Looking back at some heavyweight match-ups and how they may have turned out, take a look at four of the very best champions.
Visualizing Rocky ‘Brockton Blockbuster’ 49-0 with 43 stoppages from Massachusett’s vs. ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson, 50-6 with 44 stoppages from Catskill, New York.
Tyson would be faster with his hands, but with that peek-a-boo style, having his hands and arms in front of him, Marciano would have a field day pounding on Tyson’s arms. Three or four rounds into the fight, you could see Tyson throwing fewer punches in return.
By the sixth round Marciano started throwing more and Tyson trying to counter with little success having his punches falling short and a bewildered look on his face.
In March of 1987, WBC champion Tyson, 28-0, faced WBA champion James ‘Bonecrusher’ Smith, 19-5, a hard-punching stationary target, at the Outside Arena in the Las Vegas Hilton, Nevada. He won almost every round but couldn’t put Smith away, who had been stopped twice.
We know Marciano could take a punch only being dropped by light heavyweight champion Archie ‘Old Mongoose’ Moore, 149-19-8, possibly holding the record for most knockouts at the time.
Tyson would probably take the early five rounds or before tiring with Marciano taking over the last ten rounds for the decision.
What do you think, boxing fans?
World champion Lennox ‘The Lion’ Lewis, 41-2-1 with 32 stoppages from West Ham, London, UK, compared to champion Larry ‘The Easton Assassin’ Holmes, 69-6 with 44 stoppages from Easton, Pennsylvania.
This would be a battle of jabs, with Lewis being the taller, but Holmes is known for his jab, even though he gets away with holding it out without penalty.
Lewis lost in the Olympics to Tyrell Biggs, who had an Ali-type style, as did Holmes for the most part. Lewis was stopped twice, and Holmes was stopped once in their careers, both of whom had good chins.
Holmes, losing to smaller opponents like Michael Spinks and Evander ‘The Real Deal’ Holyfield, would probably be able to move, not being an easy target for Lewis, able to take a fifteen-round decision 9-6.
What do you think, boxing fans?
Read the full article here
