How Does Our Recent Era Stand Up?

[Kid McCoy]

so u honestly think that hagler wouldnt be better or could have a better overall condition with todays advances??

hagler would have been more than hagler

The only significant changes in boxing over the last 50 or so years have been safety-oriented; fewer rounds, bigger gloves, different weigh-in rules, boxers fight less often, and fights are stopped sooner. Human evolution takes place over thousands of years. I don't buy this idea that Marvin Hagler would be any bigger, better or faster than he was had he been born 20 years later. Remember also that back in the day a lot more people were boxing, which makes for a bigger talent pool, better competition and more great peers to test themselves against.

But as to the question, I think great fighters would be great in any era, so yes the greats of today could hold their own against the greats of yesteryear. Their only problem is they aren't as tested or proven as their predecessors. I don't think Hopkins would beat Hagler, not because he's a current day fighter but because I just think Hags was a better one.

[brently1979]

I just don't see how he could improve.

[IMG]http://i94.***********.com/albums/l86/newsambo/hagler211.jpg[/IMG]

I actually think that Hagler would have been worse under today's conditions.

The way he was brought up, fighting for little money against tough Philadelphia middleweights in their hometowns, having nearly 50 fights before getting a long-deserved shot at the title as well as the numerous setback he suffered, made him the fighter he was.

He looks pretty fit there in that pic and I've seen him go 15 rounds. I agree with you.

I think sometimes all these fitness experts etc are a joke look at DLH. He is a prime example he has that guy Rob Gracia for fitness and diet and look at him.

I think good old fashion training is the way to go. Look at PAC. He's training with Roach and Moore and that is about it.

[wmute]

I think it's fair (and quite obvious to me) to say that oldtimers could benefit from modern training techniques, and modern fighters from having 100 pro fights.

Let me get to DLT's list in detail, "+" means they would do just as well, "-"

Floyd + (but he would not be 10x more skilled than 99% of other fighters, like he is today)
JMM +
Pac +
MAB +
EM - (his style would have made him shot by 25, with the amounts of fights ppl had in the past, or he would have been 10x the ring smarts he had, and be an all time great)
RJ - (if Jones fought in the 40s-50s (Burley, Walcott, Moore, and CHARLES) he would not have been looked at as superman, but he would ahve been a better fighter than he actually was),
Hopkins + (see the PBF comment, but Hopkins is in an even worse boat, because he never had the reflexes/speed)
Mosley = (I don't know)
Toney ++ (if this ****er fought once a month and kept in shape, he woudl ahve been an all time great)
Lopez +
Cotto - (would not even be a champ, in the era of 15 rounders)
Williams = (I don't know, I guess being a freak of nature always helps)
Castillo + (the guy is schooled and tough enough to survive a good number of years at the top in any era)
Tszyu = (hard to tell, there were no top notch soviet bloc fighters before him...)

[wmute]

The only significant changes in boxing over the last 50 or so years have been safety-oriented; fewer rounds, bigger gloves, different weigh-in rules, boxers fight less often, and fights are stopped sooner. Human evolution takes place over thousands of years. I don't buy this idea that Marvin Hagler would be any bigger, better or faster than he was had he been born 20 years later. Remember also that back in the day a lot more people were boxing, which makes for a bigger talent pool, better competition and more great peers to test themselves against.

But as to the question, I think great fighters would be great in any era, so yes the greats of today could hold their own against the greats of yesteryear. Their only problem is they aren't as tested or proven as their predecessors. I don't think Hopkins would beat Hagler, not because he's a current day fighter but because I just think Hags was a better one.

People should tattoo in their brains the simple fact I highlighted...