Is Marciano the hardest working heavyweight fighter in the gym of all time?

[CarlosG815]

I haven't seen anybody mention Tyson, so I guess I'll do it.

Call me a hugger if you want, but in his prime he was a textbook definition of a gymrat.

[XionComrade]

Actually a good post. I have noticed this too Die. Ali VERY often showed up to fights unprepared, he still one and often dominated, but the fights just weren't what they should have been. He was overweight against Wepner and Lyle for SURE. Ali is known for his best wins, not his consistency and work ethic. Vitali is known for his consistency and work ethic, not his best wins. And that is the problem.

If anything Roids help you to work HARDER. Faster recuperation and muscle rebuilding so you don't tire as badly in training. The biggest deal though is that it is not fair to the older fighters that did not have access to them, and it is not honest since it is illegal in the sport, like elbows and low blows...

Vitali did admit to taking them in the amateurs, he just isn't that big of a guy, he doesn't hit hard, and he isn't horrifically strong. The main reason for his longevity is that he has had NO hard fights, has taken VERY little punishment in the ring, and is SMART in training. He does not go all out like a lunatic, as Frazier did, which was part of the reason Frazier's prime was so so short. Your cells are set to divide a set number of times before they just stop(Telomeres sp?). You can only break them down and rebuild them so many times before you just get old and fall apart. Vitali has a PHD in sports science, he surely knows all about this, and just takes care of himself in general.


But when you make these posts, be sure to be reasonable. 90% of Vitali's fights are in all honesty just him hitting a heavybag for 12 rounds or so...that is the truth and nothing but the truth. I have seen entire fights(Briggs) where the opponent doesn't even try to win, they just stand their and soak it up for 12 rounds. They don't try to hit Vitali, they just lay over a die. So with that it is no wonder he is doing so well at a late age.

[paulsinghnl]

if i'm getting it right, the question of the forum is: would V. Klitschko be able to outbox Marciano or could the Rock press him to the ropes?

based on the greats the Rock has been able to smash, with those real sledgehammer punches and based on V. Klitschko's boxing footwork and hard jabs and rights, this would be... an f-in awesome fight!

hahah, but i think for a little bit of a reference, the Chris Byrd fight can be used to analyze how it kind of would fare. and Chris Byrd doesnt have the power of the Rock, but Rock doesn't have the elusiveness of Byrd. The Rock could get V. Klitschko against the ropes i think. what you guys think?

[Anthony342]

Im not sure if Rock was the hardest working heavyweight in the gym, really for us its impossible to tell. What i do know is at one point he worked harder than any other guy out there and this is true for all the great heavyweights (all the great fighters in general actually).

Well with Marciano, it seems like he felt he had to work harder than anyone else to be the best because he didn't have as many natural gifts as other boxing champions i.e. height, bulk, longer reach, but he worked hard, had a good chin, was only knocked down twice I think and had great punching power.

[joseph5620]

When did they agree to do this? For what fight? And when has Vitali shown he could "easily" go 15 rounds? Not in the Lewis fight. That's for sure. And what Ali took for his "thyroid" was not a performance enhancer. Apparently you don't know the difference. when you say "Vitali "never clinches" it makes me wonder if you have truly ever seen him fight. I think you're trolling. If not, your boxing knowlegde(or lack of) is as clear as day. If you want to cheer for the Klitschko's while disrespecting truly ATG heavyweights with comical post, you're in the wrong place. I don't think the majority here buys it. I'm sure you would find plenty of people like you in NSB though.

[Anthony342]

I haven't seen anybody mention Tyson, so I guess I'll do it.

Call me a hugger if you want, but in his prime he was a textbook definition of a gymrat.

Yeah and if he had stayed one, no way would he have lost to someone like Buster Douglas. He probably wouldn't have lost until he fought someone like Holyfield or maybe Lennox Lewis, if Tyson has stayed out of prison and fought those guys in the early '90s. Although an early '90s Tyson with that same work ethic and Kevin Rooney still in his corner might've at least had a good shot or beating either one or both of those guys.

[joseph5620]

Actually a good post. I have noticed this too Die. Ali VERY often showed up to fights unprepared, he still one and often dominated, but the fights just weren't what they should have been. He was overweight against Wepner and Lyle for SURE. Ali is known for his best wins, not his consistency and work ethic. Vitali is known for his consistency and work ethic, not his best wins. And that is the problem.

If anything Roids help you to work HARDER. Faster recuperation and muscle rebuilding so you don't tire as badly in training. The biggest deal though is that it is not fair to the older fighters that did not have access to them, and it is not honest since it is illegal in the sport, like elbows and low blows...

Vitali did admit to taking them in the amateurs, he just isn't that big of a guy, he doesn't hit hard, and he isn't horrifically strong. The main reason for his longevity is that he has had NO hard fights, has taken VERY little punishment in the ring, and is SMART in training. He does not go all out like a lunatic, as Frazier did, which was part of the reason Frazier's prime was so so short. Your cells are set to divide a set number of times before they just stop(Telomeres sp?). You can only break them down and rebuild them so many times before you just get old and fall apart. Vitali has a PHD in sports science, he surely knows all about this, and just takes care of himself in general.


But when you make these posts, be sure to be reasonable. 90% of Vitali's fights are in all honesty just him hitting a heavybag for 12 rounds or so...that is the truth and nothing but the truth. I have seen entire fights(Briggs) where the opponent doesn't even try to win, they just stand their and soak it up for 12 rounds. They don't try to hit Vitali, they just lay over a die. So with that it is no wonder he is doing so well at a late age.

Huh?????? Are you serious?

[XionComrade]

Huh?????? Are you serious?

Deadly. Vitali is not a ripped monster. He is just a really tall guy. That is it.

He doesn't push his opponents around the ring constantly, but instead relies on foot work for the most part, which would hint that he is not horrifically strong.

And obviosuly, he does not have a big punch. Most if not all of his knockouts are late in the fight against D and C rated opponents and form a accumulation of hundreds and hundreds of flush power shots. I mean look at the guy throw punches, he has worse leverage than Ali at times, and certainly not the poise of a KO artist or power puncher.

Physically he is not frightening, technically he is terrifying.

[joseph5620]

Deadly. Vitali is not a ripped monster. He is just a really tall guy. That is it.He doesn't push his opponents around the ring constantly, but instead relies on foot work for the most part, which would hint that he is not horrifically strong.

And obviosuly, he does not have a big punch. Most if not all of his knockouts are late in the fight against D and C rated opponents and form a accumulation of hundreds and hundreds of flush power shots. I mean look at the guy throw punches, he has worse leverage than Ali at times, and certainly not the poise of a KO artist or power puncher.

Physically he is not frightening, technically he is terrifying.

Vitali is big. Period. And he's strong. And he hits hard. He's not a one shot KO artist but his punches are damaging punches. Ask Shannon Briggs. The issue wasn't whether he was ripped or not. You said he wasn't a big guy. 6-7 252 in shape is big. Any way you look at it. And Technically, Vitali isn't doing anything special. And his technical skills are far from "terrifying". This isn't Mayweather we're talking about. Vitali's strength is one of his main assets. You can't say in one sentence that he has "bad leverage" and in another talk about his "terrifying skills" That makes no sense.

[JAB5239]

Have you ever been given an infraction in this section by me, as a mod? The answer is no. Are you banned from this section ala prinze or Bull Connor? Again the answer is no. Were the insults directed at you in this section deleted? Yes. So stop you belly aching and forget about telling me how to do my job. If you want to post here you will abide by my rules. The only time you will have a post deleted is if I think its in bad taste or you're trying to bait people. Vitaly and Wlad probably shouldn't be talked about here anyway since they're both active and this IS the history section. That said Im willing to give posters leeway on the subject. If you don't like that or don't want to post here than hit the road. If you don't like that than maybe you should talk to an administrator. But I'll be damned if you're going to come in here crying about how I moderate this section.


He didn't admit it, he was caught. And the whole "I used it for an injury" line is common for every guilty boxer to use. If he used it once how can we know he's never used again? Bottom line is he illegally cheated. Doesn't matter if it was amateur or pro.



Are you seriously comparing a swimmer who breathes through his mouth to get the maximum amount of oxygen because he is submerged under water much of the time to a boxer? V was exhausted vs Lewis just as Lennox was. To say otherwise is pure denial.



Todays heavyweight are utter crap. So throwing more punches than them is hardly a mark of greatness. I am curious as to how you've determined V threw more than Ali though. Can you show some stats to support this claim?


Against other all time greats Ali proved he could keep fighting at an incredible pace the whole time being under attack. Vitaly's one fight against an all time great he was exhausted. These are facts.


This is irrelevant, as it isn't cheating if it wasn't banned. Vitaly juiced, it was illegal. Yes or no question is that or is it not cheating?