A question about old time fighters

Try looking at what are generally classed as " silent films " After you have done this come back and explain to us exactly why actors like George Clooney might be considered as " better " than say,,,,,,,,,,, Charlie Chaplin.

If you can't, you have answered your own question.

 

Try reading contemporary newspapers (some archives are available for free), you get the idea how those old timers fought against this or that style, their strong and weak points.

 

quality or greatness is not just about size you know.

 

I don't like sweeping labels like old time fighters.

Loads of footage of Dempsey exists. Very little of Jeffries exists. Totally different circumstances.

At least from the point of view of someone who values available footage above contemporary reports.

 

there is enough film of jj, dempsey and their opponents to draw general conclusions, especially once you get the context of boxing in that period.

watching modern fights and then the same fight that has been changed to look like old films is useful to judging what is on the old films.

i think the further you go back pre 40's there are more guys who would get outclassed in a modern ring by equivalent modern fighters. but how far back is too far to be competitive in the modern entirely depends on the fighter.

 

Its a Mix of Footage, News Reports and Written Eyewitness Accounts, Personally I Believe that the Cream of the Old Time Heavyweights would more than handle a lot of todays Fighters, due to being much more Active and having lots more Experience through this.

Although to be fair a lot of them would be Light Heavyweights in this Era.

 

The last bit is an important point imo, at every weight. Are joe gans or benny leonard worse because they would be giving up 20 lbs to modern lw's? No, obviously not. but it is clearly harder for them to beat modern lw's than people their own size.

 

The short answer is that there are limits to what we can accomplish.

When we talk about Joe Louis, we know exactly what he was.

When we talk about Jim Jeffries, we have to define what we are assuming that he was, before we can even start to make head to head predictions.

Many of our predictions carry a health warning.

Even so, you can accomplish a lot with contemporary fight reports.

We have a very good idea what these fighters styles were, what their strengths and weaknesses were, and when they did something unusual for them.

 

Very good point, you're absolutely correct. LW's today weigh in the day before and rehydrate anywhere from 10-20pds. Weigh in's in those days were decided in negotiations. Usually the day of, even the time of the weigh in, could be negotiated. Gans was made to weigh in right before going into the ring. Jeez they even made him make the contracted weight with his street clothes on, no rehydration at all.

 

Interesting. Is there a source for this? How widespread was it?

 

A lot of black fighters had to weigh in under very unfair conditions.

 

Greetings 'youngster'!
I'm the 'eras' poster, some respect my views, some don't.
The reason being, I ask posters how a 2000 Dempsey might fare against a 1920 Klit brother? Or how a 2000 Louis might fare against a 1940 Mike Tyson?
IMO it is almost impossible to compare different eras, especially when they are separated by several decades.
Interesting conversation but so difficult to break down.
Welcome to the forum!

 

the fact gans went through all of that is not given enough respect imo. The ability he must have had to beat world level, fairly treated guys under these conditions is just insane.

were those world level guys as skilled as today - not really, but can their athletic abilities and effectiveness under that ruleset be denied? not at all.