Do You Think Old School Fighters Get Overrated?

[krispy kreme]

I think the main thing is you have to let the current generation's fighters complete their careers and allow them to transcend in boxing's library. Then you can compared them to the past generation's fighters.

[JAB5239]

Absolutely. Boxing, like baseball, is a very nostalgic sport. People like to claim that Babe Ruth would still destroy if he were to play today. Bull****. He was 5'10, 220 lbs, but if you look at the footage, he was a mountain compared to the players around him. Same thing with boxers. Nutrition is superior today, making for stronger, quicker fighters. Boxing has also evolved quite a bit as a sport, meaning there is a lot more technical skill. They definitely used to be tougher, but the average fighter today is better in every other area than an average fighter of 50 years ago. Now, obviously, there are greats from that era that could measure up in any era, but claiming that Jack Dempsey would destroy a prime Mike Tyson or Lennox Lewis is poppy****.

Boxing has not evolved that much, but past fighter do sometime get overrated just as todays fighters do. You made a baseball analogy....Why was Mickey Mantle able to have home run stats like todays players while their were no steroids, the balls weren't juiced to go further and fields were bigger and bats not as advanced? I can show a dozen reasons why athletes are not athletically better today, but just have better conditions and equipment.

[BigStereotype]

Boxing has not evolved that much, but past fighter do sometime get overrated just as todays fighters do. You made a baseball analogy....Why was Mickey Mantle able to have home run stats like todays players while their were no steroids, the balls weren't juiced to go further and fields were bigger and bats not as advanced? I can show a dozen reasons why athletes are not athletically better today, but just have better conditions and equipment.

Like I said, there are ATG's that could play in any era. Micky Mantle would be incredible, even today, just because he was so strong and so fast. But Boxing definitely has evolved a lot. Look at Jack Dempsey's crude style vs. Mike Tyson, who patterned his style after Dempsey. It's a huge difference. You would never see a Floyd Mayweather or Pernell Whitaker in the 30's, unless I'm hugely mistaken.

[Unbreakable]

here is my opinion if u ask me. fighters way back are tougher dudes. not saying fighters today aren't. but the thing is boxing today is more of a business. promoters, managers, businessman, they protect their fighters now more than they did before. they worry that they won't make as much with other fighters they have than the star they have. u see boxing back then was a way to get through hunger for the next day, weeks or months. they do it to survive. i think that is also the reason why they fight more. fighters now a days are breed to be popular. couple fights then they become rich. then comes in sponsorship, advertisement etc etc. im not saying that fighters today are not tough as those guys but it's just the way they are treated. i think if they came from a poor upbringing then they got that hunger. but when fame and money comes in they let it suck into them that they forget to be as tough as they were before they became popular. to add to that boxers today have proper nutrition, proper training, proper conditioning etc etc.

[joe strong]

nope

they fought more,they fought harder ,they got payed less

my thoughts exactly.less $,fought often against everyone.no ducking,no 3 rematch clauses,fought the best,no one was protected,trilogies happened often,15 round fights,etc.if you lost a title fight you had to climb back up the ladder.fighters were alot tougher.fighters were thrown to the wolves earlier & the "0" wasn't important.the best fought the best...not like todays fighters.boxing hasn't been the same since the late 90's other than a few moments.corrales/castillo,vasquez/marquez...

[JAB5239]

Like I said, there are ATG's that could play in any era. Micky Mantle would be incredible, even today, just because he was so strong and so fast. But Boxing definitely has evolved a lot. Look at Jack Dempsey's crude style vs. Mike Tyson, who patterned his style after Dempsey. It's a huge difference. You would never see a Floyd Mayweather or Pernell Whitaker in the 30's, unless I'm hugely mistaken.

Dempsey's style only looks crude because of the crappy film of the day. You have to ask yourself why people who actually saw him fight and have watched todays fighters still think so highly of him? You have to ask yourself if there were multiple camera angles, color footage and the same type of film and film speed back then as there is today, would he really look like that, or would you be able to see more of the nuances and fluidity of todays fight game?

Have you ever seen the video TheGreatA posted of Vitaly in the speed of the older fights? He looked no better than Primo Carnera and that is not an exaggeration or and hate towards Vitaly.

There are certainly fighters today that are better than back than. But as a whole this is not true. Fighters than were they equal of today, they just fought under tougher circumstances.

[gqjohnb]

I'm not going to comment on whether they are overrated or not because I don't like to get too bogged down in comparing the past and present when it comes to athletics. Especially when the sport has changed so much over the decades. Naturally athletes will be better prepared when advances have been made in nutrition and training though... thats all I'll say.

[JAB5239]

I'm not going to comment on whether they are overrated or not because I don't like to get too bogged down in comparing the past and present when it comes to athletics. Especially when the sport has changed so much over the decades. Naturally athletes will be better prepared when advances have been made in nutrition and training though... thats all I'll say.

That certainly isn't true in the heavyweight division.

[STREET CLEANER]

Back then you fought alot cause you didn't get paid alot. Also you fought for a title in a 15 round bout. You wouldn't be having these really tall heavyweights weighing 0ver 250 lbs

[-GDS-]

Old school fighters would beat modern day ones, and it would even be close. Jesse Owens is faster than Usain Bolt as well.