Are Today's Fighters Better than Fighters From The Past? Hell Yes

[bklynboy]

Actually boxing was big in Japan and many other areas of the world. It has always been bigger than it is today. There were probably the most boxers across the world through the sixties I'd say. Huge in Aus, Japan, Phillipines (it's always been a big sport), Thailand.

Compared to today, boxing in the 60's was so huge as to be laughable. Anyone thinking otherwise is deluded (not calling you deluded blkynboy, just Magicman). I could go down the street from where I used to live and see Aus champs and world champs training around in many different gyms and there were so many gyms all through the city. One or two in every single area. Now, you struggle to find one good one in the whole damn city of melbourne and it's like that across the world now!

There were boxing shows on TV every week and weekend. TV Ringside was massive. Then you had the WWS boxing show. The only place boxing is as big as it used to be right now is probably the Philipines.

Families in Aus used to sit down and watch TV Ringside each week. Is was a normal TV show like Friends or some other ****** TV sitcom is now. It was one of the most watched shows on TV for decades. Boxing isn't on TV at all anymore.

When did boxing become big in Asia (outside of Australia and the Philipines.) I know it got big in Japan and Thailand after WWII but didn't think it was popular before.

[TheMagicMan]

When did boxing become big in Asia (outside of Australia and the Philipines.) I know it got big in Japan and Thailand after WWII but didn't think it was popular before.

1/3rd of the world wasnt allowed to compete until 1990...............but yeah there were more boxers now. How many healthy people boxed, what percentage of boxers in the 30's and 40's were out of shape by today standards.

In his prime Louis woulda been giving up 50 pounds and 6 inches to Vitali. Vitali would destroy him.

Oh and as for 15 rounds, Louis only had 4 matches go past 13 rounds. 1 he lost, 2 were split decision and one he won...dude clearly gassed. He could never KO and prime Vitali, sorry wouldnt happen and Vitali would out work him so badly.

Out of boredom, I counted the amount of punches thrown by Louis in the first GOdoy fight. In an action packed fight, in 15 rounds, Louis threw around 550 punches. Vitali would have probably almost trippled that number with harder hitting shots. Sorry, theres no way Louis could keep up.

[NChristo]

Show me a middleweight of today that can beat Carlos Monzon, Marvin Hagler, Ray Robinson, Marcel Cerdan, Jake LaMotta etc, the only one that may stand a chance is Bernard Hopkins and he learned from studying old timers.

Show me a lightweight of today that can beat Roberto Duran, Benny Leonard, Whitaker, Ike Williams, Tony Canzoneri etc etc.

A light heavyweight of today that can beat Ezzard Charles, Gene Tunney, Michael Spinks, Bob Foster.

A bantamweight of today that can beat Carlos Zarate, Eder Jofre, Ruben Olivares, I consider todays Bantamweight division to be excellent and full of upcoming talent but I don't see any of them beating the great Bantams from the past.

Just a few examples of people who would dominate in this era and there's plenty more.

I'm not saying yesterdays boxers are necessarily better then today's but every era has great boxers, too say all of todays boxers are better then all of yesterdays is just dumb.

Every era has it's pros and cons.

[StarshipTrooper]

1/3rd of the world wasnt allowed to compete until 1990...............

Serves them right for being commies.

Poet

[TheMagicMan]

Show me a middleweight of today that can beat Carlos Monzon, Marvin Hagler, Ray Robinson, Marcel Cerdan, Jake LaMotta etc, the only one that may stand a chance is Bernard Hopkins and he learned from studying old timers.

Show me a lightweight of today that can beat Roberto Duran, Benny Leonard, Whitaker, Ike Williams, Tony Canzoneri etc etc.

A light heavyweight of today that can beat Ezzard Charles, Gene Tunney, Michael Spinks, Bob Foster.

A bantamweight of today that can beat Carlos Zarate, Eder Jofre, Ruben Olivares, I consider todays Bantamweight division to be excellent and full of upcoming talent but I don't see any of them beating the great Bantams from the past.

Just a few examples of people who would dominate in this era and there's plenty more.

I'm not saying yesterdays boxers are necessarily better then today's but every era has great boxers, too say all of todays boxers are better then all of yesterdays is just dumb.

Every era has it's pros and cons.

Best MW of all time: Joe Calzaghe
Best LHW of all time:Bad Chad
I dont watch boxing at lower weights that Chris John...under that its like midget wrestling, its funny, but the entertainment doesnt last too long.

[StarshipTrooper]

under that its like midget wrestling, its funny, but the entertainment doesnt last too long.

Surprising. For a mental midget like you that should be right up your alley.

Poet

[JAB5239]

Henry Cooper for one, dropped him into ******ation. In todays game he would have been KO'ed. Sorry and he had tot ake smelling salts to gain conciousness after almost punching Dundee. Cooper weighed 188 pounds by the way.

Archie Moore? You want to talk about Archie Moore? Archie Moore was punch drunk, 85 years old, and actually was training ali before fighting him, come on, that was a joke fight. Thats like if you dumped Larry Holmes in the ring right now and put him against Wlad. Ali fans talk about prime all the time and then want to count the Archie Moore fight as some kind of victory. And why the **** did Ali fight Bob Foster when he outweighed him by 41 pounds. Oh yea...Ali was a joke, forgot for a second.

Oh and prove that less people in the world are boxing. In fact more people try boxing today than ever before. However, if you suck, you move on to other things like MMA stuff, Kick Boxing, K1 etc...The best stay in it.

Im gonna ask again.....what fighter EVER dropped Ali that fought professionally at 175? You claimed it happened often so this should be a cinch.

[frankenfrank]

Best MW of all time: Joe Calzaghe
Best LHW of all time:Bad Chad
I dont watch boxing at lower weights that Chris John...under that its like midget wrestling, its funny, but the entertainment doesnt last too long.

Calzaghe was a SMW and not a MW.
And Chad Dawson is good but Michael Spinks had 2 decision wins over a legitimate HW champion in Larry Holmes and then a stoppage win over a big SHW in Gerry Cooney . Do you think Dawson could have done the same if he was given these opportunities ? Dawson's first (and maybe second also) win over Glen Johnson is considered a bad decision .

[Sugarj]

Bad Chad, best light heavy of all time! Magic Man must just be kidding!

Even someone who thinks that we were primitives much further down the evolutionary ladder just a few decades ago can surely see that he isn't in the league of Roy Jones from the late 90s/early 00s.

[BillyBoxing]

How is it possible that a 45 year old George Foreman was able to become HW champ 20 years after his prime?

How is it possible that Larry Holmes in his 40s beat Mercer more convincingly than a prime Lennox Lewis did? the same Lewis that(at least) fought on even terms with Vitali.

hell, Shannon Briggs was actually a top 10 fighter after his win over Liakhovich not too long ago, and Foreman deserved a decision over him at 48.

45 years old Foreman koed a natural LH in moorer with a lucky punch.

I don't considere moorer as a real HW champ.

Holmes had Mercer's number,but that doesn't mean he would have beat Lewis.
Morrison beat Tthat old Holmes but was destroyed by Lewis.
Styles...

Lewis altough he won was exposed and outboxed by Vitali(STRAIGHT FACTS).

Shannon Briggs is a tool.
Liakhovich wasn't top 10,the guy lost to Valuev and Briggs...