Soon boxers and sluggers will be non-existent

[MurkaMan]

I take it you're also a huge Klitschko fan?

HAHAHA!!! Wlad fights nothing like them!!

[Mikhnienko]

Styles are adapting, the traditional methods used back in the day are outdated and obsolete. With technology rapidly advancing can you imagine what a fighter of the caliber of Floyd would've done 50 or 60 years ago? He would've frozen multiple weight classes in fear. Strength and conditioning coaches aswell as other technological advances are literally revolutionizing boxing. Every major fighter today is getting tested while they're performing at a high levels..

40 plus years ago Floyd would lose against the vast majority of these men and there are more than a few sluggers. The man who would have brutalized him worst SRR was a slugger with Duran and Basilio close behind.

Robinson
Duran
Basilio
Armstrong
Walker
Burley
Griffith
Napoles
Rodriguez
Ortiz
Saddler
Ike Williams
Jack
Canzoneri
Mclarnin
Ross

[KeepItObjective]

This is reloaded's alt lmao......

[Bushbaby]

LOL at having Broner up there. Double lol when he was (over) Rigo.

[check hook]

40 plus years ago Floyd would lose against the vast majority of these men and there are more than a few sluggers. The man who would have brutalized him worst SRR was a slugger with Duran and Basilio close behind.

Robinson
Duran
Basilio
Armstrong
Walker
Burley
Griffith
Napoles
Rodriguez
Ortiz
Saddler
Ike Williams
Jack
Canzoneri
Mclarnin
Ross

NEither of the three you mentioned were sluggers.

[Citizen Koba]

Styles are adapting, the traditional methods used back in the day are outdated and obsolete. With technology rapidly advancing can you imagine what a fighter of the caliber of Floyd would've done 50 or 60 years ago? He would've frozen multiple weight classes in fear. Strength and conditioning coaches aswell as other technological advances are literally revolutionizing boxing. Every major fighter today is getting tested while they're performing at a high levels.

Old school boxing techniques are changing too, now they've been replaced by natural talent, raw skills and athleticism like Ward, Floyd, Broner etc. Fighters are adapting and embracing different stances like the philly shell. Standing in the middle of the ring and swinging like a wild man with no skill isn't whats cool anymore because fighters that do that get schooled. Look at the P4P rankings and you'll see that the top 5 fighters are undefeated, defensive, and extraordinary talented.

P4P

1.Mayweather
2.Ward
3.Bradley
4.Broner
5.Rigondeux

The man that brought this change forth is the King of boxing today. It doesnt matter how much you hate him. He's the best and it's unquestionable. He introduced testing, He single-handedly cleaned the sport, he made being defensive and using your legs cool, he's improving boxing little by little and I think that's going to be a major part of his legacy.

Firstly, I don't quite understand the title of your thread, you seem to be saying that boxers and sluggers will be non-existent, but then go on to say that sluggers are no longer relevant but that fighters with good defensive skills (who I'd call boxers) will take over the sport. Which is it, or have I mis-understood your original choice of the word?

Secondly, skill has always been the factor that makes fighters great, whilst there has been guys with real KO power, those that have endured at the top also had the skills (offensive or defensive) to make them stand out.

In the current era there does seem to be a preponderance of defensively skilled fighters (of whom FMJ is an exemplar), but this does not necessarily represent a sea change in the sport as a whole. There have always been highly skilled defensive fighters (eg Jack Johnson), but highly skilled offensive fighters (eg Robinson, Leonard, Hearns, Jones Jr, Pacquiao) have throughout the history of the sport, been able to equal or beat them.

I'm not quite sure what it is you are crediting Floyd with tho. Training and conditioning? A great work ethic? Exceptional skills and reflexes? - All these things already existed and developed without much input from Floyd. Perhaps the only thing that he could be credited with is selling dull, otherwise uninspiring defensive fights to the public, by virtue of being a celebrity. It is however quite possible that when he retires defensive boxing may lose much of it's allure.

TBH the major changes that are underway within the sport are to do with the ams.

Firstly a synthesis will gradually take place between styles evolved from the ex-Soviet/ East-Euro ams and the traditional US/Mexican pro styles.

Secondly the efforts of AIBA to penetrate the pro-game, with tournament style, high quality, frequent fights may force the pro game to up the pace to some degree, perhaps initiating rules changes to ensure more 'exciting' fights - ie favouring offense over defense.


PS. Love the bit about 'standing in the middle...and swinging like a wild man'. Is that what you think boxing was like before Floyd came along? That that's how boxing would be and remain if FMJ had never existed? Really?

The only area in which Floyd has really been an innovator is in self-promotion and the ability to draw such statements from otherwise perfectly normal people.

In fact reading through it again, your entire assertion is bizarre and contradictory. 'technological advances..revolutionising boxing', 'old school training techniques changing..replaced by natural talent, raw skills and athleticism..' but yet 'fighters are adapting and embracing different stances like the Philly shell'. So which is it? Natural talent or superior technique. Old school training or innovations like the Philly shell (as used by SRR in the 1940s)

Hmm...I think you've taken a little too much of the FMJ Kool-aid my friend. He is almost certainly the greatest fighter of the era, I'd just leave it at that.

[Deevel916]

If it weren't for sluggers, boxer/punchers, brawlers, boxing would have zero demand. Just imagine the sport if you were only allowed to fight with the style of floyd, Rigo, Hopkins, Wlad, etc. Not 1 network would pick it up.

[KeepItObjective]

If it weren't for sluggers, boxer/punchers, brawlers, boxing would have zero demand. Just imagine the sport if you were only allowed to fight with the style of floyd, Rigo, Hopkins, Wlad, etc. Not 1 network would pick it up.

Wouldn't even make it to espn....probably would be on Sportsman Channel or Eurosport along with fencing

[croz]

Wait ... did you just say Floyd relies on his atheism to win fights? Floyd ... the most technical high level boxer alive today.

[KeepItObjective]

Wait ... did you just say Floyd relies on his atheism to win fights? Floyd ... the most technical high level boxer alive today.

People put too much emphasis on ''technical'' 'boxing IQ'' etc, sure it matters but at the end of the day no matter how technical and smart you are, if you're over matched in speed, power and stamina you're gonna have the odds stacked against you.