Stop with the nostalgia, stop overrating fighters from the past!

[NachoMan]

In reality there's far less talent nowadays and they are far less conditioned. Just look at the HW division. You have one of the least skilled fighters to ever hold a world title.

That's not fair. AJ may be stiff and robotic, but he does have some skills.

[THC]

It's easier for me to appreciate pre-2000 fighters because the business side of the sport was less able to shield them from real challenges. As a result, they had more solid resumes, and PPVs were reserved for true super-fights like Leonard-Hearns, Hearns-Hagler, Leonard-Duran, not show case events like Mayweather-Berto.

The "nostalgia" to which you allude is about speculating whether they could have beaten their modern day equivalents. Mine is based on what they gave to the sport: compelling fights.

[joseph5620]

Damn, I thought you were talking about old "old school" fighters versus today's fighters. Like Spence vs LaMotta or maybe Crawford versus SRL, but you're calling Cotto an old school guy. That's nuts. Prime Cotto beats the **** out of Spence, but he does lose a very good match against Bud. I don't think you're going to get many people agreeing with your thoughts unless you are comparing today's fighters to fighters from the 19th century.

No he doesn't and I watched cotto in his prime.

[RightJabLikeZab]

Nostalgia overrides actual boxing analysis so it's pointless to even discuss.

[NachoMan]

How would cotto beat the **** out of spence when margarito made him quit? He had lots of other losses and poor performances too but let me guess he was 'past prime' lol

Margarito would have busted up Spence's head too with plaster fists. Spence's most notable win is over a fat lightweight. You are showing your age by being overly exuberant about a guy who hasn't actually proven anything yet. Long ago, when he was a lightweight, I thought that Shane Mosley could not ever be beaten. Seriously.

[joseph5620]

It's fine to respect and miss past fighters. But a lot of people automatically pick past fighters over the newest generation of fighters today, which is extremely ****** and disturbing.

Reality is, boxing's just like any other sport, its athletes are constantly evolving and getting better. The fastest runner in the world 20 years ago won't even make the top 10 today. Training, nutrition, genetics, and coaching are constantly improving in every sport.

Prime Cotto is not beating Crawford or Spence. Prime Ali or Holmes is not beating Anthony Joshua, lol. A lot of Ali and Hagler "fans" have never even watched any of their fights in its entirety.

A LOT can change in the sport in just 10 years. The old timers have had their time. We need to embrace the future, appreciate and respect the NOW. Active fighters today like Crawford, Spence, Canelo, and Joshua are the best there has ever been.

I have and no way in hell does Joshua beat prime Ali or Holmes. My guess is that you know very little about either one. Both were far more skilled than Joshua and if you're using size as a reason that speaks for itself.

Claiming, Canelo,Spence,Crawford, as the best there has ever been is extremely ignorant.

[Smash]

cant comment since i only started watching boxing last month ^^

[Eff Pandas]

Fighters a good while back were in tremendous shape. Just to be a champion, for starters, you needed to have the endurance to go 15 rounds. Lots of those guys would be giddy to be fighting 10 and 12 round fights.

LOL this is one of those basic points I don't think people talking all this scifi fantasy speculative bs even consider. And 15 rounds is literally just for starters, as you say, cuz if you go back further guys fought 25 round fights or even no limit fights for f#cking hours.

Who's got Joshua & Canelo running the show in eras where you fight til a guy can't continue? Joshua damn near had a heart attack in the middle rounds vs a 40 something Klitschko & Canelo needs a asthma inhaler after 12 rounders today.

You throw 12 rounds into fights in the old days & the greats of those eras maybe completely different. For one Billy Conn beats Joe Louis, although who knows how differently that fight coulda gone if it was known the fight only was going 12 so even thats speculative at best. And there are probably a whole slew of different champions & legends if that had been the case just like the landscape of boxing now would look different if boxing was still the til a guy can't continue bare knuckle sport it begin as.

[Madison Boxing]

Margarito would have busted up Spence's head too with plaster fists. Spence's most notable win is over a fat lightweight. You are showing your age by being overly exuberant about a guy who hasn't actually proven anything yet. Long ago, when he was a lightweight, I thought that Shane Mosley could not be beaten. Seriously.

Im far from overrating spence but cotto was good at one thing and that was losing big fights. He was one of pacquiaos easiest fights, mayweather played with him, trout and ali boxed rings around him, canelo beat him easily, margarito made him quit, he arguably lost to clotttey aswell. He had one good win squeaking past mosley who wasnt exactly invincible himself but more often than not he lost badly at world class level.

[OCPancho]

It's fine to respect and miss past fighters. But a lot of people automatically pick past fighters over the newest generation of fighters today, which is extremely ****** and disturbing.

Reality is, boxing's just like any other sport, its athletes are constantly evolving and getting better. The fastest runner in the world 20 years ago won't even make the top 10 today. Training, nutrition, genetics, and coaching are constantly improving in every sport.

Prime Cotto is not beating Crawford or Spence. Prime Ali or Holmes is not beating Anthony Joshua, lol. A lot of Ali and Hagler "fans" have never even watched any of their fights in its entirety.

A LOT can change in the sport in just 10 years. The old timers have had their time. We need to embrace the future, appreciate and respect the NOW. Active fighters today like Crawford, Spence, Canelo, and Joshua are the best there has ever been.

Boxing has not evolved much.
Boxers today do not have to train for 15 round fights.
Gloves are larger, rings are bigger and the talent pool isn't like it used to be.
Boxing used to be the highest paying sport .
Not anymore.
In Mexico, drugs are taking away from the talent pool.



Paulie Malignaggi and Adrien Broner are former world champions. Broner has had 3 belts.
Both are marginally talented.

I'll take the greats of the 70's and 80's over the greats today.