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

[MonsieurGeorges]

The reason has to be, that it is correct. I look at it this way, in the older days, there were at least a hundred times as many boxers around as there are today, whidh has a much smaller group particpating. In the older days there were only 8 weight classes, and a champion would certainly have to have fought his way through perhaps the equivalent of 25-30 present day contenders, maybe more, before he got a title chance. Even in later years, Hagler had over 50 fights before he got a title shot. In earlier years, a champion might have had up to 100 fights, was vastly experienced in every kind of style or opponent.

Today's fighters don't even begin to approach this level.

The reason that track, athletics, basketball, baseball, football etc. have progressed whilst boxing is seen to have regressed is that these sports are not merely man-against-man, or team against team, they are against verifiable records. And it's by pitting themselves against these records, that we can see the progress they have made compared to the earlier players.

The records are ALWAYS there, they survive, faster times, swimming records broken, longer hits, longer throws, longer kicks etc.

Boxing is different, and always will be. Today's champion is champion of a division half the weight dimensions of an earlier division, and king of a group of competitors counted literrally in the tens, where on older days they would be counted in the thousands.

It's logical...................

all good points that i pretty much agree with, but as the other guy said its important not to speak about it in such a way that is seems like current fighters are not worth watching. i feel that would be taking it to far, it reminds me of people i know who say they wont listen to music made after the 90s. i understand where they are coming from but at the end of the day its like ****ing come on

[MonsieurGeorges]

In America the "Bert Sugar Syndrome" is alive and well, especially among the old guard of boxing writers and media people. Perhaps time will eradicate that as these types inevitably die off, but let's hope boxing doesn't die off with them.

There is no danger whatsoever of boxing tradition as you describe it suffering.

The danger is in that tradition snuffing the life out out the sport in the present day.

yeah i mean i get you but i just see the total opposite when i talk to people about boxing. maybe it is difference in where we live or something, but around the DC/Baltimore area people are always talking about guys like Larry Holmes. and people know that bernard hopkins and floyd are actually once in lifetime type fighters, but there is a great apathy to the promotion aspect. people always tell me the PPV is bull**** and they would rather wait a week and watch it online for free.

I just never hear the "bert sugar syndrome". perhaps in the boxing history section of a forum? but what again are you really doing in this section if you don't expect to be exposed to those who call themselves "historians". I agree that most of these guys that think they know something on tv don't have a real stoop to stand on, they are where they are because of the "character". most of the back and forth arguing about boxing is actually done on forums like this one or at bars

[HandSpeed303]

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"

The real question is, why is boxing the only sport where fans get so serious when taking trips to fantasy island? I mean really, I understand the passion folks have for the old school fighters, but we are in the here and now...most debates are pointless anyway. It all ends up being a flame war of opinions. Nothing more.

Not saying I am any better than anyone here, but that is why I refuse to discuss fantasy fight with anyone. It's amazingly pointless...Just my opinion.

[TheGreatA]

Every sport has older people competing in it longer and longer. Kobe is old as ****. Grant Hill is a grandpa and still effective...

I certainly don't see any fighters on TV with worse skills than that dude Panama is facing.

I was mostly talking about sports where you can measure the difference in quality from the 1950's to today, such as track & field where records continue to be broken. Can't necessarily do that in basketball. These records are most often brought up in arguments about why boxers from 20-30 years ago couldn't be on the same level as today's.

The fighters Panama was facing in the gif. were local British boxers and I reckon many British bantamweights today would be befuddled by Panama Al Brown to say the least. He was 5'11 and had a 76 inch reach, similar to most of today's welterweights and middleweights.

Johnny King was one of the boxers being clobbered around:

FRIENDS AND RIVALS

Looks pretty much like the usual British contest today. Ever seen a "Prizefighter" tournament?

[bojangles1987]

The NFL, NBA, and MLB, etc., were around and popular and lucrative in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s.

The idea that these other sports just suddenly started siphoning off all the US heavyweight boxing talent when Lennox Lewis and the Klitschkos showed up is absurd.

What really happened is that the fall of the Soviet Union had the inevitable effect of freeing East European heavyweights from former Soviet bloc countries to compete professionally. And the rest is history. The United States will never again dominate the heavyweight division the way it did in the past.

Never again.

The NFL and NBA were no where near as popular as boxing in the 60s or 70s, and when they did become as popular, the 80s, that's when heavyweight boxing started the decline in depth of talent that we continue to see today. That's not even a debate, that's a fact. Maybe some of those athletes that took up other sports would have been great, maybe they wouldn't have, 50 years ago those guys would have tried, and you don't even see that now.

[The_Demon]

In America the "Bert Sugar Syndrome" is alive and well, especially among the old guard of boxing writers and media people. Perhaps time will eradicate that as these types inevitably die off, but let's hope boxing doesn't die off with them.

There is no danger whatsoever of boxing tradition as you describe it suffering. That tradition is strong and entrenched.

The danger is in that tradition snuffing the life out out the sport in the present day.

Just because you dont have respect for past legends,doesnt mean everybody is as ****** as you Tunney/Freedom

[TOBYLEE1]

Back in the day: One title, 8 divisions, 15 rounds fights, much more fighters than you have today, fought more frequently, the purses were not huge...

You have great fighters today but bring yesterday's terms to today and see how the fighters fair.

Would really doubt that if we had 15 round fights you would have 6' 7" HWs and a 140lb fighter re-hydrating to 160lbs.

Fighters back in the day have a lot of loses cause they fought each other at the top level cause they wasn't a lot of money.

still today we have a lot of great fightes but the sport is much different than it was in the past

[RL_GMA]

I wonder if people actually watched Michael Jordan when they say that NBA players today are more athletic than anyone when Jordan played. Other than Lebron, and only because of his size, I don't think anyone is a better athlete than Jordan was.

Couldn't agree more.