What makes 60-80's fighers so much better than today?

[Luiz]

This....Sugar Ray Leonard @SUGARRAYLEONARD

"I think champs should fight champs and unify the division, it’s more than just money, it’s bragging rights.”

[gatorDelux]

This....Sugar Ray Leonard @SUGARRAYLEONARD

"I think champs should fight champs and unify the division, it’s more than just money, it’s bragging rights.”

this^^^^^^

[Sosay]

They weren't better. The atg's can compete in any era. Its just old heads belittle the new school. And that goes for all sports.

[The_Sandman]

I've always said boxing is more evolved now.

Boxing came a long way from this...



...to what we see now.

[dc3383]

Its just what you are told everybody believes there generation is the best.

[Luilun]

Is it nostalgia that clouds minds? Were guys actually bigger per weight class compared to today? Were all fighters of these generations better technically then the preceding generations even the c/b grade? Is it that boxing was bigger mainstream in those times? I mean seriously I'd like to hear all reasons that actually make sense and are logical as to what makes these nostalgic fighters that much better!!! Do other sports downgrade better players of now compared to past like boxing? Is it the fighters persona nowadays compared to old that clouds your judgment over the fighters skill? Did fighters not "duck" fighters with less reward than risk back then compared to now? Were there promotional or network contracts that blocked fights from happening like there is now? Is it that they were allowed things back then in the ring that is now banned for some apparent reason?

There was still old school trainers these days 80 % don't know shyt

[boliodogs]

I was a big boxing fan then and I am still a big boxing fan now. Overall I don't think the 60s to 80s fighters were any better or worse than todays fighters. There were some great fighters then and we have some great fighters here right now. Matthysse, Garcia, Pacquiao, Marquez, Donaire, Rigo, GGG, Martinez, Ward, and of course Hopkins, Mayweather, the K brothers and some others would have been competitive in any era. The fighters in any weight class below heavyweight are bigger today because they can weigh in hungry and dry and they have 32 hours to eat and drink the weight back on.In the same day weigh in days they only had about 6 or 8 hours to put weight on. Nobody bothered to weigh them right before they fought because they would not weigh much more than they weighed in at. They might gain 5 or 6 pounds at most in that short time. Any larger gain than that and their gut would look like a baloon and they would be waterlogged and bloated.

[violaandme]

Duran, Hearns, Leonard, and Hagler are the most known who fought everybody yet everyone forgets guys like Aaron Pryor who they didn't. These guys are most known for fighting really each other. Did Hearns, Leonard, Duran, etc... fight Pryor? Why didn't Leonard fight Pryor after being called out by the smaller man? Why didn't Hearns fight Pryor again since the guy was boasting about whooping his ass before? Why are only fighters nowadays ridiculed for ducking and ****? There is only a select group of guys around this "golden" time period that were good... they weren't that damn plentiful like everyone keeps saying lol. I can list a lot of great fighters from the 90's to today that competed in the same weights these guys did that I feel are somewhat comparable. These older fighters do not look invincible compared to fighters from the 90's to today. I'd love to see any of the horseman go up against these fighters in their respective classes: Chavez Sr, Pernell Whittaker, Oscar De La Hoya, Felix Trinidad, Ike Quartey, Shane Mosley, Bernard Hopkins, Roy Jones Jr, Miguel Cotto, Pacquaio, James Toney, Floyd Mayweather Jr... lots of good fights at lots of weights and varying results of winners imo.

I may be biased but I don't consider that todays fighters could be compaired to even fighters from the 80's and 90's which is when I consider the best era of the lighter weights at least 126lbs -154lbs anyway Pernell Whittaker is not an easy fight for anyone in history at any weight he fought at well maybe at 154lbs he did fight once at that weight but there may be people that beat him but noone does it easily same with Chavez sr at 130-135lbs or RJJ at middleweight Antonio Esparragoza and Azumah Nelson would be tough for anyone at 126lbs and I don't believe there are any current fighters that could beat any of these guys

[violaandme]

Floyd and Pacquiao at there best could have put up a good fight but really I don't know for sure they are good but these guys were proven over and over as far as weights go when Pernell Whitaker fought Julio Cesar Chavez for Whittakers WBC 147lbs belt Pernell stepped into the ring at 145lbs and Chavez came in at 142lbs they were fighting at 147lbs now adays most welter weights step in the ring at close to 160lbs

[megadeth]

So did Floyd back then, what's your point? I'm talking about now, and did we forget about Floyd cheating JMM on the scales?

Please show us one example where Floyd came into the ring 17 lb over his weight class limit. Hell, I'm not sure if he's ever been even 8lbs over.

By the way, you can't cheat someone who signs a contract agreeing to the weight before you ever weigh in. If that's the case, Pac cheated Cotto because he didn't want a catchweight, nor did he want his belt on the line at a catchweight,