1950s Heavy weights underrated?

Since when? Not during their time. The 50's had more than the 10, 20's, 30's, and 40's. It's a middle of the pack decade. Of course the game changes in the 1980's, and since the 1990's no decade pre 1960 can really compare.

1990-1999
1970-1979
1960-1969
1980-1989
2000-2009
2010-2019
1950-1959
1900-1909
1940- 1949
1910-1919
1920-1929
1930-1939
1890-1899

Something like that 1950's are middle of the pack for me.

 

I actually think the 1890's were really good, top ten wise. Corbett, Fitz, Slavin, Goddard, Maher, Choynski. Sharkey, McCoy, Ruhlin, Jeffries , Jackson.
for depth I agree.

 

There hasn't been a worse decade of heavyweights since them, to be frank. But, as Seamus said, they deserve respect as fighters who gave it their best. It's not their fault that the division was thin and comprised primarily Cruiserweight sized guys.

 

I am certain that there has been.

Unless you are rewarding fighters simply for being big, regardless of their records, or their results against their peers!

 

Let's just measure and weigh them all and do away with the unnecessary repetitive rounds and rounds of boxing. Or just compare the PEDS?

 

I've always liked the 50s heavyweights. I watch them any chance I get. I also have a fondness for watching fights on kinescope, which most of the live calls from the 1950s are recorded on. The stark blacks and whites and the sometimes ghostly images have always appealed to me.

Anyway, if you have a ROKU, which many people in the U.S. have these days, along with Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, etc., are apps that individuals and local networks have made themselves.

There's an app that came out last month called WatchYourTV. It basically just has a lot of the old 1950s and 1960s tv shows. But there's a section on there called Sports and within that is Boxing. And they include some fights from the 1950s that they show on a loop. The app isn't designed very well, so it's difficult to see what you're clicking on.

Long story short, I watched the Dan Bucceroni-Jimmy Slade fight on there the other night. Bucceroni looked really good. I was pretty impressed. There are quite a few fights circulating with Slade online and among collectors, but other than the LaStarza fights, you don't hear much about Bucceroni. I just checked and it's still on there. If you have a Roku, you should search for the app WatchYourTV and check out the boxing section. Some of these apps don't last very long before they disappear.

Dan Bucceroni looks like a really good fighter even today.

 

Rex Layne

Rex Lanye

To start with

To start with

 

That simply is not true. To say that is to not know about the numbers of rated fighters that consistently beat other rated fighters. And in those days you only got rated by taking another mans rank through beating him in an actual fight.

This is before looking at names like Marciano, Charles, Walcott, Johansson, Patterson and Moore who were above guys that would win WBA titles in the 1980s.

I like the 1980s. But can you really say Eddie Machen, Bob Baker, Zora Folley, Nino Valdes could not win belts in the 1980s?

 

very good era- tons of experience- talent - and everyone fought everyone worthwhile - fights were made

 

He's the canary in the coal mine for how horrible this era was at heavyweight.

He wouldn't be much beyond a heavyweight 4 rounder today.

Sad.

Truly sad.

 

No.

Watch him.

And he certainly got some homecooking.

 

How about your hero Cleveland big Cat Williams?

Throughout the 1950s decade Williams had 49 fights but could not beat one rated fighter. And yet in the 1960s Williams was able to get a couple of results against the kind of fringe opponent who knocked him out in the 1950s. Even in the 1970s Williams would win the Texas State Title against a world title challenger..This was well out of williams’ grasp in the 1950s.