Heavyweight greats risking their well being and legacies in ill-advised comeback fights might really feel like a contemporary phenomenon, however the Boxing Information archives exhibits that in 1966 Rocky Marciano was contemplating it
HEAVYWEIGHT greats risking their well being and legacies in ill-advised comeback fights might really feel like a contemporary phenomenon, however again in 1966, phrase had it that Rocky Marciano was set to threat his excellent 49-0 file with a hoop return at age 43. Though Rocky would have been 15 years youthful than Holyfield was for his disastrous exhibition bout final month, solutions of the Rock re-entering the ring raised various eyebrows.
“Speak of Rocky Marciano planning a comeback is ridiculous,” thundered BN reader Joseph Simon on our letters web page. “Does Marciano, on the age of 43, critically consider he can beat any prime contender, not to mention Clay? He’s speculated to have had three personal fights and compelled all three into retirement. If that is true, it nonetheless wouldn’t imply something as a result of I consider two of the boxers to be Wayne Bethea and Bob Foster. Each second-raters. Marciano was the most effective of his day and I hope he doesn’t dent his picture by selecting to observe Jim Jeffries.”
Whereas Mr Simon’s evaluation of Foster was wildly improper (regardless of failing to make the grade at heavyweight, Bob would grow to be an all-time light-heavy nice), and his use of Clay (as an alternative of Ali) two years old-fashioned, it’s laborious to argue along with his views on a Marciano comeback 11 years after Rocky’s final combat. Fortunately, the comeback by no means occurred, though a digital comeback of kinds occurred when Marciano and Ali met in a health club in 1969, to behave out strikes for a fantasy combat whose final result could be decided by a pc. The end result remained a strict secret till the movie’s cinematic launch. The so-called “Tremendous Battle” was screened in 1970, when US and Canadian audiences noticed Marciano KO Ali within the thirteenth spherical. How this final result was determined is unclear, however tragically Rocky was not alive to see it. He had died in a aircraft crash the earlier yr, aged 45.
On the home entrance, in that week in 1966 there have been a number of notables in motion. At London’s Anglo-American Sporting Membership on October 17, Ayr’s Evan Armstrong, the reigning Scottish bantamweight champion, confirmed his potential as a risk to British titlist Walter McGowan by the way in which he dealt with Nigeria’s Orizu Obilaso, who retired in three. “If [Armstrong] can keep his energy on the bantam restrict and tighten his defence, he might hassle many of the main males in Europe,” wrote BN’s reporter. Evan would problem unsuccessfully for Alan Rudkin’s British crown in June 1969, then captured the featherweight title with a Twelfth-round KO of Jimmy Revie in July 1971. He beat José Legrá for European feather honours the next February, and gained a Lonsdale Belt outright.
Additionally combating in London that night, rising light-weight Ken Buchanan made it 14 straight wins as a professional, outscoring Brazil’s Antonio Paiva over 10 rounds on the NSC. Remarking on Buchanan’s improvement, BN famous: “From being a flexible all-round fighter with a helpful offensive right-hand punch, the Scot has been changed into virtually a carbon copy of his stablemate, Howard Winstone.” British, European and world title glory lay forward for Ken, however he wasn’t the one future titlist on the invoice.
There was additionally a six-rounder between Willie Turkington of Belfast and Bunny Sterling of St Pancras. Turkington outpointed Bunny at hand the London-based Jamaican his second defeat in two professional bouts. Sterling would lose his third combat as properly, earlier than mounting a outstanding profession turnaround. In 1968, he was topped Southern Space middleweight king, and in 1970 grew to become the primary immigrant British titlist because the BBBofC’s formation. He would win a Lonsdale Belt outright, plus the European crown.
