Why are we so biased/obsessed with old fighters/era's

It's nuanced. Certain modern boxers are overrated. Certain past boxers are overrated.

Rocky Marciano, Ricardo Lopez, and Canelo are all from different eras. All three are overhyped.

 

Self-proclaimed experts are obsessed with old boxers because they want to show how superior they are to the casuals.

 

This. The eye test shows how good they were. You see it when guys ahead of their time comes along, Dempsey, Jack Johnson, Ali, SRR - they dominated cos they have some semblance of skills and ahead of their time.

Boxing started to get into its stride around the 70s, 80s and onwards.

Ali was truly skilled, as was Joe and Foreman was that big a puncher. SRL, Duran, Hearns, Hagler - watch the eye test and see how you think fighters of today deal with them?

Duran was hitting body head body head from all angles whilst simultaneously dodging punches, can’t see how today’s fighters deal with that sort of pressure.

At the same time, I can see Canelo and GGG possibly beating Hagler.

My top 10 of all time will consist of fighters from 70s to today with inclusion of SRR.

 

Same sorta concept when thinking about music. People like to talk about how great the 80's were for music, but only rather look at the good music that came out around the time; they'd never bring up the garbage around that time. You could say the same for boxing; there were tons of bums and unskilled boxers around the times of Ali and Tyson. Kellerman even talked about how Ali was disrespected by his peers, and they'd talk about how Marciano probably would have beat him. For this reason, twenty years from now people are gonna be talking about Lomachenko and Canelo in high regards, and **** on the new generation of fighters. It's really just a never ending cycle.

 

I don't see how Canelo or GGG would best Hagler all though GGG would be one of his hardest fights definitely

 

Canelo is faster than Hagler. Has better head movement. Hits just as hard. Has equally tough chin. Hagler has much better work rate and a longer reach, but Canelo is a better counterpuncher. It's a close fight.

Nobody on Hagler's resume comes close to GGG and Canelo. He struggled with a LW Duran ffs. Got outboxed by a shot SRL. And he beat a skinny Hearns who didn't have the chin to go to war. Both GGG and Canelo would give him hell.

 

Uh oh...

 

Canelos handspeed advantage is minimal LOL. He does have better head movement though. But you said it yourself. Hagler has a better workrate and thats going to be the biggest factor here. Hagler would be relentless and Canelo is going to be on the backfoot looking to counter and trade like he was against GGG and that would favor Hagler He's not going to be Ali esq in there like Sugar Ray Leonard was. Canelo would likely be gassing as well being under all of that pressure. And Canelo got his head boxed off by Floyd Mayweather and was given hell by basic Amir Khan before he found his glass chin ffs or are you just going to throw that under the rug ? Actually about that. Floyd was a former LW as well.

GGG barley beat Jacobs, he's not beating Hagler. Although GGG vs Hagler would be very competitive

 

...that's honestly what its about. Its the same game since as old primate told a young primate to give over some of his berries and he'd explain why the sun come up from east to west. I'm old and I get a great kick out of telling young dummies that fighter X was the greatest exponent of the jab ever seen...but its all bs. The best jabs a fighter can see are being thrown today - the film footage is clearer, in HD and people haven't become less technically proficient now as compared to the old days. We throw the punch the same, just quicker and harder now.

So yes, its complete bunk, and honestly, there shouldn't even be a Classic section in this website, or any boxing website (they should be able to stand alone in the pool of boxing topics and the worthy will rise / fall on their merits)....because these poor misguided souls just reinforce their own prejudices and biases in their cocoon of nostalgia.

Its truly odd...but its also quite humorous when you see the new initiates come in from the real world, have difficulty seeing what doesn't exist, make the invalid assumption that if they can't see 'it' its not because there's nothing there but its due to a lack of knowledge on their part, spend time interacting with cult-members, somehow become persuaded by said cultists and then start reflecting the perspectives of their brainwashers back. 'There you go...now you see it, don't you?'

Its absolutely mental...but one cannot be too hard on any of them as I don't think they're consciously aware of it!

Nice post. Your probably being overly generous too re some of your match ups....if nuance, flow, redirection and subtle skills were all that it was about...wing chun masters would dominate mma standup. At a point, sheer physicality overcomes subtly.

Its good to see someone able to see through the BS...

 

Canelo was outboxed at 152 catchweight? By Floyd Mayweather still near his prime, not a shot SRL.

Do you think that version of SRL beats Danny Jacobs, Lara, Saunders? I’m not even sure. Maybe he could be Canelo dealt with that sort of movement much better. Hagler was following him around like a fool.

In a war, Canelo with his combinations and hand speed will allow him to land 3-1 to Hagler. Reference SrL fight where srl shoeshined Hagler.

 

SRL was almost 31, but Hagler was older and his speed had deteriorated. Leonard himself admitted that he chose to fight Hagler after watching his speed drop.

Canelo didn't lose a close decision, he got schooled. He did not win a single round.

Hagler lost a very close decision which he should have aguably won.

Canelo wouldn't be capable of making 160 in Hagler's day.

He would be fighting Michael Spinks or Dwight Qawi.

 

What about the king of the bums GGG?? This guy is the most overrated fighter ever beats up on c level fighter's and he's the king! Fights b+ or A fighter's and looks horrible??

 

He’s a former WW, I’m sure he can make 160. He just bulked up.

Just the eye test, SRL looked half the fighter at 160 vs 147.

 

Canelo could have made 160 when he was very young. That version of Canelo would badly lose to Hagler.

Clenelo nuthuggers should not look down on Golovkin. He is the best "win" on Clenelo's record.

 

And Roberto Duran and Marvin Hagler both weighed in as middle weights whats your point ? Pretty sure Canelo was over 160lb on fight night against Mayweather and Mayweather was a welterweight LOL and 36 if i remember correctly wheras Sugar Ray Leonard and Hagler fought as legit middleweights on that night. You're also skipping over the part where Hagler was well past it at that point as well. He was sharper, quicker in the early 80s. Leonard decided to fight him because he saw Hagler struggle with Mugabi and noticed his speed reduction. Leonard was not shot. He still trained and sparred in the gym and stayed in shape though he retired professionally. Do you know the definition of shot ? Shot is Ali against Berbick. Shot is Tyson against Kevin Mcbride. Leonard at that point still showed great boxing skills.

And yeah he likely would beat Jacobs, Lara and Saunders.

In a war Hagler with his better punch selection and his workrate would overwelm Canelo like GGG did and will exchange in the pocket when needed by instead of using mid range punches like GGG. Canelo doesn't like getting into "wars" like Hagler did. he likes countering on the backfoot and usually only attacks when a fighter tried to outbox him. He did it in spots against GGG but Hagler can exchange better on the inside and was far more comfortable in the pocket to the point where he leaned against his opponents doing it. Canelo would get pressed heavily and get timed to the body and would just get outworked. Speed isn't everything. If it was then Canelo should have beaten GGG easily both times. He should have lost the first time and the second fight was extremely close