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as nutrition improves in a country, sports performance tends to as well. Better nourished athletes = better athletes.
However, there are exceptions. For example, food and money was less plentiful in the period leading up to the 1920s. As a result, a whole generation of fighters grew up fighting just to survive. I've heard 60s fighters claim they were tougher than todays kids because they had to fight to feed their families. in the 1910s, fighters battled for yesterday's dinner.
The result was not a crop of beaten down, worn out fighters as one might possibly assume. Jack Dempsey's generation of fighters were tough as nails, and once they made enough money to eat well, they were some of the greatest, if not the greatest fighters in history. Once their wallets got fat enough things went downhill a bit, but not before some great contests.
Can a fighter with a comfortable upbringing ever match the ferocity of jack dempsey? The short answer is yes. Jack Dempsey wasn't just a force of nature, he was also a student of the game. He studied technique in every gym he visited while traveling around the country, and made up his mind to be heavyweight champ when he was just a child. His ferocity was just one part of the equation, and it was no accident of circumstances. Dempsey had a goal and he fought for it.
A number of fighters today, as well as athlete's in a variety of sports, have an intense desire to excel at their sport. While not hungry physically, they're eternally hungry mentally to be the best they can be. From michael jordan to michael phelps, kobe bryant to manny pacquiao, vic darchinyan to randy moss, it isn't hard to find an athlete with total dedication to their craft.
Jack Dempsey used to say "when I was young, I'd show up to a fight after not eating, and I'd get knocked down. I didn't want to get up, but I had to if I wanted to eat." Lack of food seemed to have affected his psyche as a fighter. However, again, you don't have to look hard to find a fighter who will do everything he can to convince a ref to let him continue after taking a beating or a tough shot.
What mattered then still matters now, and there are no excuses for a fighter with the talent and desire to be great.
However, there are exceptions. For example, food and money was less plentiful in the period leading up to the 1920s. As a result, a whole generation of fighters grew up fighting just to survive. I've heard 60s fighters claim they were tougher than todays kids because they had to fight to feed their families. in the 1910s, fighters battled for yesterday's dinner.
The result was not a crop of beaten down, worn out fighters as one might possibly assume. Jack Dempsey's generation of fighters were tough as nails, and once they made enough money to eat well, they were some of the greatest, if not the greatest fighters in history. Once their wallets got fat enough things went downhill a bit, but not before some great contests.
Can a fighter with a comfortable upbringing ever match the ferocity of jack dempsey? The short answer is yes. Jack Dempsey wasn't just a force of nature, he was also a student of the game. He studied technique in every gym he visited while traveling around the country, and made up his mind to be heavyweight champ when he was just a child. His ferocity was just one part of the equation, and it was no accident of circumstances. Dempsey had a goal and he fought for it.
A number of fighters today, as well as athlete's in a variety of sports, have an intense desire to excel at their sport. While not hungry physically, they're eternally hungry mentally to be the best they can be. From michael jordan to michael phelps, kobe bryant to manny pacquiao, vic darchinyan to randy moss, it isn't hard to find an athlete with total dedication to their craft.
Jack Dempsey used to say "when I was young, I'd show up to a fight after not eating, and I'd get knocked down. I didn't want to get up, but I had to if I wanted to eat." Lack of food seemed to have affected his psyche as a fighter. However, again, you don't have to look hard to find a fighter who will do everything he can to convince a ref to let him continue after taking a beating or a tough shot.
What mattered then still matters now, and there are no excuses for a fighter with the talent and desire to be great.
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