Great clip.
Okay so Tyson had his shot against Hollyfield and Lewis but which as great heavyweights did Holmes and Marciano avoid?
I agree with you about Holmes. That said we will never know if he would have won against one of the greats. I think Marciano avoided Sonny Liston. Notwithstanding Liston's losses to Ali, I think Liston would have destroyed Marciano. Marciano beat Joe Louis, Ezzard Charles, Jersey Joe Walcot and Archie Moore. All were close to 40 and over the hill. I think he would have lost to three of them when they were in their prime. The only good heavyweight that he fought was Roland LaStarza and both fights gave him a lot of trouble. In fact many thought he lost the first fight. It was well known that his career was managed by powerful influences.
Ezzard Charles was 31 when he lost the Heavyweight Title to Marciano. They fought twice and Marciano said they were wars, the toughest fights he's ever had. Marciano was a ruthless body puncher, in his prime he may have been able to beat Ali. Liston was a sitting duck for Ali, for each punch Liston threw, Ali hit him three times. George Chuvalo copied Marciano's boxing strategy.
Rocky was 5'11 on a good day and came in at 185 lb's. So yeah a prime Liston is way bigger than him. If Rocky was fighting today he probably cuts weight and fights at super middleweight 168 Lb's. Did he duck Liston? Liston was 19-1 when Rocky retired and basically crushing cans. So I'm not sure his marquee value was very established yet. So the risk vs reward element had to be factored in.
Several months before the 1988 Olympics, however, Bowe endured some traumatic turns in his personal life: his brother Henry was diagnosed with AIDS, and his sister Brenda died from injuries sustained in a mugging. Some critics have suggested that these events adversely affected his performance in Seoul. The boxer told the Los Angeles Times that his Olympic experience has been a burden to bear ever since the summer of 1988. “The talk that I don’t have any heart, I have to take that,” he said. “Unfortunately, the Lewis fight did take place and it’ll follow me around even if I become champion, and long after that.”
