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The street fighters in my day were awfully rugged boys, but I believe they would be killed by today's street fighters.
Take Bob Johnson. He was the naturally strongest man P4P I ever saw. Whether he was as strong as a well trained boxer or MMA fighter is no question--he was. But he may not have been any stronger P4P than a lot of those boys, only as strong.
Strength only gets you so far. Bob had lots of street fighting experience but almost no technique. What he had was enough for everyone he ever met. They were always people who wanted to fight him. Bob just liked to have fun and he had a good wisecrack on him. Tough guys wanted to test themselves on him. Some always got up the nerve with a little alcohol. I would watch from behind the bar as they eyed him, wondring if their Sunday piunch would do him in, or would he simply turn around and kill them.
Technique??? Bob always held his dukes like a bare knuckle boxer posing for a photo. You have seen those. Whether he did it out of humor or because he held the belief it would intimidate opponents, I never knew. Bob was actually from my father's generation. I knew him well but only saw him fight a few times after he was in his forties when guys do not street fight so much anymore.
He could take incredible punishment, and sometimes had to before ending a fight. The usual technique, when he could, was simply to grab someone by the throat, ending the contest immediately. His body shots often ended fights, too, leaving a broken rib in their wake.
He was only about 5'11", but the muscle was packed on him in layers. He never worked out a day in his life but worked at hard jobs all his life, loading boxcars, setting chokers in the woods, etc. He had a muscle in each wrist that popped out like half a ping pong ball under his skin, from milking a pasture of cows by hand as a teenager. Literally, he could pulp a young potato in his hand the way most people can a peach.
Unless he got to their throats, Bob would probably be seriously hurt in today's street fightng world where some joker would have practiced MMA just enough to use foreign (in Bob's world) techniques on him. He still whips almost everyone in almost every bar, I believe. But occassionally there would be the guy who knew enough. There were guys out there at the time, he just did not meet them. One thing was he never started a fight, they had to come looking for him if they wanted to enhance their reputations.
In those days, kicking was considered "dirty fighting," or "girl or sissy fighting." The right kick would break his jaw. But the opponent had better not think he has it won. Bob does not give up and the hand is still seeking. The right guy might get out of that death grip. He might have the technique to do it. Hell, Rhonda Roussey might have the technique and strength with proper leverage.
He was the only person I ever knew who had muscles of that definition naturally. His muscles looked like the actor's William Smith for size and definition. I knew other street fighters with big reputations they were able to back up who were not particularly muscular at all. Bob's kind of body is not necessary for successful fighting. He did have the extreme body, though, and completely natural. If he took off his shirt in front of you and told you he had just placed third in Mr. America, you would accept it without question. His definition was of that level and he never knew what fat was until he reached his forties.
Take Bob Johnson. He was the naturally strongest man P4P I ever saw. Whether he was as strong as a well trained boxer or MMA fighter is no question--he was. But he may not have been any stronger P4P than a lot of those boys, only as strong.
Strength only gets you so far. Bob had lots of street fighting experience but almost no technique. What he had was enough for everyone he ever met. They were always people who wanted to fight him. Bob just liked to have fun and he had a good wisecrack on him. Tough guys wanted to test themselves on him. Some always got up the nerve with a little alcohol. I would watch from behind the bar as they eyed him, wondring if their Sunday piunch would do him in, or would he simply turn around and kill them.
Technique??? Bob always held his dukes like a bare knuckle boxer posing for a photo. You have seen those. Whether he did it out of humor or because he held the belief it would intimidate opponents, I never knew. Bob was actually from my father's generation. I knew him well but only saw him fight a few times after he was in his forties when guys do not street fight so much anymore.
He could take incredible punishment, and sometimes had to before ending a fight. The usual technique, when he could, was simply to grab someone by the throat, ending the contest immediately. His body shots often ended fights, too, leaving a broken rib in their wake.
He was only about 5'11", but the muscle was packed on him in layers. He never worked out a day in his life but worked at hard jobs all his life, loading boxcars, setting chokers in the woods, etc. He had a muscle in each wrist that popped out like half a ping pong ball under his skin, from milking a pasture of cows by hand as a teenager. Literally, he could pulp a young potato in his hand the way most people can a peach.
Unless he got to their throats, Bob would probably be seriously hurt in today's street fightng world where some joker would have practiced MMA just enough to use foreign (in Bob's world) techniques on him. He still whips almost everyone in almost every bar, I believe. But occassionally there would be the guy who knew enough. There were guys out there at the time, he just did not meet them. One thing was he never started a fight, they had to come looking for him if they wanted to enhance their reputations.
In those days, kicking was considered "dirty fighting," or "girl or sissy fighting." The right kick would break his jaw. But the opponent had better not think he has it won. Bob does not give up and the hand is still seeking. The right guy might get out of that death grip. He might have the technique to do it. Hell, Rhonda Roussey might have the technique and strength with proper leverage.
He was the only person I ever knew who had muscles of that definition naturally. His muscles looked like the actor's William Smith for size and definition. I knew other street fighters with big reputations they were able to back up who were not particularly muscular at all. Bob's kind of body is not necessary for successful fighting. He did have the extreme body, though, and completely natural. If he took off his shirt in front of you and told you he had just placed third in Mr. America, you would accept it without question. His definition was of that level and he never knew what fat was until he reached his forties.
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