The fact that Ali was complaining about how hard Rocky was hitting…

[them_apples]

marciano was Hitting too hard because it was supposed to be just sparring for the computer fight.

but wait a minute? Whens the last time we heard Ali complain about someone hitting too hard? Probably never?

doesn’t this give at least a bit if Merit to Marciano.

I am under the impression Marciano busted Ali up in that sparring session from what I have read on it. You can even see the difficulty in styles that Marciano presents for Ali, who when punching down at the crouch is largely in effective

[Ivich]

marciano was Hitting too hard because it was supposed to be just sparring for the computer fight.

but wait a minute? Whens the last time we heard Ali complain about someone hitting too hard? Probably never?

doesnât this give at least a bit if Merit to Marciano.

I am under the impression Marciano busted Ali up in that sparring session from what I have read on it. You can even see the difficulty in styles that Marciano presents for Ali, who when punching down at the crouch is largely in effective

Both men were supposed to be pulling their punches.
I wonder how Marciano would have liked it if Ali had really let his punches go and began smacking that jab into his 46 years old kisser?
I don't think they would have needed any ketchup to simulate blood!

[Willie Pep 229]

I think Ali was just being a mensch and was praising Rocky out of respect.

Ali was always a prick before a fight (building the gate) but was always respectful after the fight (except with the dirty Wepner.)

[Slugfester]

Hilarious that some believe the 46 year old gave Ali a really hard time. Christ, you always hear young greats giving old greats their accolades. Even complaining about the punching power was but another twist on homage.

[QueensburyRules]

Both men were supposed to be pulling their punches.
I wonder how Marciano would have liked it if Ali had really let his punches go and began smacking that jab into his 46 years old kisser?
I don't think they would have needed any ketchup to simulate blood!

- - Bottom line is Ali stated Rocky gave him problems in sparring, and body shots were allowed. Rocky and Ali both needed $$$, and so it was an honor to be chosen for the finals of the first filmed computer fight.

It was just sparring, not a FIGHT. Git thee thy son to unmuddle U noggin quickly if not sooner before you step out into traffic...ugh...

[them_apples]

Both men were supposed to be pulling their punches.
I wonder how Marciano would have liked it if Ali had really let his punches go and began smacking that jab into his 46 years old kisser?
I don't think they would have needed any ketchup to simulate blood!

Ali did do that. He loaded up with his hardest cross in desperation its been documented

[them_apples]

Hilarious that some believe the 46 year old gave Ali a really hard time. Christ, you always hear young greats giving old greats their accolades. Even complaining about the punching power was but another twist on homage.

Read the ghost in the machine.

also read the thread, Ali openly complained about marciano body shots and said it left welts on his body and he couldnt move his arms afterwards. Ali never complained.

[Slugfester]

Read the ghost in the machine.

also read the thread, Ali openly complained about marciano body shots and said it left welts on his body and he couldnt move his arms afterwards. Ali never complained.

Ali never complained in real fights you mean. The Marciano affair was not a real fight and the fighters were just supposed to make it look good. I never saw anything I thought was a blow landing with any force. They may have done a few brief rehearsals.

Let's assume more. Let's suppose some of Ali's antics annoyed Rocky a fair bit. When he pulled the toupee off, that was the last straw. Marciano probably decided right there he was going to bust him a few good ones in the gut to give him a little respect. I think that would really be in line with the Rocky I know. But he would not persist.

I will break the personal intuitive probabilities down like this. This is pure guessing of course, no calculations were involved. About like this.

35%--using an opportunity to pay homage but make a valid point at the same time.

25%--It was pure homage.

25%--Ali was only selling the fight

15%--Marciano was simply hitting too hard and that is solely why Ali complained.

* * * *

One version on Youtube is weirdly lighted and too bright in spots, but is just right for examining the Rock's legs. His upper legs are unusually thick and muscular. Trunks always hid them. But here some of the shots are from below. I stopped the the machine for closer inspection. He has the legs of a weightlifter. No wonder he could punch. His upper body was never that impressive for show. He was bottom heavy--bad for sprinters but maybe good for boxers. I think Apples pointed that out.

I can't say for sure that a low center of gravity is beneficial to a boxer, though the assumption does seem reasonable on the surface. There also matters of stamina and other factors to consider. Lomachenko is P4P the shortest legged fighter I can think of. The Rock and Lomachenko are pretty good examples of success for low centers of gravity.

But Blacks dominate ATG lists and blacks in general have a higher center of gravity. So that question remains unsolved for me. Maybe it doesn't matter at all.

Something else. I never saw any welts, I just heard about them from Ali's mouth. Not a reliable source.

[Ivich]

- - Bottom line is Ali stated Rocky gave him problems in sparring, and body shots were allowed. Rocky and Ali both needed $$$, and so it was an honor to be chosen for the finals of the first filmed computer fight.

It was just sparring, not a FIGHT. Git thee thy son to unmuddle U noggin quickly if not sooner before you step out into traffic...ugh...

Body shots were NOT allowed,and I know what sparring is ,I did enough of it.
An out of shape Ali would have simply murdered Rocky if he had put steam into his shots.Marciano told Murray Woroner ,"I never seen hands that fast".

[Ivich]

Ali did do that. He loaded up with his hardest cross in desperation its been documented

Not in the three Marciano books I've read, or the 5 Ali books I have.