Marciano Ducked Patterson

[alishuffle]

Does anybody else think that Marciano retiring at 49-0 instead of going for the even 50 fights was due to the fact that his most likely next opponent would have been a younger, faster, more skilled albeit weak chinned Floyd Patterson?

[joseph5620]

Does anybody else think that Marciano retiring at 49-0 instead of going for the even 50 fights was due to the fact that his most likely next opponent would have been a younger, faster, more skilled albeit weak chinned Floyd Patterson?

No. I think Marciano knew his time was up as a boxer. It's to his credit that was able to do this without hanging on too long. I really don't understand why fighters get criticized for retiring on top. I hear it with Lewis and Mayweather today. Of course we would like to have seen them in certain fights, but a fighter has to make that decision and I respect it. If they hang around too long, they will get criticized for that. So it's a no win situation.

[Yogi]

Does anybody else think that Marciano retiring at 49-0 instead of going for the even 50 fights was due to the fact that his most likely next opponent would have been a younger, faster, more skilled albeit weak chinned Floyd Patterson?

Patterson wasn't even a top ten ranked heavyweight contender on the date Marciano retired, so no, I don't think Marciano "ducked" him by retiring.

As the still number one heavyweight contender, Archie Moore was being talked about the most as the next in line for the title shot at Marciano, and amongst other sources, Ring Magazine stated as such in their Feb of 1956 issue when stating it was "virtually certain that Moore will get his return bout with Marciano" and that Moore "stood out well beyond any other contender for the 1956 engagement with the champion".

And although not official until the spring, Marciano had pretty much decided to retire after the first Moore fight in Sept of '55 when, after the fight, most of the talk in the postfight surrounded the rumours that Marciano was retiring after the fight, which Marciano admitted that he was considering it because his family wished it. Shortly after that Marciano/Moore fight, a month or two later Cus was asked if he thought Patterson would fight Marciano in the future, and Cus came out and basically said that it was possible some time down the road, but that Patterson "wasn't ready" for it any time soon.

Hindsight is different, but again, Patterson wasn't even a ranked heavyweight contender at the time Marciano retired (Floyd was top rated light heavyweight contender), and wouldn't be til May of 1956 (Floyd debuted at #5 in the heavyweight ranks) when his fight with Jackson was planned but not signed yet.

[Ryn0]

The general consensus is Patterson waited for Marciano to retire before making a claim at the HW crown.

[duffgun]

The general consensus is Patterson waited for Marciano to retire before making a claim at the HW crown.

not sure if that is true Patterson said there aim was to take on Marciano and Cus told Patterson that at some point he would face him this was way before anyone knew Marciano had retired, so he wasnt waiting round for him to retire. Remember as well that up till that point no one knew Patterson had a weak chin so why would they have ducked Marciano?

[alishuffle]

Rocky also knew that Patterson was pretty much next in line before he retired because in an interview, somebody asked him who had a good shot at his title and he mentioned Patterson.

[TheGreatA]

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.c...39/1/index.htm

An old Sports Illustrated magazine article from 1956 building up Floyd Patterson as a potential Rocky Marciano challenger.

[BattlingNelson]

Marciano retired because of the wear and tear his body had to endure due his relentless fighting style. The fights and training regimen took a lot out of him.

Rocky realized that it was the end after his fight with Moore. Moore KD'ed Rocky with perhaps the finest right hand he ever threw and poured it on in the following rounds. In the end Marciano got him though. Marciano sensed that he was slipping on the basis of that and called it a day.

As a bonus opinion let me add that the retirement was uncontroversial as opposed to Lennox Lewis, in the fact that he KO'ed his opponent and thereby won in convincing fashion.

[Mr. Ryan]

LOL No, Patterson didn't duck Marciano. Patterson was still competing as a light-heavyweight in 1955 when Marciano retired. It is true though that Marciano resisted an offer to return from retirement after Patterson won the title. That doesn't constitute ducking.

[BattlingNelson]

LOL No, Patterson didn't duck Marciano. Patterson was still competing as a light-heavyweight in 1955 when Marciano retired. It is true though that Marciano resisted an offer to return from retirement after Patterson won the title. That doesn't constitute ducking.

Why laugh at someone because he got it a little wrong? No need to ridicule an honest question IMO.