are old school fighters better than present day fighters??

[Barry Halls]

Please sir, explain to me how nutrition and sports science hasn't gotten better over the past 100 years.

There's more knowledge, but it's also polluted by false expertise. For every person with actual knowledge you have 10 fake experts with a degree in bro science spouting off ******ed myths and getting paid for it.

And as for what actually matters when it comes to nutrition, it's hardly gotten better. And that is the quality of food actually put into your system.
Fighters of the past ate meat and sallad. Same as now.

When it comes to sport science... well.. What is it that the modern great fighter does that previous eras didnt? What does Mayweather do that is evolved and new?

[Cardinal Buck]

I'm not sure what to make of the talent pool. The popularity of taking up boxing seems to have dropped compared to decades ago in the US, but the total population of the US is a lot higher and the doors have opened for foreign fighters to compete as pros. So for sheer numbers of fighters, I don't know if there are more today vs. the past. Also, training probably varies from country to country. Cubans, to me, generally seem to have their shit together, so what have they done differently vs. US fighters and past fighters?

One other thing is that I feel like the activity level of past fighters is overstated a little. Most top fighters today, with a few exceptions, have really strong amateur backgrounds and a good percentage of fights versus world class fighters. So I think the skills are still there. The fighter with the high volume of pro fights isn't always the most seasoned pro. Look at Tarver...he had a huge amateur career and a high percentage of pro fights against top fighters even though he hasn't actually had that many fights as a pro. And he's a fighter who depends a lot on skill, which is why he still has success at his age.

[StarshipTrooper]

Amateur background doesn't mean **** when it comes to the pros. They're two different sports.

Poet

[Cardinal Buck]

Tell it to Rigo, Ward, and Mayweather.

[StarshipTrooper]

Tell it to Rigo, Ward, and Mayweather.

Tell it to Tyrell Biggs, Henry Tillman, and Howard Davis.

[Barn]

Amateur background doesn't mean **** when it comes to the pros. They're two different sports.

Poet

I think a solid amateur background is very important.

You can't just jump straight into pro-boxing, unless it's a very extra-ordinary case.

[StarshipTrooper]

I think a solid amateur background is very important.

You can't just jump straight into pro-boxing, unless it's a very extra-ordinary case.

See Mike Tyson. His amateur background was very short and he wasn't particularly good there. D'Amato had groomed him from day-1 to be a pro not an am.

Poet

[Barn]

See Mike Tyson. His amateur background was very short and he wasn't particularly good there. D'Amato had groomed him from day-1 to be a pro not an am.

Poet

It is still a background. Amateurs are good. It gives experience and after a year or two fighting amateur you don't get phased in the ring and are completely calm. It also teaches a more boxing based idea of the fight game, which is why Tyson succeeded much better as a pro, obviously.

[Ray Corso]

The comparison doesn't hold any water!! If theres very few "old school" fighters today how can they be compared to the past generations? If your trying to use "old school" as a "style" thats different.
The old school style or methods used in past generations is missing today because that style isn't part of the newer trainers repetiores. The trainers that are making their way into the pros come from the amatuers and that form of boxing leaves out all the old school values. So its not the fighters that should be compared its the trainers and their backgrounds.
As for using the amatuers for a proving ground for a young man I believe its a very valuable option. Theres basicly no smokers or gyms that are open to "open" sparring anymore to bring a fighter to test their abilities. It used to be so important to have brother gyms where trainers trusted one another and would work together. I had excellant associations when I ran my gym and could call on a number of trainers to assist me in the maturation of a fighter. From what I see today on TV it seems Freddy Roach is the only one teaching older values in comparison to the Mayweather gym videos and the Mexican vids I see are very confusing to me, no one is forcing the inside methods and they train like their Olympic training. Evolution doesn't mean better all the time!! Athletes today are bigger,faster,stronger but seem to be more limited and definetely dumber! Meaning they trip over their egos repeatedly! Ray

[res]

Do you mean how could ten generations of fighters stand up to one?

Yeah I think this is what they usually mean.