It makes sense to start with the man whose undefeated record Mayweather looks set to equal, ‘The Brockton Blockbuster’ Rocky Marciano. Having beaten the likes of Joe Louis and Jersey Joe Walcott and Ezzard Charles (both twice), the heavyweight king had already cemented his legacy by 1955, the year he bowed out from the sport.
He put the greatness of his legacy beyond all doubt when he emphatically knocked out Archie Moore, a former light-heavyweight champion and all-time great, in nine rounds in his final fight. Although he was a 4/1 favourite entering the contest, Marciano was expected to have his hands full with the legendary Moore.
61, 574 people crammed into the Yankee Stadium in New York to watch the two go at it, and the pair traded knockdowns before Marciano went on to assert his dominance, dropping Moore four times in total before he was unable to beat referee Harry Kessler’s count in the ninth.
Mayweather’s tussle with Berto is unlikely to be as enthralling or as historic, but not many will ever be able to match Marciano’s swansong.
