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OK the title is conjecture, and is meant to grasp your attention rather than to indicate the topic at hand.
However, when Marciano retired as undefeated 49-0 heavyweight champion he set the scene for the current situation in boxing whereby an undefeated fighter has huge advantages over those with losses in terms of getting the title shots and making the money. Before Rocky there was no emphasis in retiring undefeated, because nobody retired undefeated. In many ways it was like amateur boxing is today, in which some losses are expected in a long career and the main function of a loss is to learn from it and come back stronger.
I don't have anything against a boxer who has a 0 in the losses column, not at all. You can't knock a fighter for beating every single person they have ever faced in the ring. That would be foolish. On the other hand, in the desire to protect their fighter's saleability by keeping their winning record intact, promoters have a disincentive to actually match their fighters against dangerous opponents and make the best fights happen. This is amply demonstrated by the lack of action between Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather Jr. The principles and their teams have their reasons and excuses but one can't help feeling that if there wasn't so much to lose from a defeat these matches would have happened long ago and some of those fighters, maybe all of them, would have their 0 gone.
If you look at the greatest of all time you notice that they all have one thing in common, they all have losses on their records. They almost all have been defeated and returned to avenge their loss against their conqueror. Even fighters who nobody would put on their all time great list have won the admiration and respect of the public, and become legends in their own rights, for their courage and tenacity in coming back from the abyss to fight and win against the odds...
There is a Samurai proverb about the nature of being a warrior: Fall down seven times, stand up eight. A fighter who can stand up that one last time is greater than the one who never fell, or at least shows more of the courageous spirit that makes boxing what it is.
I'm not knocking Marciano and his record. 49-0 is impressive. But is Rocky's record impressive because of that zero? Or is it those wins we should be highlighting? For me his 49 wins including 43 knockouts over the very best opposition at the time are what makes it exceptional, not the fact that noone ever beat him.
However, when Marciano retired as undefeated 49-0 heavyweight champion he set the scene for the current situation in boxing whereby an undefeated fighter has huge advantages over those with losses in terms of getting the title shots and making the money. Before Rocky there was no emphasis in retiring undefeated, because nobody retired undefeated. In many ways it was like amateur boxing is today, in which some losses are expected in a long career and the main function of a loss is to learn from it and come back stronger.
I don't have anything against a boxer who has a 0 in the losses column, not at all. You can't knock a fighter for beating every single person they have ever faced in the ring. That would be foolish. On the other hand, in the desire to protect their fighter's saleability by keeping their winning record intact, promoters have a disincentive to actually match their fighters against dangerous opponents and make the best fights happen. This is amply demonstrated by the lack of action between Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather Jr. The principles and their teams have their reasons and excuses but one can't help feeling that if there wasn't so much to lose from a defeat these matches would have happened long ago and some of those fighters, maybe all of them, would have their 0 gone.
If you look at the greatest of all time you notice that they all have one thing in common, they all have losses on their records. They almost all have been defeated and returned to avenge their loss against their conqueror. Even fighters who nobody would put on their all time great list have won the admiration and respect of the public, and become legends in their own rights, for their courage and tenacity in coming back from the abyss to fight and win against the odds...
There is a Samurai proverb about the nature of being a warrior: Fall down seven times, stand up eight. A fighter who can stand up that one last time is greater than the one who never fell, or at least shows more of the courageous spirit that makes boxing what it is.
I'm not knocking Marciano and his record. 49-0 is impressive. But is Rocky's record impressive because of that zero? Or is it those wins we should be highlighting? For me his 49 wins including 43 knockouts over the very best opposition at the time are what makes it exceptional, not the fact that noone ever beat him.
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