Did old school boxers have more skills?

[////]

Modern fights are almost universally superior, but "seeing something" in archaic boxing matches is a very popular gimmick people use to sound like "sweet science experts".

This isn't medieval swordsmanship, it isn't some lost art. The "Golden Ages" were more equivalent to toughman competitions than they are to modern boxing -- fighters of extremely questionable athletic ability from a handful of US states and 1 or 2 foreign countries having sloppy, fan-friendly wars.

This happened to MMA. It was more "fun" to watch early on because there were so many whacky styles and crazy KOs. Now it's becoming like modern boxing where everyone is very well-rounded and fights are stalemates until someone finds a small opening. Most average people, especially old dudes who have watched boxing for 40 years but never actually tried it, will prefer the slop you saw in the 30s, 70s, etc over the rehearsed, robotic styles you see today.

We make fun of guys with physiques like Arreola nowadays but there was a time when a guy 5 inches shorter and 40 lbs lighter with a similar muscle/fat ratio was considered a real beefcake.

The money has never been higher, the coverage has never been higher, the talent pool has never been so deep and global.

The problem with modern boxing is that the business aspect has also become extremely precise and practiced. Fighters perfectly time their "payout" and minimize their exposure so it's harder for a hall of famer to get 5+ other hall of famers on his resume.

I'm around guys who had pro stints or TRIED to go pro all the time and the hardest part of a modern boxing career is getting with that big promoter. It's like getting your script picked up by a major movie studio. A lot of them put more energy and money into chasing contracts than they put into actually boxing. A lot of people see the ammies as the true measure of who is the best for this reason, and a pro career as playing craps.

Historical resumes look better, but modern fighters are superior.

[Luilun]

I think its lack of great trainers...and how the world has changed since the 70s,80s,90s,

You got that right today people think a guy play patty cake with Floyd and other wearing a body bag calling out 1, 2 while Pacquaio pounds his body are todays top dogs for trainers. Hell remember Kevin Rooney with Tyson calling out out all those number for different combos and those slipping drills

[Elroy1]

Very weak troll attempt.

Ray Robinson had a record of 128-1 at one point in his career. That makes Floyd's 47-0 look like child's play in comparison.

Ray had more wins than most modern day fighters have fights in an entire career.

No it doesn't. That is a TYPICAL OTNB comment that has been completely exposed several times.

The moment you see one of those old school boxers like Ray Robinson and several others with hundreds of fights on their records, you can straight away be assured of something.

They fought bummy opponents and many many of them.

There is no boxer who can possibly have that many fights against quality opposition.

And it's a no brainer! For any intelligent boxing fan who has made even the most basic analysis, we all know this! You can check for yourself!

I hate Floyd! You will never see a Floyd thread where I am not constantly running him into the ground! But I am an objective observer and I know that there is no way that Ray Robinson could have ever gone through Floyd MAyweather's resume at the respective weights Floyd was and go undefeated against them.

Floyd's opponents, no matter how much us Pac fans spin them to be worse than Pac's, WERE of the highest quality opponents of almost any boxer has faced!

You might really believe in your statement, you seem like your one of the brainwashed and not one of the "other" kind. And that's ok.

It "seems" to you as if I am the troll here but your extremely ignorant statement serves to prove to me and many others that it is in fact YOU trolling here.

[Elroy1]

You got that right today people think a guy play patty cake with Floyd and other wearing a body bag calling out 1, 2 while Pacquaio pounds his body are todays top dogs for trainers. Hell remember Kevin Rooney with Tyson calling out out all those number for different combos and those slipping drills

Focus Mitts of any kind are a modern tool that trainers have used that have even just alone, raised the level of ALL boxers far beyond what was achieved in the past.

This particular statement of yours has exposed you as a total fool and served as an important reminder that there is no comparison between the quality of trainers now, and trainers past!

[MrRolltide91]

that's party because boxing has lost its standing sports wise across the globe. especially in america.

all the top athletes play other sports now because of all the choices and relative quickness when it comes to making big money. If you are a great athlete, why choose boxing where you have to toil for years before you get a big shot when you can instantly make millions playing in the nfl, nba, mlb, nascar, etc...

back then, you either played baseball or boxing. that was it.

True.

The best athletes play basketball or football

[Elroy1]

True.

The best athletes play basketball or football

I HOPE you are taking the piss here?

If not your delusional.

That is a ridiculous assumption that all the would be Ali's, Tyson's, Marciano's, Frazier's etc play basketball and grid iron now, when if the HW division was so weak and easy to conquer now, atleast ONE of these guys you would think would take up boxing and dominate the sport if it's so easy!

But that isn't what we see is it! What we see is boxers, who have ALWAYS been boxers dominate it or do the best and for longer. A boxer becomes a great boxer because he WANTS to be a boxer, and transfer athletes often get exposed!

The American population now is far larger than it was then and the popularisation of boxing through the fitness industry, the extensive amateur sports programs and the number of boxers participating now exceeds past eras.

Yesteryear boxing was an American contest MAINLY, in stark contrast to the comment you replied to, it is NOW a global sport.

In ******* and ****** for example there are museums dedicated to their boxing champions filled with medals, meaning they have a rich history of this accumulated. It's merely the fact they aren't AMERICAN champions now why you are butt hurt.

Equally validly, and far more LIKELY, if the former Eastern Bloc nations and other nations decided to become interested in Grid Iron and Basketball, there would be far less American champions in that as well!

Boxing is now a global and professional sport, like most sports are now, no longer an American backyard contest with only little world involvement.

[////]

"Golden age" American HWs weren't even big enough for the modern NFL or NBA but that's still used as an excuse.

They were never good. People just need to get over it. Your golden age heroes survived because they were fighting each other and international exposure was minimal.

Everyone knows it, but soft dudes from soft cultures can't come to admit it in writing. Their manhood is tied up in the myth. Get back in your ****in' cubicles.

[lefthook2daliva]

No I think overall there is a decrease in skill level in particular footwork and the jab. You can probably count on one hand the amount of fighters today with a legitimate world class jab. How many fighters today even move their head?

I used to be someone strongly under the impression that everything had evolved but this is clearly not the case. In fact I think majority of fighters operating at world level really are not that good at all.

The heavyweight division is a joke, the weakest its ever been.
The middleweight division has one good fighter in it the rest are Euro level at best.
Light middle has Alvarez and Lara, the rest of the crop are a joke.

There are exceptions, we do have some supremely skillful fighters but as a whole its a real step back. I think 80% of top fighters today at a sheer guess would be journeyman/gatekeepers in practically any other era.

dan_cov takin' care of biz.

Move on. Nothin' else to see here...

[Elroy1]

dan_cov takin' care of biz.

Move on. Nothin' else to see here...

Really? This guy provides absolutely no evidence whatsoever for any of his statements and they fly in the face of every single piece of evidence available to us, yet this guy wraps it up just like that?

Current champs of every division do everything much better than champs of far in the past eras.

Current B level boxers do everything better than far in the past B level boxers

Current BUMS do everything better than far in the past bums.

I know this because I've watched so many of their fights now.

Show us otherwise? I really want to see one of these out of this world skilled boxers that modern ones couldn't hold a candle too, because I KNOW they don't exist!

The heavyweight division is the strongest it has ever been but really that is an understatement. For a STARTERS they are more skilled. Wladimir Klitschko just fought Kubrat Pulev for the HW title.

Show me a HW boxer who has a jab as good as Wladimir Klitshko?

Show me a boxer who is as fast as Manny Pacquiao?

Show me a boxer who has as good a timing as Floyd Mayweather?

Show me a boxer who was as elusive as Chris Byrd was?

Show me a boxer who had the reflexes and agility for such a hefty class as Roy Jones and David Haye did?

BS!

[Ray Corso]

Blah blah blah again over & over again, someone who thinks he knows so much but is NOT involved in the sport? Why isn't this boy a fighter or trainer at least a manager or promoter. He knows so much about the game. WHY??

Because he is here to get a rise out of people, that's all.
Just another day in Tooools dream world! "peeleft: on you sonny!

go away!
Ray.