Are Ad Wolgast and Battling Nelson obsolete by modern standards?

Purists are going to clutch their pearls... But based on what I see on film, if he's not matched very carefully I think Nelson fighting in the late-20th/early-21st century would quite possibly drop some 4-round and 6-round fights (by decision), and that would be that.

 

I posted a 10min version ITT, including the knockdown, if you want to see more.

 

This. This was a 45 round fight that went 40 rounds and back then they had same day weigh ins while today most lightweights today weigh in well over 145 lbs on fight night today. Crawford was 152 lbs on fight night when he fought Gamboa at 135.

 

Started the video and noticed the first punch thrown was a lead uppercut from the outside lol

 

I'm serving up bold hot takes on demand, telling you that a HOFer would have struggled as a 4-round fighter(!!), and you still have the nerve to be ungrateful?

 

It's actually one of the go-to examples for those who doubt the golden oldies. The pace sustained by the pair of them, particularly for a 40 round fight, was tremendous. Plus the inside fighting was top drawer.

 

ATG isn't measured by skill to skill comparison in an absolute sense but yeah boxers today may seem more refined.....the fighters grit, the heart, the will, mental toughness are the intangibles that combined with skills of the time and relative ring IQ that makes a fighter an ATG. Either way good thread and I know that is not the point of the thread....in light how different Ali looked on old film tech I suspect we can possibly get some idea of how good they are.

I personally used to question low hands of the old timers, I wasn't trained that way and rarely tried it because I simply was not fast enough or perceptive enough to get away with it....but some of the greatest fighters in history fought with low hands.

Jab from the shoulder I was taught some of the greatest throw from the stomach or waist some the thigh......

Never reach to catch/Parry punches most do it mid punch and some catch with their jab hand

Hooks should be tight and closer, uppercuts are tight and bolo punches are wrong....blah blah blah

Measuring old time skills against modern norms is ridiculous....fighters fight the normal styles that work in their particular era.

 

A fight tonight two guys struggled to go a much slower pace for 8.

 

That’s it? I was waiting for the usual part where you throw together some panegyric word salad to describe Nelson and explain why he would be a legendary ATG if he were fighting today.

 

Andrew Hartley was able to hit Charlie Zellenoff and not get hit. He hit Charlie more than he hit him and he beat the man in front of him. That doesn’t make him a good boxer.

Sometimes boxers succeed in spite of their mistakes and lesser ability. Not because of it.

 

Whenever people point to ‘technique’ holding the old timers back, I always say the same thing;

Ricardo Mayorga beat Vernon Forrest twice.