Does the fact that Jack Johnson era fighters were drying out exclude them from h2h?

I'll admit to thinking that dehydrated only referred to severe dehydration the type in which the effects are clear. My mistake.

But I'm still not getting your point McGrain. We saw the best these guys had within the context of what they had. Could I just as easily disqualify Vitaly or RJJ because they used peds to create an artificial version of who they are?

 

I see stay you're saying now. As to that I would argue it's a minor point but if the matchup is a tossup in your head to go with the guy that drinks fluid.

The reason I say it is minor is because boxing is more anaerobic than aerobic. This may seem counterintuitive but you can box at a high level (think James Toney or old Duran or old Foreman) as a guy with a surplus of body fat. In a truly aerobic exercise (think cycling or marathon running) such body types don't exist or they are quickly whittled down. And hydration is not as important in an anaerobic activity.

 

More or less. Anyway just one man's opinion.

 

Ive never heard anyone say "Jack Johnson wouldnt have beaten so and so because he always fought dehydrated." Its a silly argument. I say again, nobody today has any idea to what extent Johnson or anyone else 110 years ago "dried out" and how, if at all it affected their performances. When I see Johnson on film I dont see a guy dead on his feet from dehydration. Furthermore, to say that it was worse back then is irresponsible at best because again we have no idea to what extent or even how they "dried out." For instance, Ive never heard anyone say Johnson or anyone else from that era dried out so bad that they needed to have fluids intravenuously and gained 20+ pounds, which has happened on several occasions in the modern era. At the end of the day a fighter knows when he feels good and at his best fighting trim. To pretend these guys (especially HWs) were willingly killing themselves to dehydrate and then came into the ring weakened is ludicrous IMO.

 

It depends on nutrition a lot more than it does on regular prolonged aerobic exercises.

 

This is true but I was speaking in the context of high level athletics. Even muscular body types are rare among distance runners.

 

Why can all fluids supposedly not be replaced between rounds? Guys seem to spit most water out, but it would be easy to gulp a glass or more between rounds, & can take stuff with electrolytes too.

 

I think the belief was drinking water between rounds gave you cramps. But the use of water in a corner has always been used via a sponge and bottle.

Larry Holmes always drank water between rounds. At the end of the Holyfeild fight he puked up about a gallon in the ring.

 

Ok, you are right McGrain. These guys had no idea how they actually felt and came into the ring willingly depleted which effected their performance. Congratulations, based on a sentence in a book written in 2013 youve rewritten the history of boxing. I applaud you.