What does "modern training and nutrition" even mean? Is it just a buzzword used by fans who claim today's fighters are better than past ones? Boxing training has changed little over the years, and how is modern nutrition that much better than that of past fighters? It's not like the past fighters were eating Twinkies and drinking Kool-Aid.
It means training has become a science. Using tools and resources to squeeze any fraction of an advantage possible and bump performance up by a few percent. Or in some cases, just be juiced to the gills.
Nowadays top fighters have, for instance, or should have, nutritionists who help them to be on weight the day of the fight. Old timers just starved like crazy and that's all. Nowadays fighters can stay on weight way easier and losing way less of his potential. A proper modern training plan helps you to avoid injuries and to heal faster if you have one. Just an example- And it not only happened in boxing, it has happened in all sports, no exceptions. But well, I guess that it is pretty obvious. And that all you want to hear is PEDS. So be it, "PEDs". Here you are, dude, contratulations.
There are profound differences in terms of flexibility training compared to the old days. And you do things to help prevent injury, not merely get stronger. Michael Jordan was revolutionary in this regard and that was 30 years ago. Anyone who doubts these improvements is either very ignorant or has an agenda. You pick which one.
Knowledge accumulates. The person who trained me in my field was a genius. And while I'm definitely not smarter or more talented than he was -- I'm much worse -- I can now do many things better and faster than he did because I can take the things he taught me and improve upon them.
It has gotten harder and harder to find organic whole foods that aren't ridden with antibiotics and chemicals. Anyone who thinks the reason why today's boxers are much bigger and muscular than older time boxers because of "modern diet and training" are delusional lol.
In a sense, it has become a hijacked cliché, but i still say that fighters (as do all athletes) have evolved... Boxing seems to be the one and only sport where people cant grasp this concept. No one in their right minds would suggest the undefeated 72 Dolphins could even beat the lousy 2019 Dolphins of today, or that Rick Berry GS Warriors could be competitive with a modern NBA team. For one, the fight demographics have changed drastically...and if you dont think that means anything then answer me why the same types of fighters that dominated in the past aren't dominating today. Boxing has become far more international and as a result we have athletes today who were never competed against 50 years ago... One area i do give old timers the edge actually is in the nutrition believe it or not....in general, people just ate much cleaner 50 years ago than we do today. But also remember pioneers like Jim Sullivan were known to drink whiskey mid fight to dull their pain But as far as training, modern fighters have taken everything from the generations before and just added to it. Outside of the very cream of the crop elites like SRR, find me an old timer that can shoulder roll along the ropes and make you miss every punch like Floyd, or James Toney...or one that can put pinpoint combos together like Manny, or Amir Khan, or had the speed of Shane Mosely.... Find me the old timer that step in and one punch KO a guy from ridiculous angles like Roy Jones or Prince Nazeem.....find me and old timer that can walk you down in the face of a hailstorm and still take your soul from an unrelenting body attack like Antonio Margarito.... This skills come from living in the gym 24/7...something the old timers could not do because the times didn't allow it. Sure they may have been full time fighters, but trained in old barns and in corn fields with limited sparring partners. Hell Jack Johnson learned to box in jail, sparring with Joe Chynski for a couple of weeks....compare that to B-Hop who boxed years in the pen against a variety of inmates before he ever had his first pro fight. Look, everything produced today has advantages over its predecessor......do you think the American Army that won our independance, or defeated the Confederates, or even that stormed Normandy and took down the Nazis would last 20 minutes with even the modern day Texas National Guard??? Its no different for fighters
Your post reminds me of an article i read about Archie Moore, who apparently could never turn down a steak dinner... According to the article, during training when making weight was a factor, Moore would chew up the meat until he had savored all of the flavors and juices, then spit out the remnants
