DICE Boxing: Muhammad Ali vs Rocky Marciano - The Rematch

I believe the quick win for Rocky Marciano in my first attempt at this fight was something of an anomaly so I endeavoured to try againat a later date, resulting in more of the real thriller I had been expecting thanks in part to my stamina comment for the original fight coming to pass.

Going into the third both men had a round under their belts; Ali totally dominating the first with Rocky unable to land a single punch, and Marciano claiming the second, busting his opponents nose in the process. It was two in a row for Marciano, but only due to a single judge going against his colleagues in scoring it a draw. The fourth proved to be another close one, this time Ali's stick and move strategy impressing the judges enough to unanimously make it two rounds a piece.

Another thoroughly dominant round was Ali's in the fifth, connecting on Marciano eleven times and showing confidence in his movement. The rounds were even again when Rocky was given the benefit of the doubt by all three judges in an electrifying sixth round where both men connected five times and looked as even as a calm. The difference may have come due to the unsightly injury inflicted above Ali's left eye.

It was at this halfway stage that Rocky Marciano looked to be past his best and Ali's superior stamina would threaten to take control of the match. However, another favourable scoring round in the seventh followed by a punishing eighth had Marciano ahead before Ali took a tight one of his own in the ninth outhitting the other man successfully 5-4.

The severe fatigue felt by Marciano was now very apparent as he just connected once on four attempts during the tenth round to Ali's seven from thirteen. It would have been another tough call for the judges after the penultimate round if not for an early stinger from Ali knocking a burned-out but sly in his movement Marciano to the mat. Ali then took a final pounding throughout the final round to give Marciano a 7-5 advantage in rounds won, but it all came down to the judges score.

Punches Landed/Attempted - Ali 61/111 (54.95%), Marciano 52/100 (52.00%)
Total Points (at the end of the last completed round) - Ali 223; Marciano 205
Judges Cards (at the end of the last completed round) - Ali 116-115, 115-114, 114-114 Marciano
Fouls - Ali 0; Marciano 0
Cuts Opened - Ali 0; Marciano 2

DICE Boxing: Henry Cooper vs Frank Bruno

Before returning to the Ali/Marciano matchup, an all-British contest. Bruno is a clear favourite but Cooper has a chance if he can prolong the match. The chances of a knock-out is high.

Unfortunately it was another short fight with Frank Bruno simply dominating proceedings, none more so than in the first round where he connected with eight punches; Cooper struggling to gain any kind of control. The second round was more of the same with Bruno swinging freely, but not hitting his mark as often until seconds before the bell when he had his opponent down on the mat. Cooper was not looking in very good shape upon leaving his corner for a third round and was defeated on the very next punch.

Punches Landed/Attempted - Bruno 14/29 (48.27%), Cooper 2/7 (28.57%)
Total Points (at the end of the last completed round) - Bruno 47; Cooper 11
Judges Cards (at the end of the last completed round) - Bruno 20-17, 20-17, 20-17 Cooper
Fouls - Bruno 0; Cooper 0
Cuts Opened - Bruno 0; Cooper 0

DICE Boxing: Muhammad Ali vs Rocky Marciano

In a rematch of the fictional Superfight Marciano went in as as light favourite but the tables would turn if Ali could make the match last longer than Rockey's stamina. The fight was a short one and one I may return to at a later time.

The bout was decided by knockout, not in the thirteenth as in the Superfight, but in the fourth round. Marciano came out with a purpose at the first bell to take the round he dominated, and the second saw him knock down Ali early on, but Muhammad got back up perhaps looking a little shaky. After clearing the cobwebs Ali took the third round unanimously, and took a low blow from Marciano, but was wholly unprepared for the very first punch of the fourth as he ended up out for the count.

Punches Landed/Attempted - Ali 14/27 (51.85%), Marciano 16/29 (55.17%)
Total Points (at the end of the last completed round) - Ali 45; Marciano 67
Judges Cards (at the end of the last completed round) - Ali 27-29, 27-29, 27-29 Marciano
Fouls - Ali 0; Marciano 1
Cuts Opened - Ali 0; Marciano 0

DICE Boxing: Joe Louis vs Max Schmeling

Not a what-if this time as they met on two occasions, once in 1936 where Schmeling knocked down Louis for the first time in his career, and the second contest was a first round slaughter from Joe Louis. You can see video of the first and second on YouTube.

In DICE Boxing Joe Louis is good for his position as the favourite going into the match, and it was closer to their real-life second encounter than the first. Max Schmeling started out with bad luck as Louis somehow took the first round despite how even it really was, and that single 10-10 score would be the only time the German was given anything on the scorecards.

While Louis rained down punches on his opponent, Schmeling only made contact very sporadically. So much so that his first round of five punches landed was his best of the match; he only connected four times in the third and seventh rounds. That third round was when the American opened up a cut around Max's left eye and the eventual loser looked out of steam with three rounds to box allowing the victor to hit at will.

Punches Landed/Attempted - Louis 73/142 (51.40%), Schmeling 30/65 (46.15%0
Total Points (at the end of the last completed round) - Louis 269; Schmeling 113
Judges Cards (at the end of the last completed round) - Louis 120-109, 120-108, 120-108 Schmeling
Fouls - Louis 0; Schmeling 0
Cuts Opened - Louis 1; Schmeling 0

DICE Boxing: Jersey Joe Walcott vs Evander Holyfield

Another what-if match between boxers of different eras; one where both men match up well together on the DICE Boxing cards. Evander Holyfield (1984- ) went in as favourite with a better control rating, but all other ratings were very comparable between Holyfield and Jersey Joe Walcott (1930-1953)

Despite this similarity between them it was pretty much one-way traffic with Walcott only taking two rounds outright. Holyfield took control early and held on to it for long spells, dominating the opening two rounds. The third was scored 10-9 10-10 9-10 as Walcott woke up, matching his opponent bell-to-bell, and was unlucky to come out of the fourth 10-10 9-10 10-10 as he looked the better fighter.

Holyfield then reasserted his authority, taking three straight rounds outright, and it was in the seventh round that Jersey Joe first started to show signs of the beating he was enduring as a cut in his mouth needed treatment. Despite his forehead also being opened, Walcott tied Holyfield for the eighth. With the events that had preceded the ninth round showing Holyfield to be the clear favourite at this stage, Walcott went on to have the best control of the entire match throughout the ninth and tenth rounds before normality resumed in the final two rounds. Adding injury to insult Evander broke the nose and reopened the wound on the forehead of his opponent in the twelfth, the second round of the match where Walcott failed to land a punch.

Punches Landed/Attempted - Holyfield 55/117 (47.00%), Walcott 33/89 (37.00%)
Total Points (at the end of the last completed round) - Holyfield 212, Walcott 143
Judges Cards (at the end of the last completed round) - Holyfield 116-113, 118-111, 118-113 Walcott
Fouls - Holyfield 0, Walcott 0
Cuts Opened - Holyfield 3, Walcott 0

DICE Boxing: Larry Holmes vs Riddick Bowe

There are a number of dream matches that boxing fans debate about, and I have taken it upon myself to play out a few of these. Holmes vs Bowe is widely regarded as one that should be very close with Holmes taking the win by judges' decision. Interestingly, in DICE Boxing Riddick Bowe (1989-2005) is a slight favourite over Larry Holmes (1973-2002).

The first round was a close one with Bowe coming out to try and put his man down early and taking it 10-9, 10-10, 10-9, a late punch enough to sway a pair of judges. Holmes then took the next three with surprising ease, dazing Bowe in the fourth, allowing him to rain blows on his opponent after knocking him down. Bowe was looking tired and slower going into the sixth but he had taken the previous round unanimously. The sixth was Bowe's as well in another close round, with Holmes taking the seventh and eighth. With seconds to go in the ninth, and Larry Holmes dominating proceedings, Riddick Bowe was rocked by a huge shot to knock him to the deck for the second time, but this time he was out for the count.

Punches Landed/Attempted - Bowe 34/67 (50.74%), Holmes 52/95 (54-73.%)
Total Points (at the end of the last completed round) - Bowe 214, Holmes 232
Judges Cards (at the end of the last completed round) - Bowe 73-76, 71-78, 71-78  Holmes
Fouls - Bowe 0, Holmes 1
Cuts Opened - Bowe 0, Holmes 0

DICE Boxing: Audley Harrison vs Daivd Haye

A few weeks ago there was a lot of anticipation for this match up in real life. The bout itself was somewhat of a farce, but things lasted much longer when I put them both in the ring in DICE Boxing.

The first two rounds were quite close as both men were a little cagey to begin with, but Haye suddenly exploded in the third and fourth rounds, totally dominating the action. The first knockdown came in that fourth round, resulting in Harrison needing treatment for a cut around his right eye.

Harrison's only complete round victory came in the seventh, one round before he hit the mat for a second time, again cutting his eye, this time the left. Between the knockdowns, Harrison looked the more dangerous as he connected with three really hard shots which Haye barely survived. It was all plain sailing for Haye from that point on though.

Punches Landed/Attempted - Haye 64/138 (46.37%), Harrison 32/78 (41.02%)
Total Points (at the end of the last completed round) - Haye 242, Harrison 110
Judges Cards (at the end of the last completed round) - Haye 118-109, 118-108, 119-107 Harrison
Fouls - Haye 0, Harrison 0
Cuts Opened - Haye 2, Harrison 0

Final Scorecard

Audley Harrison
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
Judge A	9	10	9	8	10	9	10	8	9	9	9	9	109
Judge B	9	10	9	8	9	9	10	8	9	9	9	9	108
Judge C	9	9	9	8	9	9	10	8	9	9	9	9	107
David Haye
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
Judge A	10	10	10	10	9	10	9	10	10	10	10	10	118
Judge B	10	9	10	10	10	10	9	10	10	10	10	10	118
Judge C	10	10	10	10	10	10	9	10	10	10	10	10	119