Why did Marciano retire soo abruptly after achieving 49-0?

[kafkod]

I think he was an "old" young person. Marciano had crazy short arms and always took a lot of punishment working his way inside. Maybe he started to feel the wear and tear.

With Rocky's style and body build, he took a lot of head punches and got cut nearly every fight he had. Plastic surgery back then was very crude and basic compared to the post-fight medical care available to modern day boxers.

Rocky had scar tissue round his eyes and nose that would tear open the first time a punch landed on it and the more fights he had, the worse it got.

Looking at the men who held the title after he retired - Floyd Patterson then the Swede, Ingemar Johannson, then Patterson again, I think he could maybe have gone on a little longer.

He would have been favourite to beat both of them, but we don't know how he was feeling and performing in the gym and whether his heart was still in it.

[SthPaw]

Because, after 49 fights the body is usually done. Especially with the gear and medicine available back then. Is it better to get battered like Ali? The guy had an incredible career, it's cheap to say that wasn't good enough. There is no nobility in getting destroyed once your body has stated to wear. If he retired in his 20's, maybe you'd have an argument.

I agree with this. Rocky may well have continued to fight but I am not in dispute of why he didn't. He turned pro in '47 and retired in '55, which is a short career so going off that argument you could well argue that he could have gone at least another five years and been around there with Patterson, Liston, Johansson...etc and the dawn of Ali. I would understand that argument.

But, as you say, why keep fighting for the sake of it just so you can hang around another few years for another generation to build steam and lose a few times when you can look at yourself as the undefeated champ of your era.

[nathan_nall]

With Rocky's style and body build, he took a lot of head punches and got cut nearly every fight he had. Plastic surgery back then was very crude and basic compared to the post-fight medical care available to modern day boxers.

Rocky had scar tissue round his eyes and nose that would tear open the first time a punch landed on it and the more fights he had, the worse it got.

Looking at the men who held the title after he retired - Floyd Patterson then the Swede, Ingemar Johannson, then Patterson again, I think he could maybe have gone on a little longer.

He would have been favourite to beat both of them, but we don't know how he was feeling and performing in the gym and whether his heart was still in it.

Well, as much as we all revere Marciano... I think his retirement was bad for boxing in a way. I don't know because I've never really researched it, but I think Marciano leaving only slightly past his prime created the "Undefeated Record" craze. I get that your marketability goes down with a loss, but it shouldn't cause people to write you off.

I'm not naming names [cough cough], but we have people today that think an undefeated record matters more for their legacy than a history of consistently fighting the very best; to the point where they even claim they are better than past greats solely because they "haven't lost".

[shinobi108]

With Rocky's style and body build, he took a lot of head punches and got cut nearly every fight he had. Plastic surgery back then was very crude and basic compared to the post-fight medical care available to modern day boxers.

Rocky had scar tissue round his eyes and nose that would tear open the first time a punch landed on it and the more fights he had, the worse it got.

Looking at the men who held the title after he retired - Floyd Patterson then the Swede, Ingemar Johannson, then Patterson again, I think he could maybe have gone on a little longer.

He would have been favourite to beat both of them, but we don't know how he was feeling and performing in the gym and whether his heart was still in it.

Floyd Patterson is better than anyone prime fighter Marciano had ever faced. Although ill concede he would've been favourite because he's soo much tougher, Patterson is way faster with better peekaboo style defense that would've given Marciano his toughest war of his career

[Robbie Barrett]

Well, as much as we all revere Marciano... I think his retirement was bad for boxing in a way. I don't know because I've never really researched it, but I think Marciano leaving only slightly past his prime created the "Undefeated Record" craze. I get that your marketability goes down with a loss, but it shouldn't cause people to write you off.

I'm not naming names [cough cough], but we have people today that think an undefeated record matters more for their legacy than a history of consistently fighting the very best; to the point where they even claim they are better than past greats solely because they "haven't lost".

This is true. Marciano is most known for being the undefeated heavyweight champion, if he had been defeated i don't think he would be talked about half as much as he is.

[kafkod]

Floyd Patterson is better than anyone prime fighter Marciano had ever faced. Although ill concede he would've been favourite because he's soo much tougher, Patterson is way faster with better peekaboo style defense that would've given Marciano his toughest war of his career

Was Patterson really better than anybody else Rocky fought? This is going back a long way and I'm not exactly a student of 1940/50s boxing.

I've seen film of Floyd's fights though. He was a very good boxer, but no bigger than Rocky and notoriously glass-chinned. He was KO'd by Johannson, who seemed to have nothing but a big right hand, and the right hand was also Rocky's favourite punch.

Rocky was aggressive, powerful, and he had a great engine. 15 rounds is a long time to protect a vulnerable chin against a guy like that.

[Ray*]

The best thing i like about some boxers is when to know to give it up. Its not about chasing a record or the "0". its about knowing when the body is done.

[Derranged]

Supposedly he had back and vision problems.

[nathan_nall]

The best thing i like about some boxers is when to know to give it up. Its not about chasing a record or the "0". its about knowing when the body is done.

True. Sometimes I think it's harder for fans to let go. Look and Lennox. He retired and never looked back. Half the world kept their fingers crossed for years hoping he'd rematch Vitali. Never happened. Lewis probably hat another 5 or 6 years where he could have competed at the top level. But he left when he did and will likely live a long healthy life because of it.

[Robbie Barrett]

The best thing i like about some boxers is when to know to give it up. Its not about chasing a record or the "0". its about knowing when the body is done.

Yes the fighters that weren't greedy and put their health and reputation/pride over money. I don't mean any disrespect to the ATG's that were broke and had to fight, like some idiot accused me of the last time this was brought up.