, the only undefeated heavyweight champion of all time (49-0 with 43ko’s). Rocky was a great fighter, what he lacked in skill, size and speed he made up for in heart, chin, stamina and power! Rocky was a stalker with great power in both hands, most notable his “Suzie-Q”, he would never stop coming forward and his fantastic stamina allowed him to do that for as long as the fight took.
Rocky Marciano – The unappreciated legend
By Liam Santiago: I do not use the word warrior lightly, when describing a fighter. But, for Rocky Marciano, there is no word that fits him better. The legacy of Rocky Marciano constantly comes under criticism from ‘arm chair critics’, that have never really been involved in boxing. Marciano, was, without a doubt, the toughest champion ever.
Was Rocky Marciano really that great?
By Al Francis: Boxing fans can almost unanimously agree that Muhammad Ali is the greatest heavyweight of all time. Most of us can also unite in admitting that Joe Louis and Jack Johnson aren’t too far behind. As we look further down the pantheon of greats it becomes considerably more subjective and there are varied opinions on where we should rank heavyweight greats like Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield, George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Joe Frazier, Jack Dempsey, John L Sullivan, Jim Jeffries and several more.
Rocky Marciano vs Joe Calzaghe – Comparing the legends
By Liam Santiago: The legacy of any fighter is often not fully appreciated until enough … read more
Who is the best boxer of all time?
By Liam Santiago: This subject always fascinates me. You could ask fifty boxing fans who the best ever boxer is and each one would give you a different answer. Obviously, I am not going to try and say who is the greatest of all time. I will say who I think holds the top spot and put an argument up for each fighter I believe come into this category. Is there anyone fighting today that might be considered to take this title now or in the future?
Rocky Marciano vs. Today’s Heavyweights – Klitschko, Peter & Chagaev
By Erik Schmidt: I often wonder how would the great Rocky Marciano (49-0, 43 KOs) do against today’s heavyweights. It’s perhaps even more of a question now than ever due to the lack of talent and interest in the heavyweight division. It’s been a decade since the heavyweight division had a champion – Mike Tyson – that fans were interested in, and since that time the quality of the fighters has dropped off dramatically, along with naturally the interest in the division as a whole. Many people say that it’s impossible for fighters of different generations to fight each other due to the size differences, the more advanced training techniques, and the better nutrition available now compared to the 40s and the 50s, when Marciano was at the top of the sport.
However, I don’t buy into all that, mainly because I see a lot of really poor trainers and a lot of heavyweights with bad diets and poor conditioning, and if anything, the nutrition and training is worse today than it was before. The main difference now, however, is that there’s a larger pool of people to get fighters from due to many of the other countries now having fighters that have turned professional. Despite that, the division still is in the worst shape now than it has been in years. So for this reason, I think it’s important to throw out the belief that you can’t compare different eras.