Why are old-timers completely overrated???

[Dick Smokefield]

Most oldschool fighters definitely won't matchup in the skills/speed department but they were for sure tougher, fighting every couple weeks or so. Nobody today could do that, except maybe Emanuel Augustus...and he's retired.

I agree guys like Jack Johnson, Dempsey, Greb, etc. would probably get destroyed by more current guys, but ya gotta give 'em credit for their accomplishments. They did their thing. It's all opinion anyway. That's what's fun about it, we get to talk ish to each other on forums like this.

[turbotime]

Probably because they fought everyone and took on tough challenges. When really that's all we ask of fighters.

[RSBonos]

Probably because they fought everyone and took on tough challenges. When really that's all we ask of fighters.

Johnson and Dempsey barely defended their titles.

[Forza]

Yeah those 1900-1930 boxers are pretty crude but after that, maybe from the late 30's and on the elite boxers started looking not much different than they do today...just a lot more inside fighting and guys fighting at their true weight class.

[turbotime]

Johnson and Dempsey barely defended their titles.

I can agree Dempsey was overrated. He didn't fight enough in his prime, really.

[nomadman]

That's a pretty broad statement, and depends on your definition of "overrated." Certainly there are some fighters, mainly heavyweights, who get overrated on a H2H basis for a variety of reasons, but there are also plenty of fighters whom we have enough footage of to form a reasoned opinion of and who compare very favourably to modern guys. There have also always been freaks who would wreak havoc whenever they fought, Locche and Foreman for example.

It's telling, I think, that generally the most skillful boxers and trainers also tend to be great boxing historians, guys who have studied the sport in all its facets. They weren't all clueless back in the day, you know, and not every skill falls out of use due to being no longer effective. People just forget.

[Forza]

Tell me this guy wasn't slick/talented. Go to 2:34 and on

[bojangles1987]

You have to consider how different fights were then. Everything from rounds to rules to refs were completely different.

[mushahadeen]

This is ******ed.

When people reference Sugar Ray Robinson vs. Current Fighter-- they mean Sugar Ray Robinson given all of today's technology, nutrition, and training methods.

They do not mean Marvin Hagler doing his roadwork in boots vs. Current Fighter with all of today's advantages.

Just as they do not expect Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao to fight SSR without any knowledge of interval training, modern running equipment, etc.

OMG that took like 30 seconds of logical reasoning. I mean, try it sometime.

[nomadman]

You have to consider how different fights were then. Everything from rounds to rules to refs were completely different.

If you're talking turn of the century then yeah I agree. In fact the rules and generaly environment were so different as to almost consitute a different sport. Wrestling, conservation of energy, body punching to protect your knuckles, playing dead after a knock down to fool your opponent into not rushing in when you were getting up, all of these skills were essential or at least very useful to a fighter who hoped to succeed. Detailed gameplans would be next to impossible to formulate due to the lack of footage at even the highest level. Even established fighters would fight on a constant basis, often travelling vast distances in the most primitive conditions with little to no food in their stomach just to earn a buck or two. Yeah, it was different back then.