Why is Boxing the only Sport where the fans think Past >> Present

[Mr. Philadel]

Lebron >>>> Magic and Bird, based on talents not rings......

Magic was super clutch....LeBron is so so....Magic was a better post player...a better 3 pt shooter...free throw shooter...ball handler and passer.....so what does LeBron do better...dunk and defend....Magic was more talented and skilled imo

[niceyboo3]

My Chicagoan Mvp should be on the list because D-rose is a monster.

[Mr. Philadel]

My Chicagoan Mvp should be on the list because D-rose is a monster.

my fav pt guard atm...dude is a beast!!

[chiguy91]

MJ, Magic, Bird > Kobe, Lebron, Wade

Roger Maris, Babe Ruth > Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire


Title is false.

this. i've seen plenty of basketball and baseball fans that truly respect their sport's past greats more than some boxing fans do.

[niceyboo3]

I agree. Bron is a stats freak. He has the highest scoring average of any headband wearing player in history. He's the all time rebounding leader at SF out of any player to have a state farm endorsement. That, coupled with his ability to close games, makes him the GOAT.

Lol, I was late at catching the sarcasm. I didn't say Bron was the G.O.A.T. I think MJ is. Lol, you would wear a headband to if your forehead started all the way back there. Bron and Magic's game is very similar. Magic just knew how to win the big game. Lebron doesn't trust his teammates (even Wade) enough to allow them to win a game. They also doubt themselves and pass him the ball. Basketball IQ goes to Magic. Natural talents goes to Lebron. Just my opinion.

[Dubblechin]

The change from 15-rounders to 12-rounders, which was done as a safety precaution to prevent dehydration and fighters taking punches when they were too tired to defend themselves, caused a huge impact on the sport.

There were so many fights in the past that, had they ended after 12 rounds, someone else would've been the victor and all of boxing history would have changed. (Walcott was leading Marciano. Conn was leading Louis. Hearns was leading Leonard. Duran was leading Hagler. Tate was leading Weaver. And on and on.)

How many fights have we seen recently where one guy was exhausted at the end of 12? How might the Froch-Ward fight have been different if it was scheduled for 15, and Froch continued to press and Ward got more and more tired in the 13th, 14th and 15th?

[DoktorSleepless]

I think it's because other sports gain a new set of fans year after year making them more likely to accept their current generation athletes as the best. On the other hand, boxing has a much older demographic and they're still nostalgic of the older boxers.

[mannyman]

In any other Sport, fans realise that Athletes are better conditioned, more skilled and generally more athletic

Yet when it comes to Boxing no active fighter gets a fair shake against the "Legends" of the past when it comes to "ATG Ranking" or "Fantasy Fights"

I think youre right - modern athletes are better conditioned etc but in boxing u get two warriors in a ring and sometimes there more to it than skill and conditioning. Heart, determination, toughness cant be taught and this can sometimes overcome any amount of skill.

[Dubblechin]

I think it's because other sports gain a new set of fans year after year making them more likely to accept their current generation athletes as the best. On the other hand, boxing has a much older demographic and they're still nostalgic of the older boxers.

I disagree. I think the fact that the sport is safer and boxers don't compete as often as their predecessors can't be overlooked.

Take the NFL. They are taking steps now to prevent helmet-to-helmet contact, and people are complaining that they're taking away the big hits and the players aren't as tough as those in the past.

If they make the NFL safer, and they cut the number of games per season from 16 to 8 or 10 games, you'd hear even more fans say the past players were better or tougher because the game was more violent and the seasons were longer. But the NFL keeps adding games, so it likely won't get out of hand.

But that's what's happened in boxing. It's safer, and they don't fight as often, so fans respect the guys more who rose to the top when it was a tougher game. It doesn't matter how physically big and strong you are if you are perceived to have it easier.

In boxing, fans think today's fighters have it easier.

[LA_2_Vegas]

In any other Sport, fans realise that Athletes are better conditioned, more skilled and generally more athletic

Yet when it comes to Boxing no active fighter gets a fair shake against the "Legends" of the past when it comes to "ATG Ranking" or "Fantasy Fights"

It makes no difference in the eras IMO, once again we are back to the adage "styles make fights."

Just remember that the qualities that are most valued in boxing have really never really included athleticism on its own. It's a nice starting point, but they're fighters - there are a multitude of other intangibles fighters can have that negates natural ability during a fight. There are plenty of non-athletes in boxing today who get the job done.

You can say today's boxers are better conditioned because they incorporate different/new methods of training, but how does that translate to what happens in the ring? Fights only go to 12 rounds today, compared to 15 in the past. I don't really know how you'd prove that statement even if it was true.

Up until the late 50's, following Griffith v Paret, most weight classes were using 6oz gloves in 15 round fights. Are we to say the guys of the past were surely tougher with more of a fighters' mentality? If you are expected to compete with under those rules and conditions, you better have a damm good set of conditioning, toughness, and defensive skill to even make 15 rounds without your face turning to mush. And this is not even mentioning the frequency of fights they'd have per year.

Perhaps guys today are more athletic. But, we have seen examples in boxing and other sports where guys who have an overabundance of talent neglect the fundamentals and time it takes to perfecting skills that will help you succeed during the course of a longer fights and careers. Many end up taking shortcuts because of their natural ability. So, I don't know if we can quantify in ring "skill" either.

Personally I feel there is a total lack of inside fighting skill in today's boxing and a depreciation in the "American" style that you saw a lot in the 80s-90s. Maybe a little less toughness overall, but who knows. It doesn't mean squat if you match those guys up with today's fighters.

If you match up guys from past/present and make sure you get the weights/ages/primes correct, you'd still get great competitive fights and they would simply come down to styles.. If you feel like you've watched enough fights/fighters of the past to give honest arguments yourself, then shouldn't bother you what others tell u