Rocky Marciano and Riddick Bowe: Most Underestimated Heavyweight Champions Ever
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Rocky Marciano and Riddick Bowe are former world heavyweight champions of unique distinction. Bowe and Marciano combine for a professional record of 92-1 with a recent win over every opponent they fought. Marciano had a draw on the cards against Roland LaStarza converted to a win on rounds by the referee by prior arrangement, in their first confrontation. Marciano stopped LaStarza in the rematch. Bowe lost once, to Evander Holyfield in their second match, in the famous ‘fan man’ bout in which a lunatic in a motorized paraglider landed ringside, forcing a temporary halt to the bout for 20 minutes. This in effect turned the bout into two separate bouts. Bowe subsequently won the third match with Holyfield by stopping him.
When one considers Bowe and Marciano beat every opponent they faced at the top of their game, there is no scope of comparison. In this reporter’s view, in a professional historical sense, Bowe and Marciano are the most underestimated world heavyweight champions ever.
Marciano, 49-0, fought between 1947 and 1955, and scored 43 knockouts. His career ended by choice after six title defenses. Marciano felt he still had a few good fights left in him. Ten years later, in 1965, Marciano turned down a mega payday to fight several bouts with Muhammad Ali, in what could have been the first bouts between undefeated super champions, a half century before Floyd Mayweather Jr. fought with such a concept in the lower weight classes between 147 and 160 pounds.
Bowe, 43-1 with 33 knockouts, fought between 1989 and 1996, 2004 to 2005, and 2008. Seven of Bowe’s opponents at the time he fought them had a combined record of 144 wins, no losses, and one draw. Bowe did not fight Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, Tommy Morrison, Ray Mercer, Donavan Ruddock, Larry Holmes, Michael Spinks, Trevor Berbick, Oliver McCall, Frank Bruno, and a number of other notable heavyweight in his era, indicating his career peaked but was then cut short after the two Andrew Golota disqualification wins, before his boxing legacy could be firmly evaluated as a world champion historically.
Marciano’s reasoning NOT to comeback in title bouts against Floyd Patterson, Ingemar Johansson, Cassius Clay or Sonny Liston had solely financial implications. His lifetime contract with manager Al Weill was binding, and in later life when Marciano became famous against as a keynote public speaker, he preferred to be paid in cash off the books because he could not take checks. Nonetheless, Marciano was rumored to be near broke at the time he died in a plane crash in 1969, having done the computer fight with Muhammad Ali for ten thousand dollars a year earlier, but never living to see the American and European versions of the fake computer fight.
Bowe’s inability to trust people in attempting his comebacks had to do with the ‘hangers on’ who constituted his ‘entourage’ who ultimately did not look after his financial interests. The so-called ‘team’ took him for everything, ruined his reputation without medical evidence or justification by implying Bowe was ‘damaged goods’ without evidence or justification, and dumped him in the in the midst of minor court troubles. Bowe later went to court but gave up, as he lacked the money to fight, and the money was long gone. It was too late. Bowe was a shining knight compared to many others, but suffered due to poor management who made poor financial decisions. Bowe had 15 million in 1996, later went bankrupt, and his second marriage home in Hephzibah, Georgia, went into foreclosure.
It remains incredulous heavyweight champions like Rocky Marciano, Riddick Bowe, Iron Mike Tyson and Michael Spinks could be left broke or near broke after the great sums of money they made on paper for their championship bouts during their career. Poor management and advisement is not limited to boxing. Many athletes have wound up in this position. In terms of raw ability, Bowe and Marciano were the best of the best of the heavyweight division, fighting every opponent put in front of them, and always finding the way to win.
Bowe and Marciano would have fought Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko fearlessly, and would have performed better against them in a heavyweight championship match than the limited Klitschko heavyweight wannabe opponents of recent memory, who show up for a payday but have no game plan, and who lack sufficient size, skills, or power punching ability as would be required to wage a competitive bout. As Lennox Lewis and the late Corrie Sanders proved, both Klitschkos could be dismantled rather easily by power hitters who could take their styles and pick them apart. Subsequent opponents could not duplicate the original winning power punching battle plan which wbeat both Klitschkos.
Both Marciano and Bowe made power hitting on the inside the epicenter of their game plan, which for the Klitschko brothers would have been trouble. Bowe and Marciano knew how: to fight the right fight, with strength, speed and heart; knew how to neutralize their opponent’s advantages; knew how to exploit their disadvantages; and knew how to combine technical speed and skill with power, making the best defense a powerful offense. Once hit by the power hitter, all advantage created by technical skill go out the window, which both Marciano and Bowe knew. This was the principal reason Marciano felt he could beat Muhammad Ali in a real fight.
The sore armed Ali, who sued the promoters of the computer fight after filming was completed for physical damage received from Marciano, had the muscles and tendons in his shoulders and arms ripped to shreds by the 45 year old Marciano in the computer fight sequences, whose natural ability as a power hitter shined through at age 45 even when he was not even trying. Instinctively the battle plan of a power hitter is never compromised. In the end, the power hitter of ability always makes his statement against the best of scientific boxers. Before staging the computer fight filming, Marciano went back into training on his own, and did the work and roadwork as he always did, which he knew he had to do, which Muhammad Ali was clearly not prepared for when he showed up.
As for Bowe versus Marciano in a heavyweight championship match, Marciano wins by 15 round decision if Bowe let him inside as he did Golota, or Bowe wins by 15 round decision if he moves well on the outside, and lands his power shots from range distance on Marciano while keeping him away. Chance knockdowns might affect the scoring in a close tactical bout between these two great champions, and the contrast between fighting style could have meant a 15 round split decision or majority decision on the world title scorecards.
If the bout were held in the 1950’s, the scorecards should have favored Marciano. If the bout were held in the 1990’s, the scorecards should have favored Bowe. More than likely, Rocky Marciano would take chances and go for the knockout if he fought Bowe in the recent era. If Bowe then also decided to go for broke, a George Foreman versus Ron Lyle type slufest could have also resulted, in which case one of the participants would get ten counted out. In a recent interview, Bowe stated his game plan as the much bigger man would be to keep Marciano on the outside and outwork him from a distance. Bowe knew the shorter come forward Marciano would try to get inside anyway, and would have to be solidly outworked in 15 round contest. Marciano would argue Golota proved Bowe could be dropped and outboxed in 15 rounds by a stronger superior fighter who knew how to fight his way inside. Rocky Marciano was, to his credit, a sharper boxer than Andrew Golota.
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