Physically strongest pre-roid boxer?

We are talking about the pre-roid era (whenever that is, I presume before 1980 or so).

 

I don't know what to tell you if you think Holyfield, Briggs, Lewis, Morrison, even Ali or Holmes were "pre steroids". Not as strong, sure.

 

Dis you actually read what I said?

I said before 1980 and no I don't think Ali or Holmes were on steroids.

 

He's probably got a fair claim to greatest practical strength that's useful for boxing.

Best compliment to his strength I've seen was from Holyfield. Roided to the gills, Holyfield said Foreman was so strong he couldn't even budge him (and there's a moment from their fight that shows old man Foreman shoving around Holyfield like he was shoving around a little kid, giving full support to this). And Holyfield is the rare former HW boxer who seems to just give honest opinions when interviewed -- Foreman is way too kind to everyone, Holmes thinks everyone was terrible and he'd have whooped everyone, etc.

 

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Just saying, sure looks like George is stronger to me. Primo wraps him up and then gets pushed backwards. Consistently.

 

1980? Schwarzenegger won his first Olympia a decade before that, roids had been around for a while by that point

 

It would be interesting to know when steroid use entered Boxing in a big way? By the early 90s at least, steroid use was endemic in the sport. I posted a similar thread a while back asking this here, and I believe there was a notable boxing coach in the late 70s who was suspected of juicing his fighters.

The use of PEDs in sports was really jump started by the soviets in the mid-50s with their Olympic programs. I would have to assume had their boxers been allowed to turn pro at that time, they'd have been on the east-German special sauce too.

 

I think Carnera is more concerned with denying punching space and finding his own, that wasting energy on pushing contest, though George does seem strong as a bull.

 

Stanozolol was on the US market in the early 60's, so there's your answer. Certainly by the 70's US trainers knew it was useful.

 

It's interesting and I could be wrong, but we didn't start seeing the bodybuilder/obvious juicing type physiques in boxing until the 80s. I wonder if that's more to do with a lack of focus on weight training prior to that, than the actual drugs?

 

pre 1960 moreso

 

I think Jeffries has some interesting feats of strength/athleticism. Supposedly used to go hunting and throw the deer over his shoulders, then jog back to camp (I heard he'd do this in his 'off time' from training...).

 

Mr. Olympia/Universe competitors were consuming Dianabol like it was candy back in the 60s as well, people really are just far too ignorant on the history of Anabolics

 

I remember reading about Max Baer flipping over a roadside car for someone. He also grew up doing a lot of heavy lifting I believe.

Lot's of heavyweights in those early eras really tried to bring their weights down. Baer looked very large and strong in retirement.

 

There's honestly an argument they were in pretty heavy use ever since early 40's - Grimek's FFMI inexplicably jumped from formiddable, but still SOMEWHAT reasonable 27.5 points in 1939 all the way up to an otherworldly 32 in 1941, which would mean that he actually surpassed people like prime freaking Arnold.

If my math checks out, for a 5'7" guy like Grimek, that would mean an increase of ~20 pounds of fat-free mass, which is obviously not happening for a supposedly natural athlete who's a top Mr.America competitor and is almost certainly close to exhausting his genetic potential.