Why do people overrate boxers from the past eras?

[DuckAdonis]

Good thread

How many of these legends have actually beaten better guys than Mayweather and Pacquiao?

[BKM-]

Nostalgia gives a feeling that makes people from the past greater than they're. And just like time heals all wounds and cover-up all blemishes - it also make us unsee what we saw in the past. Then we also have those who never saw what happened in realtime but rely on legends to help them judge greatness - thus making them greater than they actually are.

A classic example is Lennox Lewis. His footwork wasn't that great and before he linked up with Manny Steward - he was very clumsy albeit he got better after linking up with Manny Steward. And I'd wager that AJ has a better footwork than Lennox ever had. Lennox was also terrible on the backfoot. However, nostalgia has turned Lennox Lewis into some legendary slick boxer who had no holes in his game. Hilarious.

Also, looking at Lennox's resume - we can argue that he beat 8 very good contenders (max) and two ATGs that were on the decline (both Holyfield and Tyson were 36 when he fought them). AJ has beaten 3 very good contenders and one ATG in Wlad (41-yr Wlad gave a better account of himself than 36-yr old Tyson did). And if AJ can beat Ruiz in the rematch and beat the likes of Usyk, Pulev, Hunter, Wilder and Fury in their prime in the next 2 years - he'll move ahead of Lennox of every list.

Stop the madness and enjoy the greatness happening in realtime.

So out of all the overrated boxers from the past you pick one of the most legit and greatest HW's we've ever seen. Quite a stumble there.

[sicko]

They really don't, people like you want to devalue Legends so that your favorite Current fight can have a chance to reach his level. That is not how that works, you can't lower the bar for Greatness so some AVERAGE OVER HYPED Fighter you have a Man Crush can be considered "Great" like them

You want to truly be considered great...EARN IT like they did!

If you don't know your boxing history then do yourself a favor, save yourself the embarrassment and stay away from topics talking about All Time Greats and stick to talking about your ERA ONLY!

[ruedboy]

Well it’s true in a sense that older fighters get a pass for things current fighters wouldn’t by boxing fans.

Hagler is considered an ATG, yet he lost to some average guys on the way up and his biggest wins were against guys that come up from lower weight classes. Imagine if he was around today? The people on this forum would be saying he was exposed and an overrated bum when he lost on the way up or calling him a hype-job, a weight bully etc..

That’s just the way it is.

On another note, boxers probably are better today. In all other sports where there is a definitive measurement such as time or distance, records are always being broken because athletes get better, so it’d be ****** to think boxers are not much better athletes today too, it’s just there’s no official measurement like in some other sports, so it’s based on opinion but the fact is they’re much better athletes today for the most part.

But we shouldn’t even compare eras. Different times, too many factors to make fair direct comparisons. You can only try to be the best of your time. Lewis was better in his era than AJ in his.

I think fewer good athletes are going into boxing in the US due to more opportunities in other sports.
The talent pool in pro boxing in the US is shallow and getting shallower.

[john l]

Well it’s true in a sense that older fighters get a pass for things current fighters wouldn’t by boxing fans.

Hagler is considered an ATG, yet he lost to some average guys on the way up and his biggest wins were against guys that come up from lower weight classes. Imagine if he was around today? The people on this forum would be saying he was exposed and an overrated bum when he lost on the way up or calling him a hype-job, a weight bully etc..

That’s just the way it is.

On another note, boxers probably are better today. In all other sports where there is a definitive measurement such as time or distance, records are always being broken because athletes get better, so it’d be ****** to think boxers are not much better athletes today too, it’s just there’s no official measurement like in some other sports, so it’s based on opinion but the fact is they’re much better athletes today for the most part.

But we shouldn’t even compare eras. Different times, too many factors to make fair direct comparisons. You can only try to be the best of your time. Lewis was better in his era than AJ in his.

Hagler fought a murders row of top fighters before he got shot! Start with the Philly middles Monroe,Watts,Hart and Briscoe also guys like Seales and Hamni were rated by THE RING at time among others. You could not have picked a worse example. Also the Watts loss was BS and Monroe he KOed twice within a year. Them are his only two losses before SRL and draw with Seales was BS and he had already beat him and then after draw(in Seales howntown) he KOed him in one. His only REAL blemish was Monroe(before SRL) in a fight where he claimed to be sick, and after what he did too him twice over I believe it to be true.

[FredWreck]

Pacquiao is Boxing’s Tom Brady.
40+ still whipping the young’ns a$$e$.

[LoadedWraps]

Lewis had weaknesses and was KOed twice in his prime by two guys who were not that good. I still remember him as a very good all around fighter who was better than AJ and had better stamina and threw a lot more punches a round. Tyson and Holyfield were old when Lewis fought them but he was older than Tyson.

Fury would dominate that era.

Too fast, too slick, a granite chin. He would frustrate fighters, bloody them with his educated stiff jab, he had no weakness. He wouldn't even really need to switch o southpaw. Holyfield would he the biggest challenge but he would get mauled to a late stoppage if he doesn't quit on his stool first.

[strykr619]

lennox is a bad example .

i tend to agree people overrate fighters from the past, mainly pre war fighters. it seems fashionable to do it especially when theres hardly and footage of these fighters.

Their is plenty of footage, problem is converting it to modern medium, you would think the boxing hall of fame would spend the money to clean it up and digitize.

I know for a fact that their is plenty of reel footage of braddock, baer, schmelling and louis. Between those four you would have an entire generation of HW's on film since they all fought the same comp numerous times.

I know the San Francisco library system has close to 40 of pancho villa's fights in their archive for instance.

[strykr619]

Fury would dominate that era.

Too fast, too slick, a granite chin. He would frustrate fighters, bloody them with his educated stiff jab, he had no weakness. He wouldn't even really need to switch o southpaw. Holyfield would he the biggest challenge but he would get mauled to a late stoppage if he doesn't quit on his stool first.

Fury would not dominate in that era, hell fury would have issues with both K bros in their prime alone.

What Fury has is a lot of grit but to say he would dominate is looking it with rosey glasses.

[tangalog2200]

They really don't, people like you want to devalue Legends so that your favorite Current fight can have a chance to reach his level. That is not how that works, you can't lower the bar for Greatness so some AVERAGE OVER HYPED Fighter you have a Man Crush can be considered "Great" like them

You want to truly be considered great...EARN IT like they did!

If you don't know your boxing history then do yourself a favor, save yourself the embarrassment and stay away from topics talking about All Time Greats and stick to talking about your ERA ONLY!

The best advice to the TS! Very sensible.

There is a tendency to rate down the fighters of the past and over rate/hype up the fighters of today. Some media and people with vested interest propagate this view. Nothing much more to gain to glorify the past...but a lot of money is for the taking by hyping up fighters of today..concocted rivalries, putting more marbles or accolades to uneventful fights and placing fighters up pedestals a thousand miles high more than where they should be...