Did Past Fighters Have Better Defense or Spar Less

[GrandpaBernard]

how did they last fighting so much. Sometimes, they fight twice a month.

Compared to modern day fighters who have a tough fight then need a random opponent next or vacation

[Dip_Slide]

Fighters today have better defense and get hit less and if they wanted to, can fight once a week. The problems start arising later in your career and after you retire especially if you fought so often.

That's one reason why fighters don't fight as often as they used to, to preserve themselves, another reason is the politics and the negotiation process which might take 3-6 Months at the championship level.

[NORMNEALON]

Good question . Fighters back then sparred more they did all boxing training and very little strength and conditioning , just basic roadwork and sparring . Iam not sure the answer to this to be honest . I'd like to look further into the length of most of these fighters with triple digit fights in the pros amateur careers . Maybe they had far less amateur fights etc . Maybe they were just harder men from harder times ? Iam really not sure . Hopefully someone can shed some light on a reasonable theory as to how this type of longevity was achievable......maybe the same day way ins and less dehydrating helped ?? But that wouldnt cover heavyweights ....that being said it seems heavyweights for the most part did have alot less fights back then .


Maybe the fact they fought more means shorter Less grueling training camps and they kept in BETTER SHAPE Year round . The most logical reason I can come up with .

[GrandpaBernard]

Good question . Fighters back then sparred more they did all boxing training and very little strength and conditioning , just basic roadwork and sparring . Iam not sure the answer to this to be honest . I'd like to look further into the length of most of these fighters with triple digit fights in the pros amateur careers . Maybe they had far less amateur fights etc . Maybe they were just harder men from harder times ? Iam really not sure . Hopefully someone can shed some light on a reasonable theory as to how this type of longevity was achievable......maybe the same day way ins and less dehydrating helped ?? But that wouldnt cover heavyweights ....that being said it seems heavyweights for the most part did have alot less fights back then .


Maybe the fact they fought more means shorter Less grueling training camps and they kept in BETTER SHAPE Year round . The most logical reason I can come up with .

or the not so glamorous idea

Boxing was mainstream and many people were fighters back then

There were tons of tomato cans to choose from

They fought more killers but also faced more tuneup level opponents between those fights

[PRINCEKOOL]

Probably less unnecessary gym wars back then, the gym was used mainly for conditioning. I have read that some top boxers are hitting 100 + rounds of sparring within their training camps, and those are just modest numbers 'A fighter like David Haye sparred pretty much at the same intensity as his fights'.

[Vegemil]

how did they last fighting so much. Sometimes, they fight twice a month.

Compared to modern day fighters who have a tough fight then need a random opponent next or vacation

Because no drug testing.

[IceTrayDaGang]

hungrier! in the old days, it wasnt so much about the money yet. it was about being the best. muay thai fighters usually have like over 200+ fights and muay thai is more brutal.

if it's not so much about the money, fighters of today would still be doing the same thing fighters of before did.

[Combat Talk Radio]

how did they last fighting so much. Sometimes, they fight twice a month.

Compared to modern day fighters who have a tough fight then need a random opponent next or vacation

Seeing Hagler not only take Beast Mugabi's constant knockout-level punches but proceed to knock him out made me start questioning what the guys in the previous generations were supplementing. Same with Julian Jackson and Mike McCallum.

[Thraxox]

Their tune up bouts are their sparring.l