Is Rocky Marciano as respected as he should be?

[Boxing-1013]

This list was originally compiled by forum member hhascup.

All you armchair historians sit back and learn how boxing men of times gone by viewed Marciano's place among the greats.






Cox's Corner All Time Heavyweight Ratings
THE TOP 20 HEAVYWEIGHTS OF ALL TIME

1. Joe Louis
2. Muhammad Ali
3. Jack Johnson
4. George Foreman
5. Larry Holmes
6. Jack Dempsey
7. Sonny Liston
8. Jim Jeffries
9. Lennox Lewis
10. Mike Tyson
11. Rocky Marciano
12. Joe Frazier
13. Rid**** Bowe
14. Evander Holyfield
15. Sam Langford
16. Gene Tunney
17. James J. Corbett
18. Ezzard Charles
19. Jersey Joe Walcott
20. Max Schmeling

Here's Bert Sugar's list:

1. Louis
2. Ali
3. Johnson
4. Dempsey
5. Tunney
6. Marciano
7. Charles
8. Foreman
9. Frazier
10. Holmes

Historians Rankings


(Please Note The Dates)


Nat Fleischer, Founder of Ring Magazine, 1958, 1971.

1.Jack Johnson
2.Jim Jeffries
3.Bob Fitzsimmons
4.Jack Dempsey
5.Jim Corbett
6.Joe Louis
7.Sam Langford
8.Gene Tunney
9.Max Schemling
10.Rocky Marciano


Charley Rose, 1968
1.Sam Langford
2.Jack Johnson
3.Jack Dempsey
4.Joe Louis
5.Jim Jeffries
6.Gene Tunney
7.Sam McVey
8.Rocky Marciano
9.Jim Corbett
10.Max Baer

World Boxing 1974 Readers Poll
1.Joe Louis
2.Jack Dempsey
3.Rocky Marciano
4.Jack Johnson
5.Muhammad Ali
6.Joe Frazier
7.Gene Tunney
8.Jim Jeffries
9.Sonny Liston
10.Ezzard Charles


Nat Loubet, 1975
1.Joe Louis
2.Jack Dempsey
3.Jim Jeffries
4.Jack Johnson
5.Rocky Marciano
6.Gene Tunney
7.Bob Fitzsimmons
8.James J. Corbett
9.Muhammad Ali
10.Joe Frazier



John Durant -Author of "The Heavyweight Champions" (1976)

1.Joe Louis
2.Jack Johnson
3.Jack Dempsey
4.Muhammad Ali
5.Gene Tunney
6.Joe Frazier
7.Jim Jeffries
8.James J. Corbett
9.Rocky Marciano
10.Max Schemling



Bill Brennan 1978 (Former President of the WBA)

1.Muhammad Ali
2.Joe Louis
3.Jack Dempsey
4.Jack Johnson
5.Gene Tunney
6.Jim Jeffries
7.Max Schemeling
8.Rocky Marciano
9.James J. Corebett
10.Bob Fitzsimmons



Big Book of Boxing Reader Poll, 1978

1.Joe Louis
2.Muhammad Ali
3.Rocky Marciano
4.Jack Dempsey
5.Jack Johnson
6.Gene Tunney
7.Joe Frazier
8.Jim Jeffries
9.Ezzard Charles
10.Sonny Liston



Bert Sugar, 1991

1.Jack Dempsey
2.Joe Louis
3.Muhammad Ali
4.Jack Johnson
5.Gene Tunney
6.Rocky Marciano
7.Joe Frazier
8.Larry Holmes
9.Sonny Liston
10.Mike Tyson



Arthur Harris, 1992 (Nov 1992 Boxing Scene)

1.Muhammad Ali
2.Joe Louis
3.Jack Dempsey
4.Jack Johnson
5.Gene Tunney
6.Rocky Marciano
7.Larry Holmes
8.Jersey Joe Walcott
9.Joe Frazier
10.Sonny Liston



Nigel Collins, 1997

1.Muhammad Ali
2.Joe Louis
3.Evander Holyfield
4.Larry Holmes
5.George Foreman
6.Jack Johnson
7.Rocky Marciano
8.Joe Frazier
9.Jack Dempsey
10.Sonny Liston



Herbert Goldman, 1997

1.Muhammad Ali
2.Joe Louis
3.Sonny Liston
4.Mike Tyson
5.Larry Holmes
6.Jack Johnson
7.Jack Dempsey
8.George Foreman
9.Rocky Marciano
10.Joe Frazier




Steve Farhood, 1997

1.Muhammad Ali
2.Joe Louis
3.Jack Johnson
4.Larry Holmes
5.Rocky Marciano
6.Jack Dempsey
7.Jim Jeffries
8.Evander Holyfield
9.Mike Tyson
10.George Foreman



BBC Sports, 2004

1.Muhammad Ali
2.Joe Louis
3.Jack Johnson
4.Larry Holmes
5.Jack Dempsey
6.Rocky Marciano
7.Lennox Lewis
8.Mike Tyson
9.George Foreman
10.Evander Holyfield



IBRO Member Poll, 2005

1.Joe Louis
2.Muhammad Ali
3.Jack Johnson
4.Jack Dempsey
5.Rocky Marciano
6.Larry Holmes
7.James Jeffries
8.George Foreman
9.Sonny Liston
10.Joe Frazier



Tracy Callis
Heavyweights:

1.Jim Jeffries
2.Jack Johnson
3.Jack Dempsey
4.Joe Louis
5.Muhammad Ali
6.Gene Tunney
7.Jim Corbett
8.Sonny Liston
9.Rocky Marciano
10.Larry Holmes

ALL-TIME POUND-FOR-POUND BOXERS

Max Kellerman:
1. Sugar Ray Robinson
2. Henry Armstrong
3. Muhammad Ali
4. Harry Greb
5. Sam Langford
6. Pernell Whitaker
7. Roberto Duran
8. Willie Pep
9. Benny Leonard
10. Ezzard Charles
10a. Jimmy Wilde


Tony Atlas:
1. Sugar Ray Robinson
2. Henry Armstrong
3. Muhammad Ali
4. Benny Leonard
5. Sam Langford
6. Harry Greb
7. Mickey Walker
8. Roberto Duran
9. Gene Tunney
10. Carlos Monzon
10a. Joe Louis


ESPN.com:
1. Muhammad Ali
2. Alexis Arguello
3. Henry Armstrong
4. Sugar Ray Robinson
5. Joe Louis
6. Roy Jones Jr.
7. Julio Cesar Chavez
8. Abe Attel
9. Ray Leonard
10. Rocky Marciano
10a. Wilfred Benitez

By far your best ever post on here

[ironmike2012]

Funny a guy goes 49-0 and people still hate.
Undefeated at heavyweight, where one punch can end things at anytime.
He was actually told by one of the first trainers he seen to give up before he gets hurt.

I have watched a few docs on Rocky and he was one of the best ever, no doubt.
His punch was measured and they said it was as hard as bullet.
He had a great chin, he was never hurt his whole career.
He also started boxing at a old age, he did well to even be champ.
He is a top 10 heavy for sure, can't change history, we are still talking about him 70 years later, do you think they will be talking about Wilder 70 years from now? Think about that

[Eff Pandas]

Eh, the same arguments used against Rocky here would've been used in his favour if he had lost to those guys. He retired at the perfect point in his career, totally on top and after beating an undisputed legend to solidify himself as one.

I don't deny he retired at a good time. I just think with his resume filled with mostly older names it gives him question marks that will never be answered & always be speculated on by the atg dorks. Maybe he'd have KO'd Sonny in 3, maybe Sonny would have KO'd him in 3. Who's to say who's right. No one.

[OldTerry]

He kinda faced all the top guys of his era and retired without making the fatal mistake of coming back to only get destroyed by the new up and comers as an old fighter.

You nailed it!

[OldTerry]

Funny a guy goes 49-0 and people still hate.
Undefeated at heavyweight, where one punch can end things at anytime.
He was actually told by one of the first trainers he seen to give up before he gets hurt.

I have watched a few docs on Rocky and he was one of the best ever, no doubt.
His punch was measured and they said it was as hard as bullet.
He had a great chin, he was never hurt his whole career.
He also started boxing at a old age, he did well to even be champ.
He is a top 10 heavy for sure, can't change history, we are still talking about him 70 years later, do you think they will be talking about Wilder 70 years from now? Think about that

Something that can be added is Rocky didn't tire. His punches in the later round were as hard as those thrown in the early rounds and he did not slow down.

[ShoulderRoll]

By far your best ever post on here

As you can see most cognoscenti rank Marciano low in the top ten or outside of it altogether, especially among the older generations.

It's only the more recent revisionists or fan polls that rank him higher than he deserves.

[BodyBagz]

His best win was vs a old, poor and destitute Louis.

He is given too much credit. He retired as young as he did with only a handful of defenses because he knew his time was up.

[Blond Beast]

I remember Groucho Marx saying Rock fought “a bunch of stumble bums” to Rocks Mom.

[Boxing-1013]

As you can see most cognoscenti rank Marciano low in the top ten or outside of it altogether, especially among the older generations.

It's only the more recent revisionists or fan polls that rank him higher than he deserves.

Idk, a simple perusing of the lists shows him to be about where I would expect - somewhere in the top ten, usually around the top five. Accomplishment wise that is probably pretty accurate. As for his level, who knows, he was a small HW and it is hard to compare eras.

[ShoulderRoll]

Idk, a simple perusing of the lists shows him to be about where I would expect - somewhere in the top ten, usually around the top five. Accomplishment wise that is probably pretty accurate. As for his level, who knows, he was a small HW and it is hard to compare eras.

Incorrect, he is usually low in the top 10 or completely out of it.

The times he gets ranked in the top 5 are quite infrequent.