There is something in psychology called the "reminiscence bump"...

Discussion in 'World Boxing Forum' started by JeremyCorbyn, Jul 31, 2018.


  1. JeremyCorbyn

    JeremyCorbyn Active Member Full Member

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    ...and it is why the majority of your favourite films, books and albums are from your teens and 20s, because this is when your memory was at its most efficient. Your memories from your youth tend to be the strongest of all.

    A few years ago, three psychologists decided to test if the same held true of sport (or soccer more specifically), they asked 600 participants who they thought was the greatest footballer of all time, and they found the footballers who were named most frequently, were the ones who were at their pomp when the participants were aged 17. They think 17 years old is the magic age when the strongest impressions are made.

    So I was wondering if the same held true of boxing. Who were the top dogs when you were around 17 years old, and do you rank them at or near the greatest of all time?

    For me, I was 17 years old in 1999, and there were two undisputed champs at that time (I think), Lennox Lewis and Roy Jones Jr. And I've always thought Lennox would beat any other HW, past or present, over say a best of 5 fights (obviously he could lose to anyone in a one off), Roy Jones Jr I'd also rank as one of the greatest of all time.

    But maybe I have a bias because of my age at that time. Interested to see how other people here rank the top boxers when they were 17 years old.
     
    JeremyCorbyn, Jul 31, 2018
    JeremyCorbyn, Jul 31, 2018
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  2. 3rdegree

    3rdegree Boxing Addict banned Full Member

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    A clever way to find out how old we are , not biting. ;) Kidding aside, music is often related to the "bump" theory and I suppose it could to apply to various interests. Good luck with the post.
     
    3rdegree, Jul 31, 2018
    3rdegree, Jul 31, 2018
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  3. McGrain

    McGrain Diamond Dog Staff Member

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    Doesn't work for boxing because it's so beautifully consistent. The very best fighters when you are 17 will be among the very best of all time just as the very best when you were 28 were.
     
    McGrain, Jul 31, 2018
    McGrain, Jul 31, 2018
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  4. JeremyCorbyn

    JeremyCorbyn Active Member Full Member

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    That's true, I suppose another way of asking would be, who do you rank as the GOAT for each division, and around how old were you when they were at their most dominant?
     
    JeremyCorbyn, Jul 31, 2018
    JeremyCorbyn, Jul 31, 2018
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  5. Okin129

    Okin129 ... Full Member

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    Nostalgia is very common in boxing, therefore a lot of guys who grew up in the 50s and 60s say Marciano or Frazier
    would destroy a guy like Joshua or Wladimir Klitschko whereas the guys who grew up in the 90s and 2000s who seen their fights can't imagine it to happen.
     
    Okin129, Jul 31, 2018
    Okin129, Jul 31, 2018
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  6. PaddyGarcia

    PaddyGarcia Trivial Annoyance Gold Medalist Full Member

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    I'm in my mid 20's now, so I'll thankfully have these memories of Frankie Gavin until the end of time
     
    PaddyGarcia, Jul 31, 2018
    PaddyGarcia, Jul 31, 2018
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  7. IntentionalButt

    IntentionalButt Guy wants to name his çock 'macho' that's ok by me

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    1. We're the same age. :thumbsup:
    2. That's an interesting theory, *but*
    3. Correlation of course doesn't imply causation. It might just be a coincidence that you rate RJJ and Lennox so highly and happened to be around for their heydays. I think with the broader point about strength of impressions at that formative age, there's much to look into, but the further extrapolation that people can't be trusted with remaining objective and divorcing themselves from those impressions when sorting and ranking on a historical basis, is a bridge too far. My favorite boxer in 99/2000 was MAB, and I stand by him being a shining upper-tier ATG...but I also can't say in good conscience that he was really a lock for GOAT in any division in which he campaigned (and in some cases he's quite far down the list). For almost twenty years now I've rated Joe Louis #1 at HW, and have always confidently picked him in time machine h2h match-ups to destroy anybody that was around in the 90s (or even my biggest "nostalgia" pick at heavy, which is Mi Tyson, although his prime came when you and I were just little guys that, presumably although I can speak only for myself, really didn't KSAB.) :nusenuse:
     
    IntentionalButt, Jul 31, 2018
    IntentionalButt, Jul 31, 2018
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  8. IntentionalButt

    IntentionalButt Guy wants to name his çock 'macho' that's ok by me

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    "fun times", your grandkids will hear you babble into your soup...
     
    IntentionalButt, Jul 31, 2018
    IntentionalButt, Jul 31, 2018
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  9. NoNeck

    NoNeck Pugilist Specialist

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    It doesn't really hold up for me. Mayweather is pretty clearly the best fighter whose career has intersected with my ability to reliably make judgements and memories, but when I was 17 he was looking like a very good lightweight but not someone who would ever be moving up and beating Oscar, etc. Roy was the man back then. I still rank him very highly h2h, but his resume isn't as good as Mayweather's.
     
    NoNeck, Jul 31, 2018
    NoNeck, Jul 31, 2018
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  10. PaddyGarcia

    PaddyGarcia Trivial Annoyance Gold Medalist Full Member

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    "Mom, why has Grandad craved 'robbed by Bundu' into his forehead?"
     
    PaddyGarcia, Jul 31, 2018
    PaddyGarcia, Jul 31, 2018
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  11. JeremyCorbyn

    JeremyCorbyn Active Member Full Member

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    Yeah, I mean when Mike Tyson was in his prime, pre-Douglas, I'd literally only heard of two boxers, Tyson and Bruno. :D Because I was so young.

    But I did think of Tyson as a ferocious animal, but that impression did unravel a fair bit as I got older, especially after the losses to Holyfield.

    Out of interest, would Barrera still be one of your most 'go to' guys when watching old fights?

    Of course 17 years old isn't going to be a one size fits all for everyone, I'd imagine you've probably studied the sport more than most, so that would probably change things.
     
    JeremyCorbyn, Jul 31, 2018
    JeremyCorbyn, Jul 31, 2018
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