"Jeffries was crude but Johnson could compete today..."

The fact that the people who state these things have actually heard of Johnson beforehand, and therefore don't want to sound blasphemous by condemning such a supposedly heroic figure. The fact that he was black doesn't hurt, either. They see old white guys and just assume they all fought like club-fighters.

 

Modernity. :good

 

Desisist!

 

From what little film I have seen of Jeffires and the film I have seen of Johnson and from the history of both mens career. I would have to rate them very close. Lets face it Jeffries came back after 6 yrs,had to lose 100lbs at the age of 36 with no tune up. Johnson was Ko'd by Willard and was still an active fighter. If we had to compare the Jeffries of the Johnson then we would have to use the Johnson of the Willard fight. I rate these men very close and if I put 1 of them and 9, the other should be close. A lot of the old timer, included some at Ring magazine that saw both fight think a prime Jeffries would have beaten Johnson. We can not rate Ali based on the Berbick, 1st Leon Spinks fight so it would not be fair to rate Jeffries off that loss to Johnson, that was not Jeffries, not near.

I do Think a great fighter like Jeffries would be competitive today. To adjust to modern training would be something he could do. I think a great fighter would be great in any era.

 

Alright, now it's funny again.

 

My problem with Johnson's style is that it relies a bit too heavily on holding and wearing down, what were generally smaller men. It also rewards a man who fights in long distance bouts over 20 or more rounds, where his opponent is likely to tire at some point. In a different era where men are considerably bigger and stronger, while also only having to conserve their energy for 10 or 12 rounds - and not 20, Johnson's style and physical attributes may not prove to be as effective as they were against a man like Tommy Burns....Does this guarantee that johnson fails in the latter half of the 20th century and beyond? Not necessarily, but it does leave some valid questions in my opinion.