Are today's boxers bigger & better than those who fought in the 70's n 80's?

[-Kev-]

It's like this, which team would be better in the NBA between a 1970s all star team vs a 2017 all star team and why? (With 1970s rules). Most likely the 2017 all star team has a huge gap in athleticism from the 1970s best NBA players to the point where it would be a funny looking blow out.

I think the 2017 boxers are so much bigger, more athletic, and the styles are so much different that those years that again, it would just look like a funny blow out, a mismatch. Ali at 6'3" was among tallest HW's of the top 10 of his time, . Now, Ali would be among the shortest. You could see in his best fights, he was either taller or the same height as his opponents.

How would Ali fare today at 6' 3" vs 6'6" Anthony Joshua, 6'6" Wlad, 6'7" Wilder, 6'9" Fury? It would be tough.

On the other hand, I think that lower weight fighters of today would still have issues vs their 1970s and 80s counterparts. HW is way too different though, even for 1990s HWs like Tyson, Lewis and Holyfield.

[Dr Rumack]

The early 70s to the early 00s was a great era of boxing that the current era doesn't even touch. i think 2003 was a turning point with the end of the real Roy Jones and Lewis retiring. We are in a weak era for the sport. It was stronger even 10 years ago than it is now. The 70s and 80s pisses all over the current lot. Just compare the names. It's not even close.

[RedZmaja]

Boxing is bigger, better and more global now. We have Cubans and Eastern Europeans entering the sport in massive numbers and British boxing is greater than ever. The boxing infrastructure in both North and Latin America is still great and still produces just as much talent as before, it's just that the competition is greater now and not everyone can go all the way to the top. We have more elite Asian fighters than ever and Africans are starting to emerge in greater and greater numbers.

70s and 80s it was more an American thing and while certain fights and fighters were hyped more I don't see more overall quality.

In fact if you take the current (from the last 10 years) line up of elite boxers over all of the weight classes and compare it to any other 10 year era in the sport you'll never find an era with so many talented boxers spread over all of the weight classes.

Americans are just nostalgic over the old days when all the action was at their backyard and there was massive hype behind boxing in American mainstream society. But there wasn't that much variety and international talent back then.

Obviously, the new sport technology helps too, you have to be very ignorant to deny it.

[Tom Cruise]

It's like this, which team would be better in the NBA between a 1970s all star team vs a 2017 all star team and why? (With 1970s rules). Most likely the 2017 all star team has a huge gap in athleticism from the 1970s best NBA players to the point where it would be a funny looking blow out.

I think the 2017 boxers are so much bigger, more athletic, and the styles are so much different that those years that again, it would just look like a funny blow out, a mismatch. Ali at 6'3" was among tallest HW's of the top 10 of his time, . Now, Ali would be among the shortest. You could see in his best fights, he was either taller or the same height as his opponents.

How would Ali fare today at 6' 3" vs 6'6" Anthony Joshua, 6'6" Wlad, 6'7" Wilder, 6'9" Fury? It would be tough.

On the other hand, I think that lower weight fighters of today would still have issues vs their 1970s and 80s counterparts. HW is way too different though, even for 1990s HWs like Tyson, Lewis and Holyfield.

The NBA is more popular today than it was back then. It has a much better infrastructure for spotting talent, developing talent and maximising the potential for that talent. This is not true in boxing.

Boxing is too divided, its popularity is declining as a serious career pursuit in western countries, and most countries outside the west do not yet have the infrastructure or the pro boxing culture to fill the gap left behind.

You could pump a league 2 soccer player with every PED in the world, give him every bit nutritional advice and have him on the most perfect training program ever designed, and i would still pick him to be a worse player than Diego Maradona.

[Tom Cruise]

I think the increase in weight training has led to a generally shorter but more stocky size in most weightclasses outside HW. Even despite day before weigh ins. I havent got the motivation to do more than one division, so if anyone wants to do more then feel free.

Ring WW top 10 - 1979:

Sugar Ray Leonard, Champion - 5'10, 74inch reach
Wilfred Benitez - 5'10, 70inch reach
Pipino Cuevas - 5'8, 70inch reach
Roberto Duran - 5'7, 66inch
Thomas Hearns - 6'1, 78inch reach
Joergen Hansen - no data on brec
Pete Ranzany - 5'10 1/2,
Angel Espada - 5'9,
Davey (Boy) Green - not listed on brec
Joseph Nsubuga - not listed
Randy Shields - 5'11, no reach

Current WW Ring top 10:

Kell Brook - 5'9, 69inch
Keith Thurman - 5'7, 69inch
Shaun Porter - 5'7, 69inch
Manny PAcquiao - 5'5 1/2, 67inch
Timothy Bradley - 5'6, 69inch
Amir Khan - 5'8 1/2, 71inch
Danny Garcia - 5'8 1/2, 68 1/2 inch
Errol Spence - 5'9, 72inch
Jessie Vargas - 5'10, 71inch
Konstantin Ponomorev - 5'10, 70inch.

Even discounting the freakish Tommy Hearns, 4/7 (with stats, wthout Hearns) from '79 were 5'10 or over, compared to just 2/10 in current rankings. Reach is more tricky due only having a small sample from '79 rankings, however they do have a bigger % over 70inch reach than current day (80% with reach data listed compared with 40% in current day)

Granted its a small era for WWs. Be interesting if that trend bares out in other divisions.

I think it points to naturally larger men training down in weight in the past, compared with naturally smaller men in the present day preferring to bulk a bit. I reckon that is born out in their physiques too with most fighters back the day with very little excess muscle.

[Tom Cruise]

I think the increase in weight training has led to a generally shorter but more stocky size in most weightclasses outside HW. Even despite day before weigh ins. I havent got the motivation to do more than one division, so if anyone wants to do more then feel free.

Ring WW top 10 - 1979:

Sugar Ray Leonard, Champion - 5'10, 74inch reach
Wilfred Benitez - 5'10, 70inch reach
Pipino Cuevas - 5'8, 70inch reach
Roberto Duran - 5'7, 66inch
Thomas Hearns - 6'1, 78inch reach
Joergen Hansen - no data on brec
Pete Ranzany - 5'10 1/2,
Angel Espada - 5'9,
Davey (Boy) Green - not listed on brec
Joseph Nsubuga - not listed
Randy Shields - 5'11, no reach

Current WW Ring top 10:

Kell Brook - 5'9, 69inch
Keith Thurman - 5'7, 69inch
Shaun Porter - 5'7, 69inch
Manny PAcquiao - 5'5 1/2, 67inch
Timothy Bradley - 5'6, 69inch
Amir Khan - 5'8 1/2, 71inch
Danny Garcia - 5'8 1/2, 68 1/2 inch
Errol Spence - 5'9, 72inch
Jessie Vargas - 5'10, 71inch
Konstantin Ponomorev - 5'10, 70inch.

Even discounting the freakish Tommy Hearns, 4/7 (with stats, wthout Hearns) from '79 were 5'10 or over, compared to just 2/10 in current rankings. Reach is more tricky due only having a small sample from '79 rankings, however they do have a bigger % over 70inch reach than current day (80% with reach data listed compared with 40% in current day)

Granted its a small era for WWs. Be interesting if that trend bares out in other divisions.

I think it points to naturally larger men training down in weight in the past, compared with naturally smaller men in the present day preferring to bulk a bit. I reckon that is born out in their physiques too with most fighters back the day with very little excess muscle.

i had a quick look at the 1979 MW's and those ****ers were shorter than the '79 WW's Proper division of midgets.

[PK3434]

In most professional sports, the participants are simply better than they were 30-40 years ago.

Boxing is a little bit different for several reasons (in the United States):
1. Less people box now..there are less gyms, the best athletes (wisely) choose other sports. Most parents realize that boxing is dangerous for their kid's brain.
2. Gentrification in cities. Poor people have been kicked out of cities and now live in basically segregated suburbs. Boxing historically is an urban sport for the poor and desperate.
3. Weight classes: If you are fighting at 135, for example, there isn't too much difference between a 135 pound athlete in 1970 than there is in 2017. If the NBA had weight classes for positions, the game wouldn't be as evolved as it is now.
4. Not many good teachers. Ex boxers are often the trainers and there is a good chance they brain damaged which makes it difficult to be a good teacher.
5. Old School nutrition, training methods, etc are still very common. Even some of the best professional boxers from Mayweather (until his last year or 2 as a boxer) and Golovkin train in very old school ways, are their own strength and conditioning coach, etc. This is definitely starting to change though.

Modern boxers have a huge advantage in terms of PEDs though...although guys from the 80s on have been doing PEDs too. It just wasn't reported.

[-Kev-]

The NBA is more popular today than it was back then. It has a much better infrastructure for spotting talent, developing talent and maximising the potential for that talent. This is not true in boxing.

Boxing is too divided, its popularity is declining as a serious career pursuit in western countries, and most countries outside the west do not yet have the infrastructure or the pro boxing culture to fill the gap left behind.

You could pump a league 2 soccer player with every PED in the world, give him every bit nutritional advice and have him on the most perfect training program ever designed, and i would still pick him to be a worse player than Diego Maradona.

But i'm not saying as a whole, i'm just saying the HW's are different today. The rest of the weights still have their work cut out for them. Look at Marciano, a 5'11" 190lb Heavyweight, can he fare against prime Ali or Foreman? They were bigger and taller than what the top opposition he was used to. Same for Ali and Foreman today, these guys are so much bigger and taller than what they were used to. When you're used towering over opponents and then you don't have the advantage anymore, that could change your gameplan dramatically.

[NYC8224]

if you realy think that . you proberbly think canelo hits harder than julien jackson

Wilder KOs Frazier goofball

[engleby]

Wilder KOs Frazier goofball

yeah marvis frazier maybe