How has boxing evolved from the early years.

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by Samtotheg, May 6, 2021.



  1. White Bomber

    White Bomber Boxing Addict Full Member

    4,188
    2,739
    Mar 31, 2021
    I'd say the 80's and 90s were the peak, but I'm referring just to how skilled boxers were overall, not how successful/viewed the sport was.
     
  2. JohnThomas1

    JohnThomas1 VIP Member Full Member

    48,410
    35,373
    Apr 27, 2005
    Top post.
     
    AwardedSteak863 likes this.
  3. Flash24

    Flash24 Boxing Addict Full Member

    5,746
    7,844
    Oct 22, 2015
    In my opinion it was from the late 30's through the mid 90's for the lower weights, but for the heavyweights I agree with you, though I would add 10 yrs through the mid 90's.
     
    JohnThomas1 likes this.
  4. JohnThomas1

    JohnThomas1 VIP Member Full Member

    48,410
    35,373
    Apr 27, 2005
    This runs pretty good for me mate.

    Perhaps I'd go a teeny bit earlier.
     
    thistle and Flash24 like this.
  5. Samtotheg

    Samtotheg Active Member Full Member

    822
    393
    May 4, 2021
    across all divisions
     
  6. JohnThomas1

    JohnThomas1 VIP Member Full Member

    48,410
    35,373
    Apr 27, 2005
    Moore is a good example. Boxing most certainly isn't better that it was in the 40's. We've got plenty of quite decent footage that shows us so.

    Louis, SRR, Ortiz, Pep, Charles, Burley and so so many others.
     
    Flash24, 70sFan865, thistle and 2 others like this.
  7. ron davis

    ron davis Well-Known Member banned Full Member

    2,052
    1,802
    Sep 2, 2013
    It started with knuckles, then 2 ou gloves, then 4 ou gloves, then 6 ou gloves, then 10 ou gloves, then 12 ou gloves. I think that is it.
     
  8. reznick

    reznick In the 7.2% Full Member

    15,903
    7,582
    Mar 17, 2010
    A lion filmed with modern high production cameras looks more dangerous, faster, stronger, ferocious, and nimble than a lion filmed with a camera from 1905
     
    thistle and Kamikaze like this.
  9. BlackCloud

    BlackCloud I detest the daily heavyweight threads Full Member

    3,201
    3,370
    Nov 22, 2012
    Nooooooo......
    Lions back in the day were softies.

    This content is protected
     
  10. thistle

    thistle Boxing Addict Full Member

    5,697
    5,796
    Dec 21, 2016
    My repeated response exactly "it's NOT the Boxers that sucked, it's the Film Footage and or Filming that sucked.

    when the Footage gets better, so too do the Fighters, 'funny that' isn't it... and YES, luckily there is Plenty of Old Footage that is good enough to prove it.

    also for ALL the Fighters we don't have footage of, just look at all their Top Opponents, the Reports about them in general, and the Reports about their fights at the Top, then reflect on that, along with the film footage of some of these Opponents, it becomes easy to see & understand how Good the Thousands of TOP Fighters with no film footage were too.
     
  11. JohnThomas1

    JohnThomas1 VIP Member Full Member

    48,410
    35,373
    Apr 27, 2005
    I believe my eyes. Even poor footage can show us enough at times.

    I like the 30's forward.
     
    thistle and Bukkake like this.
  12. Bukkake

    Bukkake Boxing Addict Full Member

    5,366
    3,465
    Apr 20, 2010
    You're right, we've had these discussions many time before. But I must admit, that I enjoy them. Always entertaining and good for a laugh!

    Wannabe historians telling us, that boxing today sucks, that feinting/parrying is a lost art, that angles aren't used like in the old days, lost infighting skills, etc., etc. And if you fail to recognize this, it's because you're not knowledgeable enough to know what to look for, when watching the old-timers. Hilarious stuff!
     
  13. Unforgiven

    Unforgiven VIP Member banned Full Member

    58,763
    21,436
    Nov 24, 2005
    If anything those small gloves they used to wear allowed for more techniques to be utilized.
    Nowadays with the big thumbless gloves with molded filling, they have less variation in catching, parrying punches.
     
    70sFan865 and ron davis like this.
  14. Bukkake

    Bukkake Boxing Addict Full Member

    5,366
    3,465
    Apr 20, 2010
    I agree... by the late 30s/early 40s boxing had fully "evolved", with the emergence of fantastic fighters like Canzoneri, Louis, SRR, Pep, etc. I really don't see any clear skill-improvement since then.
     
    roughdiamond, mpg, Unforgiven and 2 others like this.
  15. JohnThomas1

    JohnThomas1 VIP Member Full Member

    48,410
    35,373
    Apr 27, 2005
    That's my take, absolutely.
     
    Bukkake and thistle like this.