AMAZING! James Corbett and Gene Tunney demonstrating tactics.

[billeau2]

i can assure you that my understanding isn't limited. i know a lot about boxing. you can ask around, or take my word for it.


you're trying to tell me that those two are displaying technique on the level of a modern technician [mayweather, whitaker, etc?]

you don't think they look crude by comparison?

a 10 year old will be taught a much more technical version of the jab, the uppercut, etc. if he's talented, he'll be a much more technical fighter than those two by the time he is 20.
some of those demonstrations are downright laughable.


if that's what you think, that this video displays high level technique outside of the context of the 1920's, it's you who lacks the understanding of the game.

You who claim some semblence of knowledge, and if memory serves correct, sociological knowledge? You might understand that the conventions for how technique is demonstrated changes, along, as people have explained, the camera techniques filming technique. Fighters square up now-a-days, they did not square up for many reasons. What you consider the last word on technique is a preference....You are just too stupid to realize that. You may think you know a lot about boxing but its not a forgone conclusion because other people who know about boxing disagree with you and...I can tell you for sure that you really lack undertanding about Martial Arts, vis a vis your idiotic Bruce Lee comments. So yeah try to press your opinion by telling us how much you know cause it sure aint obvious!

[Ray Corso]

Amazing how Floyd can be heralded as a "boxing inventor" for working off the back foot but here's guys from the early days using it and actually working their offensive off it not just defense. When they do it its antiquated?
It never fails that current fans always think that the current athletes are superior to the ones from other era's yet they can't explain why!
They talk about new techniques but don't explain or show one!
There are new training methods but none are explained.
There are fighters today who have taken from the past and added to it such as Rigo and some of the thinks Lomo does but for the most part the greatest fighters from each and ever division are NOT from this era! In fact many are from over 60 years ago.
To date the greatest baseball player is Babe Ruth, he out homered entire teams in the dead ball era and his pitching records in the world series for a lefty are still unbroken. His average surprise many young fans and he never threw to the wrong base or missed the cut off from the out field.
Theres a guy who could pitch a 3 hit shut out and homer twice and win the game like No Other Player could!
Same goes for Sugar Ray, cut him and he's in danger of being stopped and the next round your knocked out!!

Theres talent out there today but their not showing up in the boxing gyms!
Boxing has become a sport now a days when in reality its a life style!
Ray.

[ShoulderRoll]

I meant mostly defensively. Look I'm as big a fan of the old timers as anyone but the truth is, the idea of defense wasn't as well known. Now I know there were great defensive fighters in the old days, but even the idea of a high guard wasn't really prevalent in those times.

I will agree that when it comes to defense they seem different from what we are used to today. They hold themselves more upright for example and they clinch a ton in some of the old footage.

[Ben Bolt]

The youtube dates the film in 1925 so it would be during Tunney's heyday and Corbett's late years. They show several punches. Even an example of a great punch in Dempsey-Firpo.

I did enjoy this post. Here they are, almost 100 years later, entering our living-rooms and still to be remembered. I guess most of us mere mortals won’t have that privilege 100 years from now.

Recently, I came across this 1923 vid of Jess Willard. Four years after his defeat to Dempsey, at the age of 41, he attempts a serious comeback to regain the world title. On May 12 of that year, he scores an 11th-round KO of leading contender Floyd Johnson, but two months later, on July 12, he loses “The Battle of Giants” in eight rounds against Luis Firpo.

Willard never fought again. In later life he was a reasonably successful businessman. - boxrec

[BennyST]

i can assure you that my understanding isn't limited. i know a lot about boxing. you can ask around, or take my word for it.


you're trying to tell me that those two are displaying technique on the level of a modern technician [mayweather, whitaker, etc?]

you don't think they look crude by comparison?

a 10 year old will be taught a much more technical version of the jab, the uppercut, etc. if he's talented, he'll be a much more technical fighter than those two by the time he is 20.
some of those demonstrations are downright laughable.


if that's what you think, that this video displays high level technique outside of the context of the 1920's, it's you who lacks the understanding of the game.

I must admit that Corbett didn't pronate his jab once. Kept his palm facing sideways the whole time. That is bad, bad form today. Maybe it was just his demonstration, but even if I was demonstrating it today, its such an ingrained part of my technique that its just automatic, so that tells me that in his day he was taught to keep his palm sideways even upon impact. That's a less evolved version of the jab than a ten year old is taught today.

The 'uppercut'...I don't really know if it was an uppercut or an up jab...? It's a bad uppercut if it was an uppercut. Too far out, no body in it, no dip, no weight transference etc. It looked more like a semi up jab to me.


There are obvious technical things which didn't really start to develop until Tunney's prime, and then quite quickly after. The next 30 years was the greatest developmental period for boxing, then it peaked, as Cuauht said, around the 60's. Or, really peaked from the 50's to the 70s/80s. It really hasn't changed since then. Just small waves due to the skill of the era.

In my opinion, we're currently in the worst period technically in a long, long time. Always exceptions, but overall, its a lower standard today.

I do agree with the poor defensive skills. One big no-no that every kid is taught upon first entering the gym..."keep your chin down/tucked!"

These guys fight with their chin up. Literally up. They hold it up and away, stand straight up etc. That's not good form, and because it's not, it evolved pretty quickly after that time period into what became the norm for the next 100 years nearly. Chin down and tucked.

I'm as big an advocate for our history, but the sport didn't start as the pure sweet science it became. All sports had to evolve somewhere, and Corbett was one of the initial pioneers. It had to change from his era. We see it changing quite drastically over the next few decades, new techniques added, things refined. IT's not a diss to these guys. They started with the best they knew, it got added to, or taken away for better things. That's life, that's sport, that's natural.

It had to happen.

[SlySlickSmooth]

By all means if you were a master during this crude era, that obviously made you shine bright.

Lots of guys fighting out of a crouch and distancing was common. Guys were really rough em' up type of fighters back then.. nowadays we have day before weigh-ins, safer gloves, and safer rules/regulations and fighters playing defense all too much sometimes.

[i_am_a_champ]

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=l3SWCo_7gok

Some please embed for me, thanks :-)

This fight is from the same era Mickey Walker vs Tommy Milligan

Introduced as a 20 round fight.

Looks like a straight up brawl, like two strong mexican fighters going toe to toe, blow for blow.

Just amazing.


Btw defense in the old days was based a lot on positioning.

[Mikhnienko]

The ignorance in this thread is shocking here is a fight from 1931 compare it to most the garbage we get today like the amazing super fight with Canelo and Lara.

[i_am_a_champ]

The ignorance in this thread is shocking here is a fight from 1931 compare it to most the garbage we get today like the amazing super fight with Canelo and Lara.

Amazing!


Thanks for this fight. Havent seen this one before. Cheers mate.

[New England]

The ignorance in this thread is shocking here is a fight from 1931 compare it to most the garbage we get today like the amazing super fight with Canelo and Lara.

this thread is about one "demonstration," and they look like absolute garbage. you teach better technique to a 10 year old.



i love how the people in this thread are talking to me like i've never seen footage of these fighters.