Yesterday's boxers (pre-1980) would not be competitive today

[Joeyzagz]

Maybe, but Joe Louis never had modern training. We'll never know. I said the same thing about Ali.

Boxers are getting worse, not better.

1970's Larry Holmes beat undefeated Ray Mercer i the 90's
1960's Foreman beat undefeated Moorer in the 90s

Lennox Lewis at the end of his career, at his very worst, beat the top Heavyweight today. And no one current has even come close to what LL did....


Hopkins, Mccall, Holyfield and Glen Johnson are beating above average contenders 15 years past their prime. Boxing has been on a steady decline since the 1980's not incline.

[AKATheMack]

Even with all the breakthroughs I havent noticed an increase in stamina. Modern training may give a lot of fighters an upper hand compared to yesteryear, but obviously a fighter like Big George would be competitive in any era.

[jrosales13]

Emile Griffith against today's JMW? Would not be good for him

Fact!!!!

[ThePrince]

you said old fighters if they fought today wouldnt be competitive??wouldnt they be able to use the same supplements if they fought today???..plus supplements doent suplement skill man..plus they had to train harder then cause they fought more rounds

Exactly. If the fighters of past generations were active today, why wouldn't they benefit from the same supplements, training advancements, etc that their contemporaries do? And your point about more rounds is excellent, past fighters had, by necessity, better stamina because of longer fights (especially those who fought 60 round bare-knuckled ). Don't think the OP thought this thing out before posting.

[jrosales13]

But, Carlos Ortiz would rule the LW division today.

Fact!!!!!!!

[NChristo]

No that is just nonsense. I truly believe the fighters of yesteryear could compete with today's fighters. I actually think the boxing talent pool has watered down.

Please.

Everyone knows that on New Years Day 1980 a phenomenon happened and all boxers suddenly completely changed, they were much fitter, their speed became super human as did their strength, they became more technically sound and just overall better, you wouldn't see none of that in 1979, no no no, everyone pre 1980 were cavemen.

Yeah, sure. Because you say so.

Modern training and nutrition created Popkins, for example.

Great example in Hopkins, someone who prides himself on being an old school boxer who learned his trade from studying boxers from the past.

Because you say so though, forget everything Hopkins said, it's definitely the nutrition of today, not the techniques, ring IQ and such he has learned that allowed his style to still be compatible in his ageing body.

"I'm cut from the cloth of Ezzard Charles, Archie Moore those guys"

But surely he can't be, Hopkins is a post 1980s super athlete, he can't learn anything from them because they're hopeless and he is superior.

[IRISH LULLABY]

At a certain point, more muscle mass becomes a liability and not an asset. The greater the muscle mass, the more oxygen your body requires, which means you have less stamina and a lesser work-rate.

If athletes of yesteryear are so athletically inferior, why were they able to fight for 20+ rounds, and not just 12?

Why is it that Ali is faster than every heavyweight today with their supposed modern training techniques?


I hope you are realising you are making a fool of yourself.

[Sweet Jesus]

jrosales trolling the thread while the original point sails over his Guatemalan head.

[the niggest]

Too many advances in modern sport training and nutrition have rocked athleticism. If you check the athletic olympic records at wikipedia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...en.27s_records ) all records, but one, have been set from 1980 onwards.

To think boxing as a sport, and boxers as athletes, have not improved with time would require some argument personally I have not considered.

Maybe if Ali was born today, with today's training methods and nutrition, he would be #1. Maybe not.

But comparing old timers to fighters from around the 80's till now is not fair to the athletes of old, nor to boxing. It would be as saying boxing has stood still while athletic ability in other sports flourished.

Feel free to disagree.

You are exagerating. If you would have said pre 1930's boxers would not be competetive today, I would probably agree. I have a hard time seeing how fighters from lets say the 1920's would be competetive today judging by how they look on video.... But pre-1980's? Boxing hasn't changed THAT much, look at fighters like Sugar Ray Robinson for example, his style is modern and his h2h skills are better than any fighter today. You could transport Pac and Floyd back to his time and they'd both get their asses kicked. That goes for plenty pre 1980's greats.... Boxing hasn't really evolved technicly or physically at all since the 1980's.

[BennyST]

1500 meters freestyle (swimming)

1960's record: 16:04.5 - Michael Burton, USA (1969)
1980's record: 14:54.76 - Vladimir Salnikov, Soviet Union (1983)
1990's record: 14:41.66 - Kieren Perkins, Australia (1994)
2000's record: 14:34.56 - Grant Hackett, Australia (2001)

How is the hell is swimming like boxing? You're not trying to beat a time in boxing you ****ing stupid tool.

It's two men fighting each other. The simple repetitious demands of most sports have no bearing whatsoever on boxing. Take Brandon Rios today for example. I can just about guarantee that he would be pretty ****eful at most sports, but he can take a punch, give it back and hard and he has heart. You don't need to take a punch to run a race quickly, you don't need to have some amazing heart to get in a pool and swim as fast as you can, like you do in boxing when you have to get off the floor to win a fight.

This is the single most moronic argument ever made from the modern boxing is better morons. It is just so inane. Comparing boxing to sports in which you have to do nothing else other than run/swim/throw/etc a short or long distance without anything getting in the way as quick or far as you can.....how is it at like boxing? There isn't a record you are trying to beat in boxing. Mayweather doesn't have some record for the fastest punch which every other fighter has to beat by hitting a bag. You have to go into a ring, across from some guy who wants to kill you and fight him.

In most 'record time' sports, all you do is run. All you do is swim. All you do is throw something. All you do is jump as high as possible. In boxing you have to be able to take a punch. You have to be willing to hurt someone. You have to be able to deal with adversity with a foggy, exhausted, adrenalin ridden mind and body while some psycho is attacking you. What the **** does that have in common with swimming up and down a pool as fast as you can? ****ing ****s. The people that make this argument have to be the biggest, stupid, goddamned, ******ed, ****ing douche bags on earth. Think you ****. Use that thick head of yours for something.

Explain how someone today at 135 would beat this?