Ranking Marciano

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Where does Rocky Marciano place in a listing of the greatest heavyweight champions? The debate ranges from Number One to overrated and not in the top ten. In making any list, whether it be sports, music, movies, books, etc., there is always bias. We tend to pick those things we are most familiar with, or which are part of the time we live in over the obscure of other eras. So it always will be in boxing. Someone growing up in the first quarter of this century is going to tell you Dempsey, or Johnson, or Corbett was better than later fighters. Those who came along in the thirties and forties will invariably pick Joe Louis. A younger person, raised since the coming of Ali, will pick him. Someone discovering boxing in the past ten years might select Tyson or Holyfield.      One thing is consistant with Rocky. He makes the top ten list of heavyweight champions no matter who makes the list. He's usually in the top five. He has illustrious company there; Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali, Jack Dempsey invariably. It is a roll call of the greats.

George Foreman

Joe Frazier

Former Heavyweight Champion 1. Joe Louis 2. Rocky Marciano 3. Jack Johnson 4. Muhammad Ali 5. Joe Frazier 6. Jack Dempsey 7. Mike Tyson 8. Sonny Liston 9. Floyd Patterson 10. Evander Holyfield Honorable Mention: Max Baer Ezzard Charles Jersey Joe Walcott

"Just look at Rocky Marciano's record. Nobody beat him. You can't take that from him. Only because he depended solely on his left hook do I rate Joe Frazier below Marciano. Marciano could hit with both hands."

Former Heavyweight Champion 1. Joe Louis 2. Rocky Marciano 3. Joe Frazier

Frazier: Joe Louis is the greatest heavyweight champion of all time. Rocky Marciano is second only to Louis. Where do I rate Ali? Somewhere below me. I beat him, and if I could beat him, no doubt Joe Louis and Rocky Marciano could have beat him.

"As you see, I didn't make the list... The first time around, George Foreman was too mean and too crude. The second time around, too sophisticated and too publicity conscious to exploit his power..."

Boxing's Best of the Century Dateline: 12/30/99 Heavyweight Fighter of Century as chosen by a five-member panel for The Associated Press: 1. Muhammad Ali 2. Joe Louis 3. Rocky Marciano 4. Jack Dempsey 5. Jack Johnson 6. Larry Holmes 7. Sonny Liston 8.  Joe Frazier 9. Sam Langford 10. Jersey Joe Walcott

Marvin Hagler

Former Middleweight Champion In your mind, who was the greatest fighter of all-time? "Naturally, the first thought that comes to mind would have to be Muhammad Ali. He was a tremendous athlete and he was the man for the sport. He brought the highlights, the money and everything to the sport, especially the art, the real good art of boxing. Ali is more my time. But before my time, it would have to be Joe Louis or Rocky Marciano."

Bert Randolph Sugar

Abe Attell

Former editor and publisher of The Ring and Boxing International magazines. 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

Former Featherweight Champion Boxing Hall of Famer "What fighter do you think could battle successfully with Rocky 20 or 25 rounds, assuming all of them to be at their peak? No one, in my opinion. His power in setting and carrying the pace was such that none of the modern heavyweights since John L. Sullivan's time could endure his offense for the distance I have mentioned."

Eric Jorgensen Cyber Boxing Zone 1-Muhammad Ali 2-Jack Dempsey 3-Joe Louis 4-Jack Johnson 5-Jim Jeffries 6-George Foreman 7-Rocky Marciano 8-Joe Frazier 9-Gene Tunney 10-Larry Holmes For an excellent essay on his choices and on picking the great champions in general, visit Eric's site: The Cyber Boxing Zone