FLOYD MAYWEATHER VS. ROCKY MARCIANO
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 17 Sep 2015
The two undefeated champions did not actually fight each other. Rocky Marciano was born on September 1, 1923 and died on August 13, 1969 on the eve of his 46th birthday due to a small plane crash.
While Floyd Mayweather, Jr. was born on February 24, 1977, seven years after Marciano?s demise. So they never did get to face each other atop the ring.
The Rock held the best record of a world champion at 49-0 until it was equaled by The Money Man last Saturday at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada. Marciano was well-loved by the boxing world. He won his first 16 fights by KO, with 15 of them within three or lesser rounds.
Marciano had 43 KO wins in all for a very high 88% knockout rate. Mayweather has only 26 KO wins for a lower 53% rate. The Brockton Blockbuster engaged in brutal fights that drew blood and mettle from the protagonists.
Steve Bunce described Marciano in independent.co.uk: ?He was also relentless and fearless, with a gift for public suffering in pursuit of his heavyweight dream. The fans loved him.?
The very popular heavyweight champion did not like the run and box style: ?Champs are not meant to play safe with just a jab and a move,? said Marciano. ?That?s not what champs do.?
Marciano boxed in outdoor stadiums which were filled with adoring fans. There were 61,574 spectators during the match with Archie Moore at the New York Stadium. When he faced Ezzard Charles there were 47,583 people in attendance.
After the Moore fight, Marciano retired at the age of 32 and 20 days and never made a comeback despite some lucrative offers.
He was considered as a swarmer because he used constant pressure against his opponents. He was also referred to as a slugger and a brawler. His chin was considered as one of the most durable in boxing history.
Marciano was the inspiration of the movie series ?Rocky? by Sylvester Stallone. His fighting style was imitated by the lead role Rocky Balboa.
On the other hand, Mayweather won over his last seven foes by decision, with two majority decision wins over Canelo Alvarez and Marcos Maidana. Mayweather though won twelve world titles in five weight divisions, including four lineal championships in four weight divisions.
Their achievements could be compared through the all-time pound-for -pound list of some prestigious boxing websites.
Bleacher Report listed Marciano at No. 15 and Mayweather at No. 29 in its all-time pound-for-pound ratings. ESPN rated Marciano No. 14 while Mayweather is at No. 48. BoxRec chose Mayweather at No. 7 and Marciano at No. 19.
Mayweather earned a total $ 700 million in his 19-year boxing career. There were no records for Marciano?s total purse but for sure it was way far behind even if it were converted to the present value of dollars.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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