When Fighters talked about Rocky Marciano

Muhammad Ali often referred to Marciano when asked for resilience.
He said the hardest man to cast out would be Marciano, noting that “he is still coming and he would hit you on his arms.” Both later shared an exhibition fight, but Ali often returned to Marciano when discussing resilience rather than a skill.

When asked to compare himself to Marciano, Mike Tyson completely devoted the idea of ​​competition.
He said he was happy to be mentioned alongside Marciano, but emphasized that they were only two different fighter, adding that it was a privilege to talk about in the same sentence.

Marciano himself did not separate his inheritance from Joe Louis, whom he idolized. He later admitted that seeing Louis on the canvas during their battle had contributed to his decision to retire early.

Former heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson offered one of the most honest evaluations.
Marciano described as awkward and technically raw, saying “he had two left feet and could not actually fight,” before adding that Marciano was also “the most determined fighter I had ever seen – and he never lost.”

That view was echoed by Archie Moore, the lightweight heavyweight player.
Marciano called awkwardly, he said that some of his fighting were also awkward, but insisted he had something that could not be learned: punching a power that felt it was given by God.

George Foreman Marciano grouped with the best, once named Joe Louis, Marciano, and Jack Johnson as the best fighters ever to wear gloves.

Ali returned, and was later questioned in his career who would have been his hardest opponent, to the same answer.
He said Marciano was the hardest man to cast out and described him as a street fighter who simply refused to go away.

Former Heavyweight Champion Gwladimir Klitschko combined both ideas, calling Marciano a technical fighter and a street fighter – one who never lost.

When Ali once asked the legendary coach Cus d’Amato who would have given him the hardest battle, D’Amato was not hesitant.
He said Marciano would have been more difficult than any Ali opponent, highlighting his relentless aggression and his ability to sustain him longer than even Jack Dempsey.

Veteran coach Don Turner summarized the thing simpler, saying that Marciano was the hardest turbulent he had ever seen.