Marciano Vs. Cockell

[Hydraulix]

Why do you think it took so long for Rocky to put Cockell away? At first I thought it may have been because Rocky was "getting old" in the ring, but based on the fact that he beat the brakes off of Archie Moore in his next fight, it shows that Rocky was still in his prime. Did Cockell just happen to miraculously have a good chin on this one night in history, or was it just a bad performance by the Rock?

[MRBILL]

Hell, No......... Donny "The Cock" Cockell had some rugged toughness built up inside of him............. "The Cock" was not the most skilled guy in the 1950s, but he was durable........ Rocky Marciano was in control all the way through......... Cockell was limited in skill, but tuff as nails.......... He was NOT a skilled fighter when he was over his PRIME fighting weight in '55, but he was no rookie........... He knew how to handle himself............. But, in the end, the champ ( Marciano) got the job done..............

I got this fight on tape.......... It was fought up in Frisko, CA...

MR.BILL

[TonyT]

13 candles I love that book.

[Hydraulix]

So do you think Cockell had the chin to survive against Frazier for 9 rounds as well?

[MRBILL]

So do you think Cockell had the chin to survive against Frazier for 9 rounds as well?

Hmmmm.... Cockell to Marciano was like Quarry to Frazier........... Tuff dudes who were in over their head with a superior fighter......
:deal:thumbsup:bbb:rasta

MR.BILL

[janitor]

Did Cockell just happen to miraculously have a good chin on this one night in history, or was it just a bad performance by the Rock?

Bit of both.

Cockell was carrying the expectations of an entire nation and was a tough cookie anyway.

Marciano gave a C+ grade performance.

Every ATG has had a similar night.

[Mr Butt]

cockell was tough but marciano must of had a bit of an off night

[Mendoza]

Why do you think it took so long for Rocky to put Cockell away? At first I thought it may have been because Rocky was "getting old" in the ring, but based on the fact that he beat the brakes off of Archie Moore in his next fight, it shows that Rocky was still in his prime. Did Cockell just happen to miraculously have a good chin on this one night in history, or was it just a bad performance by the Rock?

I think you could say that Cockell had a better chin than Charles, Walcott or Moore. I think Marciano beat slightly past or past their prime venisons of Charles and Walcott. The Moore win had some legs for Marciano because Moore proved he was not washed up by rebounding after the loss to score some decent wins. Charles and Wlacott were very poor after losing once to Rocky.

Rocky was having another filmed off night ( the other was vs Pastor ), and Marciano looked very sloppy vs Moore. Rocky hit Cockel with solid shots, including low blows.

So why did Cockell last this long? I think it was a case of Marciano starting to slip a little, and Cockell being a bit more durable than the more well known fighters Rocky KO'd.

Sometimes when I watch Marciano I think to myself he would be in trouble vs more skilled bigger fighters. Other times I think he would find a way. Intersting guy. Marciano certainly had all the stamina, and heart a fighter would need.

[mcvey]

I think you could say that Cockell had a better chin than Charles, Walcott or Moore. I think Marciano beat slightly past or past their prime venisons of Charles and Walcott. The Moore win had some legs for Marciano because Moore proved he was not washed up by rebounding after the loss to score some decent wins. Charles and Wlacott were very poor after losing once to Rocky.

Rocky was having another filmed off night ( the other was vs Pastor ), and Marciano looked very sloppy vs Moore. Rocky hit Cockel with solid shots, including low blows.

So why did Cockell last this long? I think it was a case of Marciano starting to slip a little, and Cockell being a bit more durable than the more well known fighters Rocky KO'd.

Sometimes when I watch Marciano I think to myself he would be in trouble vs more skilled bigger fighters. Other times I think he would find a way. Intersting guy. Marciano certainly had all the stamina, and heart a fighter would need.
Glad some one mentioned the low blows,one while he was down and a couple after the bell plus the headwork.If one was unkind you would say that the fact Cockell was 26 and not 40 years old made a difference,he was never going to win but gave it his best shot.
Cockell extracted a promise from his manager Johnny Simpson,"that whatever happens in there dont you F*****G well stop it".Cockell knew what he was in for but took his lumps and honoured his calling.

[turpinr]

Glad some one mentioned the low blows,one while he was down and a couple after the bell plus the headwork.If one was unkind you would say that the fact Cockell was 26 and not 40 years old made a difference,he was never going to win but gave it his best shot.
Cockell extracted a promise from his manager Johnny Simpson,"that whatever happens in there dont you F*****G well stop it".Cockell knew what he was in for but took his lumps and honoured his calling.

in other words he didn't lack balls

[mcvey]

in other words he didn't lack balls

No he didn't.
I met him years after, he was a paint rep for a company my ex wife worked for, very modest man ,he said he was never any good after the Marciano fight.

[turpinr]

No he didn't.
I met him years after, he was a paint rep for a company my ex wife worked for, very modest man ,he said he was never any good after the Marciano fight.

no,there was only really archie moore that did.
didn't cockell have trouble with his voice,laterly ??

[mcvey]

no,there was only really archie moore that did.
didn't cockell have trouble with his voice,laterly ??

Yes he died of cancer ,of the oesophagus or larynx I beleive. A benefit night was held for him, Reg Gutteridge and Cooper etc were there,very sad ,poor old Don couldnt speak ,but he smiled his thanks to everyone.

[turpinr]

Yes he died of cancer ,of the oesophagus or larynx I beleive. A benefit night was held for him, Reg Gutteridge and Cooper etc were there,very sad ,poor old Don couldnt speak ,but he smiled his thanks to everyone.

i remember seeing it on tv.had he been a blacksmith at one time ??

[mcvey]

i remember seeing it on tv.had he been a blacksmith at one time ??

Yes he served his time at that trade.

[SuzieQ49]

I think you could say that Cockell had a better chin than Charles, Walcott or Moore

Not a chance. Walcott was actually very durable facing the greatest heavyweight punchers of all time(in fact walcott faced the 3rd most punchers out of any heavyweight champion), and only getting stopped near his prime by louis and marciano after it took them many rounds

I think Marciano beat slightly past or past their prime venisons of Charles and Walcott.

This is where you are totally wrong. You claim James J Corbett was in his prime going into the Jeffries fight, yet corbett showed NO LEGS after the jeffries loss. This is a double standard.

1. You have to take into account what walcott and charles did BEFORE they fought Marciano rather than afterward. Look at Roland Lastarza and Rex Layne, both under 25....yet they accomplished NOTHING after marciano beat them....does that mean they had no legs either?

2. Marciano was the best ruiner of all time. When fighters got knocked out by him, they were NEVER the same again. History proves this to be true of marcianos young and older opponents.


Walcott was heavyweight champion when Rocky beat him, and coming off his two biggest wins of his career over Prime Ezzard Charles. Walcott also fought the fight of his life vs marciano. This was Marcianos best opponent by far. Would Archie Moore had beaten the versions of Jersey Joe Walcott, Ezzard Charles, and Joe Louis that marciano beat? I highly doubt it.


Charles was 11-2 in his last 13 fights, and coming off two knockouts over top 10 contenders Coley Wallace and Bob Satterfield. The Satterfield fight is Charles best film kayo. This shows me charles was still very dangerous top boxer going into the marciano fight. Charles put up a memorable performance in the june 1954 fight. Boxing and Wrestling July 1954 said "No fighter in the world could have lasted those 15 rounds with that version of ezzard charles, let alone with the decision."


Bottom Line is Charles and Walcott had good legs GOING INTO the marciano fight as proven by there most recent fights. Marciano RUINED THEM. Louis, Layne, Lastarza all had good legs going into the Marciano fight. After the fight, they were suddenly ruined. I see a pattern developing here. Marciano broke these men physically and mentally. He ruined these men.

[guilalah]

I think it's a combination of Cockell being better than he looked, and Rocky trying to end it too early -- to much head shooting, not enough body work to set it up. After a few rounds Rocky wised up.

[mcvey]

Not a chance. Walcott was actually very durable facing the greatest heavyweight punchers of all time(in fact walcott faced the 3rd most punchers out of any heavyweight champion), and only getting stopped near his prime by louis and marciano after it took them many rounds



This is where you are totally wrong. You claim James J Corbett was in his prime going into the Jeffries fight, yet corbett showed NO LEGS after the jeffries loss. This is a double standard.

1. You have to take into account what walcott and charles did BEFORE they fought Marciano rather than afterward. Look at Roland Lastarza and Rex Layne, both under 25....yet they accomplished NOTHING after marciano beat them....does that mean they had no legs either?

2. Marciano was the best ruiner of all time. When fighters got knocked out by him, they were NEVER the same again. History proves this to be true of marcianos young and older opponents.


Walcott was heavyweight champion when Rocky beat him, and coming off his two biggest wins of his career over Prime Ezzard Charles. Walcott also fought the fight of his life vs marciano. This was Marcianos best opponent by far. Would Archie Moore had beaten the versions of Jersey Joe Walcott, Ezzard Charles, and Joe Louis that marciano beat? I highly doubt it.


Charles was 11-2 in his last 13 fights, and coming off two knockouts over top 10 contenders Coley Wallace and Bob Satterfield. The Satterfield fight is Charles best film kayo. This shows me charles was still very dangerous top boxer going into the marciano fight. Charles put up a memorable performance in the june 1954 fight. Boxing and Wrestling July 1954 said "No fighter in the world could have lasted those 15 rounds with that version of ezzard charles, let alone with the decision."


Bottom Line is Charles and Walcott had good legs GOING INTO the marciano fight as proven by there most recent fights. Marciano RUINED THEM. Louis, Layne, Lastarza all had good legs going into the Marciano fight. After the fight, they were suddenly ruined. I see a pattern developing here. Marciano broke these men physically and mentally. He ruined these men.
Marciano left his mark on many fighters,they were diminished after being in there with him.

[SuzieQ49]

Mvey,

do you agree corbett was nowhere near his prime when he fought jeffries?

[Dempsey1238]

Corbett was still a top fighter, but not in his prime.

[Joe E]

No he didn't.
I met him years after, he was a paint rep for a company my ex wife worked for, very modest man ,he said he was never any good after the Marciano fight.A lot of people were no good after they fought Marciano.

[My2Sense]

Marciano's power was sometimes hard to gauge. He had some fights where he would pound on the guy all night long before finally stopping them, or perhaps not even stopping them at all; but then in between, he'd have fights where he would shockingly KO the guy with one punch out of the blue, like Layne, Matthews, and Walcott (twice).

Cockell had already been stopped by blown up Randy Turpin only a couple of years before fighting Marciano, and he was absolutely crushed by Nino Valdes afterward, so it is a bit puzzling that he would be able to take so many of the Rock's punches before going out. But then shit happens. :conf

[Russell]

I think Marciano not sparking some guys out is due to his very imprecise punching. When he did connect flush on a guys jaw like with Matthews and Walcott, he could spark a guy out.

But he was pretty wild a lot of the time, punching out of that crouch and what not. And from what I've seen he wasn't always very accurate and would hit you wherever the hell he could.

[Dempsey1238]

All fighters have that unpressive night.

I would not used this fight to judge the Rock as a great.

He is mostly rember for his battles with Walcott and Charles, and Moore. The Cockell fight was just a nose test.

[SuzieQ49]

My2sense,

I agree on the whole about cockell. But a few points....

Cockell had already been stopped by blown up Randy Turpin only a couple of years before fighting Marciano, and he was absolutely crushed by Nino Valdes afterward


I think this is the key word. History shows us once a guy took a beating from marciano, he was never the same again. I think Marciano took alot out of cockell. Cockell was vomitting blood in his corner between rounds 4-8. He refused to quit only because his country was rooting for him. Cockell showed up a career high 218lb vs Valdez, compared to 205lb vs marciano. I believe Cockell was washed up by the time he got in the ring vs Valdez. Valdez did impressivley knock him down and stop him on cuts early, but I think cockell was just plain ruined at that point. I dont think Our Don ever recorded another win after that Marciano beating. Prior to fighting Marciano, Cockell was on an 11 fight winning streak and had vaulted himself into the # 2 rated contender.


Marciano didnt just ruin and end the careers of "Old" guys like Walcott, Louis, Charles....but He also ruined the careers of young guns like Layne, Lastarza, Vingo, Matthews, and Cockell as well. Look at all of these guys records before fighting Marciano, and compare it with there record AFTER they fought Marciano. You would be shocked at the difference.

[My2Sense]

Marciano didnt just ruin and end the careers of "Old" guys like Walcott, Louis, Charles....but He also ruined the careers of young guns like Layne, Lastarza, Vingo, Matthews, and Cockell as well. Look at all of these guys records before fighting Marciano, and compare it with there record AFTER they fought Marciano. You would be shocked at the difference.

Out of all those guys, Cockell is the one that I don't see a clear cut difference for. He had already been destroyed by Jimmy Slade and Randy Turpin not too long before fighting Marciano. He wasn't one of those guys who had shown a proven solid chin prior to fighting Rocky like those other guys had. There was reason to question his sturdiness coming into the fight.

[Hank]

So do you think Cockell had the chin to survive against Frazier for 9 rounds as well?


Cockell would give Frazier trouble, lose by decision. He was good boxer, great chin, and tough.

I saw the show that Marciano used to do, forget name. He was host. He talked about Cockell fight, and said problem he had was people saying that if he didn't ko guy right away, or totally dominate, he (marciano) was overated. On top of that, no matter how he performed, he was damned if he did, damned if he didn't, I'm para phrasing comment. Marciano said just before fight in his dressing room Al Weil, his asshole of a manager, repeated it again.

[HomicideHenry]

Marciano's power was sometimes hard to gauge. He had some fights where he would pound on the guy all night long before finally stopping them, or perhaps not even stopping them at all; but then in between, he'd have fights where he would shockingly KO the guy with one punch out of the blue, like Layne, Matthews, and Walcott (twice).

Cockell had already been stopped by blown up Randy Turpin only a couple of years before fighting Marciano, and he was absolutely crushed by Nino Valdes afterward, so it is a bit puzzling that he would be able to take so many of the Rock's punches before going out. But then shit happens. :conf

Weird things happen in boxing. Remember Foreman's bouts with Peralta? He had a hell of a time knocking him out, but at the same token, just a few years before Peralta was knocked out early by Willi Besmanoff, who had one of the lowest kayo percentages of an elite fighter I ever seen.

[mcvey]

Mvey,

do you agree corbett was nowhere near his prime when he fought jeffries?

Corbett ,when he fought Jeffries the first time had been inactive for 2 years,he was nearly 34 years old.Corbett had lost his last 2 fights prior to the Jeffries one ,and drawn the one before that so he had not won a fight in 6 years.
Corbett's style was based on his speed and reflexes, 2 years of inaction at what was then an advanced age for a fighter,and one who depended so much on his athleticism, was a mighty steep hill to climb.
Add to this disadvantage the fact that Corbett was conceding 30 lbs to Jeffries,if the fight had been 15rds, reports suggest that Corbett would have won back the title,he gave Jeffries a boxing lesson.
However that does not mean Corbett was in his prime or even near it, it means he HAD been a marvellous boxer ,whilst Jeffries was NOT.
The rematch was a more emphatic result by all accounts ,Corbett was nearly 37 years old had not fought in 3 years, a fixed fight with Kid McCoy being his only outing ,and this time was conceding 37 lbs to the Champion.
Jeffries NEVER beat a great champion in their prime, not his fault ,thats how it panned out ,but to suggest that the Corbett who faced Jeffries was the same as the one who had wrecked Sullivan and slaughtered Charlie Mitchell is silly.imo.

[janitor]

Out of all those guys, Cockell is the one that I don't see a clear cut difference for. He had already been destroyed by Jimmy Slade and Randy Turpin not too long before fighting Marciano. He wasn't one of those guys who had shown a proven solid chin prior to fighting Rocky like those other guys had. There was reason to question his sturdiness coming into the fight.

I do think that Cockell upped his game somewhat after the loss to Turpin.

Look at the change in the quality of oposition he was fighting and beating over that period. You have wins over Harry Kid Matthews and Roland LaStarza going into the Marciano fight.

The subsequent stoppage loss to Valdez was caused by a cut incidentaly.

[GPater11093]

Charles was 11-2 in his last 13 fights, and coming off two knockouts over top 10 contenders Coley Wallace and Bob Satterfield. The Satterfield fight is Charles best film kayo. This shows me charles was still very dangerous top boxer going into the marciano fight. Charles put up a memorable performance in the june 1954 fight. Boxing and Wrestling July 1954 said "No fighter in the world could have lasted those 15 rounds with that version of ezzard charles, let alone with the decision."





but it is a terrible performance by Charles he is getting ut boxed and hit hard by Satterfield and he lands one good punch

[mattdonnellon]

Was Mendoza having an off day when he wrote "Rocky was having another filmed off night ( the other was vs Pastor ), and Marciano looked very sloppy vs Moore. Rocky hit Cockel with solid shots, including low blows." Do we substitute LaStarza for Pastor?
And HomicideHenry, when did Besmanoff ko Peralta or even fight him?
Anyway it is far too simplistic to reduce the multi-complex sport of boxing to wondering why it took a fighter a few rounds more or less to stop another.

[SuzieQ49]

but it is a terrible performance by Charles he is getting ut boxed and hit hard by Satterfield and he lands one good punch

Terrible? How so? He got caught early by one of the hardest hitters of all time and a very early starter....the very fact that charles weathered the storm, did not go down, and found enough focus to set up that perfectly timed left hook speaks for his greatness. Hardly "Terrible" like you claim.

[My2Sense]

He had a hell of a time knocking him out, but at the same token, just a few years before Peralta was knocked out early by Willi Besmanoff, who had one of the lowest kayo percentages of an elite fighter I ever seen.

:huh

That never happened.

[GPater11093]

Terrible? How so? He got caught early by one of the hardest hitters of all time and a very early starter....the very fact that charles weathered the storm, did not go down, and found enough focus to set up that perfectly timed left hook speaks for his greatness. Hardly "Terrible" like you claim.

you cant exactly say he dominated Satterfield he got attacked early then hit him with 1 big punch i wouldnt call it his best performance but it was impressive

[MRBILL]

Mvey,

do you agree corbett was nowhere near his prime when he fought jeffries?

Off the top of my head, Jim Corbett was iced by Fitz in 1897 and his fights with Jeffries were like 1901 or 1902..... YES! Corbett was at or near 36 / 37 yrs old and much smaller and older than Jeffries....... 100% guaranteed that Corbett was over-the-hill by 1900....... No doubt........

Again, without looking back at my old books, I think Jim Corbett was hatched in 1866 and kicked-off in 1933 or so..... Just shy of age 70....

Jimbo Jeffries was hatched in 1875 and checked-out in 1953 at about age 78.....

Jeffries just too powerful for Corbett by 1899 on onward.......

SR.BILLARDO:deal:thumbsup:rasta

[dondada]

Relatively new British poster here.

Don Cockell was one hard bastard. As Marciano himself said, "I never hit a man so hard, so often." Marciano also fouled the fuck out of him, needlessly, and was allowed to do so.

Don was a light-heavyweight really. I seem to remember he had some diabetes type problem which prompted his step up to heavy but, hey, my memory can be dodgy.

[HomicideHenry]

:huh

That never happened.

Sorry, I meant Willie Pastrano :lol: not Besmanoff

[My2Sense]

Sorry, I meant Willie Pastrano :lol: not Besmanoff

Well, that didn't quite happen either. That fight ended purely on a cut eye stoppage, not a knockout.

[fists of fury]

The Cockell fight was just a nose test.

That's the reason I would put forth.
Cockell probably surprised Marciano with his toughness and gameness though.

[yancey]

Cockell would give Frazier trouble, lose by decision. He was good boxer, great chin, and tough.

I saw the show that Marciano used to do, forget name. He was host. He talked about Cockell fight, and said problem he had was people saying that if he didn't ko guy right away, or totally dominate, he (marciano) was overated. On top of that, no matter how he performed, he was damned if he did, damned if he didn't, I'm para phrasing comment. Marciano said just before fight in his dressing room Al Weil, his asshole of a manager, repeated it again.

I would be very surprised to see Cockell go the distance with Frazier.

Cockell-Marciano was painful for me to watch.

[Hydraulix]

I just watched this fight the other day. Wow....what a beating.

[Unforgiven]

People around Rocky admitted he couldn't really get motivated for Don Cockell, who really wasn't any sort of threat to him.
I think Rocky's "imprecise punching" often allowed guys to get tortured for a few extras rounds rather than clean KO'd, and he was an extra bit sloppy with Cockell because his hunger wasn't at 100%.

I have seen Randy Turpin v Don Cockell and I prefered the way Turpin disptached Don, and that was at Don's natural weight before the glandular fever messed up his metabolism. I cant say Cockell improved at all as a heavyweight, and his rise up the ratings at heavyweight just shows how weak the division was or how skewed the ratings were !

[Unforgiven]

I would also like to say Don Cockell showed the heart of a warrior in that fight, and his heart and courage and determination must have been a factor in how he survived so long with Rocky too, to be fair.

The referee was a bit late in stopping it, I think. Cockell clearly didn't know where he was when he got up for the last time, and the referee let him take a few after that.

[Grinder]

Cockell was definitely durable. I don't think you can take away from the Rock just because he couldn't KO him in two rounds.

It was mentioned eariler: Rocky sacrificed accuracy for power. La Starza had post-fight injuries on his arms (chipped bones I heard) from hard shots from Marciano.

If Rocky didn't connect in the KO zone, he continued to brutally break boxers down until they were so tired or dazed that he could finish them.

Someone should properly analyse fighters post-Marciano. Consider that this could be one big reason he is often considered over-rated - because of the fighters' performances after fighting him. If he ruined them and they subsequently were KOed early it was because they were no good, not because Marciano had wrecked them.

Exactly as he said: "damned if you do, damned if you don't"

Walcott KO 13 = It took too long
Walcott KO 1 = Walcott was past it (after fighting the Rock?)
Cockell KO 9 = It took too long

Without any disrespect, I think you can see from the Vingo fight what Rocky's punching power could do. I believe Vingo was still young, so he wasn't damaged pre-fight.

[Rubber Warrior]

It's entirely possible that Marciano wasn't "up" for Cockell the way he was for Moore. All of the greats had this problem at one time or another. I just happen to feel that his relatively flat effort against Cockell was nothing more than that. On the other hand, Don was up for Rocky and fought beyond himself to an extent.

I'd need to see more such showings (and there aren't any) from Rocky before I make the suggestion he was starting to "slip".

[PetethePrince]

People around Rocky admitted he couldn't really get motivated for Don Cockell, who really wasn't any sort of threat to him.
I think Rocky's "imprecise punching" often allowed guys to get tortured for a few extras rounds rather than clean KO'd, and he was an extra bit sloppy with Cockell because his hunger wasn't at 100%.

I have seen Randy Turpin v Don Cockell and I prefered the way Turpin disptached Don, and that was at Don's natural weight before the glandular fever messed up his metabolism. I cant say Cockell improved at all as a heavyweight, and his rise up the ratings at heavyweight just shows how weak the division was or how skewed the ratings were !

Yep. Marciano said "How could I get up for this guy. He's a bum." It's true that Marciano still trained but he didn't have quite the same spirit as he very well knew that Cockell wasn't a force. Cockell was tough and took a terrible beating. This is Marciano's worst performance and it's not a prime Marciano in my book. He was a bit sloppy and imprecise in there. Marciano of 52 probably could've scored a earlier KO. Who knows though. Marciano was head-hunting and battering him. Cockell was in survival mode for the whole fight and fight with galantry.

Bit of both.

Cockell was carrying the expectations of an entire nation and was a tough cookie anyway.

Marciano gave a C+ grade performance.

Every ATG has had a similar night.

This seems fair, short, and to the point.

[DFW]

Weird things happen in boxing. Remember Foreman's bouts with Peralta? He had a hell of a time knocking him out, but at the same token, just a few years before Peralta was knocked out early by Willi Besmanoff, who had one of the lowest kayo percentages of an elite fighter I ever seen.


Peralta never fought Besmanoff. I think that you are talking about Willie Pastrano. Pastrano stopped Peralta on a cut. He didn't knock him out or even come close.

[TheGreatA]

Marciano looked pretty sloppy against Lee Savold as well. Wouldn't say he was truly past his prime, just not one of his best performances.

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

Cockell was tough but Turpin caught him flush on the chin and knocked him out. Marciano wasn't able to get at him with any really good punch despite throwing and landing a ton of them.

[red cobra]

Rocky just had an off night...good for him that it was against Cockell and not someone else.

[janitor]

Marciano looked pretty sloppy against Lee Savold as well.

The Savold fight is considered by Marciano fans to be his worst performence on film.

It is purported that he was suffering from flu going into the fight and it at least looks plausible given his showing.

[The Mongoose]

Surprised this hasn't been mentioned but it certianly was a factor:

Going into the Cockell fight, Marciano was coming off an usually "long for him" layoff after getting his nose nearly torn off by a stray elbow in the Charles fight. It was a test match against a tough top 10 but non threatening opponent for his surgically reparied face.

[Hydraulix]

This is Marciano's worst performance and it's not a prime Marciano in my book. Marciano of 52 probably could've scored a earlier KO.

Looking back, I think you could be right. Rocky was nearing the end of his rope at this point.

[mister]

the fight looked like some sort of comedy i was laughing through the whole sham of a fight:yep:think

[RockyJim]

It took some fighters months to get over a beating administered by Marciano....The
Rock ruined a lot of guys.....

[mister]

most of these guys were out of shape journeyman:yep:think

[Bill1234]

It was a mixture of Marciano being on the downhill slide and taking Cockell lightly (even though Rocky was still in superb shape). I've read that Marciano himself was not happy with his performance that night.

[Il Duce]

Rocky was sloppy.
He knew it, and he didn't hide the fact.
He was suffering from lower back-spasms, and didn't make an excuse.

[mister]

i dont think it had any thing to due with marciano ability i think that cockell was just over matched he had no fight plan he just went in and became a punching bag:yep:think

[red cobra]

I can just hear Rocky now..exasperated...saying in his defense..."Geez...can't a guy have an off night once in a while?"

[RockysSplitNose]

i remember seeing it on tv.had he been a blacksmith at one time ??

Here's some of it :good

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

For the record IMO the only braver and more courageous stand was that of Willard's versus the vicious Jack Dempsey

[Seamus]

Here's some of it :good

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

For the record IMO the only braver and more courageous stand was that of Willard's versus the vicious Jack Dempsey

Thanks. Never seen this. I believe he passed shortly after this affair.

True respect.