Early 20th Century fighters get too much credit....

[ßringer]

I didn't even mention the same day weigh ins.

But these poor modern fighters, man. They have it so bad.

[Killa Killa]

Probably because they earned that right by fighting more than twice a year, and they did so in an era without all of these bull**** alphabet titles, 'super this' and 'junior that' weightclasses, promotional rivalries, multi-million dollar paydays, and fighters avoiding one another because their opponet was a "high risk, low reward" type.

Modern fighters have it easier than any other fighters in history ever had it, yet you're in here pissing and moaning about how they get treated unfairly in comparison to guys who literally fought every few weeks just to make enough money to ensure that their children didn't starve to death.

GTFO.

Am i supposed to feel some type of way because they chose boxing.... trust...there are plenty of people working just as hard in other careers in order to feed their family...this thread has nothing to do with that...

They used to not have a 3 point line in basketball....
They used to not count sacks in football....they had leather helmets back in the day...

So on, so forth....

Those guys were tough as nails but doesn't mean that any modern guy in those sports couldn't hang....

Same with boxing....

Who's to say a modern boxer couldn't fight as many times as guys did back in the day?

Hellloooooo!!! Look at these little known guys....there are guys still boxing multiple times per month and or year....it's just that you and I don't see their fights...

There's a thin line between having a legacy and being untouchable...everybody is touchable...including old school fighters when it comes to the modern day guys....

By your standard you'll take Henry Fords very first truck over one from today....suit yourself....

All I'm saying is a bunch of modern day know it all types want to act like they know what someone from 1890 would do in the ring with someone from 2002....never know....


no GTFOH.....

[Killa Killa]

I didn't even mention the same day weigh ins.

But these poor modern fighters, man. They have it so bad.

If modern day boxers had to do it then they would....

[Pugilist King]

this thread is so ****ing ******.

[ßringer]

Are you really this pissed off about what some people on the internet said about a fantasy matchup between Klitschko and Dempsey that will never happen?

[edgarg]

I'm not speaking of all of them...

Yes, there were some all-time greats, but people give boxers of that era too much credit in my opinion.....

Take for instance a guy like Jack Dempsey....there's no way anyone can convince me that a guy like Wladimir Klitschko wouldn't knock him unconscious....he was a light heavyweight....the fact that he was considered an all time great goes to show that the competition either wasn't very deep or he was just that good for his time...

There were a lot of part-time fighters who were considered good or great during those times as well....

We have guys now days who are fully dedicated modern marvels from an athletic standpoint...

I would match and pick many modern day fighters against the old school fighters and I think some of the modern day guys would do their thing....

People tend to follow what media people and writers say and take it as the gospel...

I can speak for myself in that I've seen the modern day fighters and I wasn't there during the early 1900's, so I can't legitimately say that a fighter back then would destroy a fighter from this era.....

I like your attitude that as you were not there then, so you can't really say. But, listen to the opinions of two of the most expert analysts of all times. Nat Fleischer and Charlie Rose. There were others also like Mike Casey.

They both saw every major fight from Jim Jeffries to and including the best years of Ali. (I think that Rose may have been a few years later, but in that range) They said that of all the Heavyweight Champions, Jack Johnson was the best. That he could do everything that Ali did, and do it much better. Also, that he could do much that Ali could not. That he was as fast, both feet and hands, and a much heavier puncher-when he wanted to. He normally favoured longer fights so as to give the fans value for their money, because he was black. When he wanted to, he could finish a fight early. He was an expert at feinting and and is regarded by just about everybody as being the best defensive heavyweight of all times. So that's good enough for me.

Have a look at what Mike Casey and others write about Benny Leonard. It will astonish you right out of your boots. And a major point made here is that his stance and style were the closest to Jack Johnson's of any fighter. It may interest you to know that it is documented that Jack Blackburn, Joe Louis's teacher and trainer (who fought in the Johnson era and knew him well enough to write to him when he was in gaol) said to Louis "Jack Johnson would have beaten you very easily, he had a habit of reaching out and touching you, just when you were set to punch, and put you off stride", and it's also documented that before the 1st Schmeling fight Johnson said that Louis was susceptible to a right hand over his left, that he pulled his left back low. . We all know that's exactly what happened. It's also in "The Greatest Fight Of Our Generation-Louis-Schmeling" by Lewis Erenberg.

So maybe the older fighters do get more credit than they deserve, but there were major exceptions.

Oh yes, Jack Dempsey was not a light-heavyweight, he normally fought at 185-190. A few years ago he would have been a cruiserweight (under 190 lbs) He was fast, did a lot of bobbing and weaving, and had a huge body attack. and a rock-solid jaw. So, although he would have been dwarfed by the Klitschkos and perhaps expected to lose....who knows.

[AntonTheMeh]

Oh yes, Jack Dempsey was not a light-heavyweight, he normally fought at 185-190. A few years ago he would have been a cruiserweight (under 190 lbs) He was fast, did a lot of bobbing and weaving, and had a huge body attack. and a rock-solid jaw. So, although he would have been dwarfed by the Klitschkos and perhaps expected to lose....who knows.

obviously not for the time. jack dempsey himself said he weighed 180 vs willard the day of the fight. you've got super middles today who weigh more then that the day of the fight.

[Wesker115]

Ah when men were men. In those heady bygone days when they weren't concerned by which agency drug tested their opponent or what tv channel they fight on....

[Mrsantiago]

Boxers where harder men back then actually more skilled technical if you may fought in true weight classes and proof they overall pound for pound were better is why with all the scientific modern advances and full time athletes you see chubby boxers at weigh ins fighters that gas after 6 rds and fighters such as a mayweather or andre ward or hopkins with oldschool skills and training methods especially hopkins can almost easily win fights against against the modern day super atheletes and im not saying jack dempsey would beat wlad or vitaly you never know but i know he would try and i know he wouldnt fold and quot like alot of these super atheletes these days the men are more feminine im only 26 and i know that lol

[lparm]

The old timers were like mma fighters but without the rolling around on the mat and dry humping the other guy.

Read stories about Harry Greb elbow punching, eye gouging, headbutting, back handing opponents and then think about fragile guys like Floyd being in there with him.

Those guys weren't the athletes like we see today but I'd argue that they were tougher.