Tweet
The 80's started out with Hagler, Leonard, Duran and Hearns and can these guys fight! They all fought each other too. No ducking and hiding. In the second half of the decade Tyson came on board with a ****. The 80's probably attracted more fans to the sport than any other decade. Cable and PPV started up and drew many new fans to the sport however the talent never matched the fees charged in the 90's and the fan base declined. Now the only time you watch a title fight on a Saturday afternoon is when it is some dud like the Joshua-Ruiz II bore. They should make prisoners watch that joke for punishment. There will never be another group like they had in the early 80's. Boxing will never be great like in the 80's. The only reason people know the top fighters in this decade is because they are grossly overpaid to just sometimes put on a circus.
-
-
Great decade. But the 50's, 60's and 70's were great too. One champion per division and all the contenders fighting each other to get to them. -
Definitely a lot of talented guys. I always look at the heavyweights to set a certain standard and the 80's is full of guys that could fight.Originally posted by 15round View PostComment
-
slightly different topic...
the current disgusting casual-fan trend...
... of bashing fighters from past era's... insisting that they were bums... insisting that modern training methods (lol) have somehow magically improved the landscape... despite the fact that many fighters today gas in the first half, and most do not seem as versatile/well-rounded as a majority of fighters from the past... we have champions today who are not comfortable on the inside and cannot fight on the back foot
... that is actually not a new trend at all
that ignorance and ******ity has been around a long time
that is a classic example of the dictionary definition for, casual fan
our sport is full of morons who think boxing is a maths game...
... fought entirely on paper... the next-level examples of intangibles, individual brilliance, intestinal fortitude, that took over 100 years to rise to the top... is just old stuff that is no longer relevant... any modern fighter can simply do all that old stuff lol
and when you hear these clowns talk, they insist that only a casual-fan would rate older fighters LMAO...
guys, do not listen to those shltheads, they have no boxing instincts whatsoever, very listen understanding, and almost no feel for the game
casual-fans are shltheads... a lot of fans will never realize just how shltty they are... but it's ok... I will be here to remind them just how low and shltty they are, for a long time yet
great thread, pity it wasn't more active
I agree, just look at the heavyweights... it seems like back in the 80's every heavyweight could fight off the back foot... every heavyweight could fight on the inside... in large, fighters seemed better and more well-rounded than they are today
welter was stacked full of cold-blooded killers, everywhere you looked
gyms today seem to be full of " mitt-men "... very few old-school mentors/trainers... mentoring is the key, which is why guys like Canelo have developed so well... they literally know their fighter inside out, they know what he is thinking, they create understandable/useful situations in the gym, they know any doubts/fears as soon as they enter his mind
casuals paint Tyson as a two-fisted hulk who walked through everyone... but he was a well-schooled defence-first technician with dynamite in both hands
if Cus had lived another 10-15 years, Tyson would be regarded as a greater fighter than he is today... because he would have achieved moreComment
-
-
in saying that, how good is lightweight at the moment... ?
that division is stacked full of badasses who have superb skills
it's not all bad, not at all... but I can see that great fighters from the past would match up very well straight off the dock with guys of today... not even sure modern training methods would help, some of those guys used to train like demons
sports science, yes... modern training methods, possibly some... the ability to turn professional younger, and stay professional, yes... it is easier to stay dedicated today, life is simply easier...
those guys were tougher because life was tougher... those guys were better because boxing was better... they willingly climbed the ladder because there there was only one fkn ladder, and only one way to the top... they were just harder in generalComment
-
The whole game just looked tougher back then. Not saying it was, just that it looked less athletic and that gives it some sort of 'street cred' (for lack of a better phrase) that makes it look tougher.
I like this particular picture of Tommy Gibbons, it says 'the old game' to me. (Shelby, MT. 1923)
Guess I am way off topic, sorry.Comment
-
Yea ,Watching fights like Leonard vs Duran or Hearns vs Leonard you just feel the tension and this fights dellivered ,rearly big modern match ups live up to the hype.
60s and 70s were great too .but 80s are special.Comment
-
The 80’s was a highly underrated decade for boxing. Salvador Sanchez, Danny Lopez, Wilfredo Gomez, Benitez, Arguello, Pryor, Leonard, Hearns, Duran, Hagler, JCC, and a loaded light heavyweight division that was the best it had been since the 50’s and ever since.Comment
-
Aren't the 80's when boxing went to puke, brought in twelve round championship fights, nanny refs and pillow gloves?Comment
Comment