Just have to get this off my chest

It's interesting though, that for his day, Johnson was seen as an unbeatable out-boxer, a man who had to be fought inside in order for him to be beaten. When Kauffman tried to box Johnson, writers of the day despaired. How you going to out-box him?

Now, Johnson is not seen that way. He's superbly strong, his best punch is the right uppercut inside. He's seen as an in-fighter now, more than an out-fighter, I think. Would you, anyone else, say that is fair?

The reason for this transition (if it exists) is the change in fight-style. I think combination punching is different, I think the jab is different. Watching Johnson jab, he used it almost as a punch that he would land if the opportunity presented itself - it was an opportunists punch. Who, fighting in 2010, treats the jab in that way? Nobody. Mike Tyson of all people makes some excellent observations to this end. From 2:40.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orxmkDJ_o3U[/ame]

"For his time he was a defensive genius...nowadays it's so much more difficult to do that. People throw 7,8 punches at a time. One of them has to catch you if you're not elusive with your body, since he wasn't elusive with his body he just caught the punches."


Some of this is not bang on, but I do think he is right about Johnson not being spectacularly elusive. This, combined with his rather static style and general dis-interest in the jab as a combination builder and points gatherer leads me to believe he couldn't use this style in 2010.

Would he be successful in 2010? Of course. Enormously so. I suspect he would be #1, smaller than the Klitschko brothers though he may be. But he wouldn't use the style we see on film. It would be altered for the modern ring. But with his speed, stamina, strength, power and brilliant gift for ring strategy he would be great, in a new way. He'd be a millionaire these days, many times over. People would love him.

 

Occasionally Wladimir does throw a volume combination.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtfMDVGJdxM[/ame]

At 0:00 you can see him throw a five punch combination.

At 0:15 you can see I think a six punch combination.

At 0:17 you can see him fire an eight punch combination.

 

Most definitely. I think you would not find it difficult to find a HW who throws more punches than the Klitschko brothers in Johnson's era.

But I wouldn't advise a man of Johnson's dimensions to box with that style in 2010 either.

 

I think Ali would always show that mobility. He did against static guys like Williams and Terrell.

 

Well Johnson took it easy. That was his style. There's basically no evidence, to my knowledge, that he fought in a style that different from the one we have on film. You think otherwise?

 

Well my assumption is based upon what I see on film. This makes it no more or less valid than any other opinion based around film, but my reasons for feeling this way are in this thread in minor detail.

Sure it does, but Johnson, arguably, didn't even prove himself versus the best HW's of his time. For me, it's a far bigger leap to say that he could beat modern HW's with an unaltered style than it is to say that he doesn't look like he could do it based upon what is on film.