Could Heavys like Jeffries, Corbett, Fitz hang with the heavys over the last 40years?

Hard to judge but I guess that every great fighter would be great in any era if he wasn´t only great due to the rules of his time. It goes without saying that all of them would have to adjust their style to the new rules.

While I´m one of the people who don´t think weight beeing that much of an issue as many others on here, I think certain fighters like Fitzsimmons, Hart, Burns, Sullivan, Corbett, and yeah I dare to say it, Langford would suffer against the very best of the last 40 years. A great big man always beats a great little man. There is some truth to this and this is why I don´t think the afore mentioned fighters would be among the greats. But they certainly would be good enough to challenge them and be contenders. No doubt about that.

Of the others who don´t suffer of (big) weight disadvantage I think Johnson would have the most success. Strong, skilled, intelligent. He had every tool to be up there. He would have to bring his A-game and can´t afford to be sloppy during training or fighting. Jeffries would be similar albeit different. He has the discipline, toughness, strength, ruthlessness, power and stamina to be a nightmare over the distance for most of the mentioned modern fighters.
The other three I don´t see in the same class as Witherspoon, Spinks, Vitali and Bowe. Very good but not great. A step behind the others - in this time Wills certainly is a great fighter.

 

I think that alot of the guys you mention bodhi, wouldnt be fighting in the Heavyweight division today. Back in the early 20th century, Light Heavyweight was a little known division and Cruiserweight wasnt around at all.

If you couldnt make 160 then Heavyweight was where you went not to mention Heavyweight was where the money was. Today you can fight in the lower divisions and still make alot of money.

 

I agree but the question was if they would be successful at hw. Thus my answer.

 

I have to agree with your answer. I think they would still be greats but in different weight classes. So yeah I guess they probably couldnt hang with the big boys like Vitali, Lewis etc but I'm sure they would beat their fair share of guys at heavyweight.

 

Catchweights.

 

FFS Mendoza and McVey have been going at it for at least 10 years . They may as well get married because they act like they already are!

 

In Johnson's day holding and hitting was obviously analogous to traveling in basketball today. Technically illegal, but rarely called out.

 

Honestly if we had a time machine or parallel universe with which to actually run these experiments, my prediction would be that in many cases the fighter most likely to win would be the one favored by rule set closest to that of his own time. So long as we stipulate that either both get PED's, or neither, this would be by far the biggest difference to take into consideration.

 

What does it say that fights were longer, gloves were lighter, and there were fewer weight classes.
I'd find your implied premise much more...reliable, if we could point to a string of historical size mismatches that preceded (and therefore necessitated) changes in weight classes, but that's simply not what happened.

The assumptions many people lean on when they say "There's a reason there are weight classes" are largely post hoc. That doesn't mean they're wrong of course, but it does mean they're largely without direct evidence. (Unless I suppose they're based upon extensive gym experience that isn't documented or publicly accessible.)

 

In big fights the boxers were allowed to mutually decide whether they would hit in the clinches or not.For example Burns agreed to it against Johnson because he was considered a great infighter.Bad move on his part which he later said he bitterly regretted.

 

Don't think these old legends would stand a chance with modern super heavyweights like Chris Byrd, James Tony, Roy Jones Jr, Tomasz Adamek, Carlos Takam, Dereck Chisora, Adam Kownacki, Ruslan Chaegev and Amir Mansour

 

Of course we all know the Johnson v Johnson fight was always scheduled for ten rounds and that this was just another example of dis-information by you.lol
I remember you telling us that the fight was abruptly stopped after ten rounds so that Jack Johnson could keep his title
Mendoza said: ↑
Mcvey,

If you ever research the topic ( In most cases you don't ) you will see this fight was one that had plenty of hard hitting action to it. I find it hilarious that you will pick and choose your Internet one liners. For example you will never quote the Cyber Boxing Zone when they say Jack Johnson vs. Jim Johnson was 20 round, but will pick a one liner up as in the Corbett vs, Kid McCoy fight was fixed.

Read the report:



http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9E05E5DA1039E733A25752C3A96E9C946197D6CF


"The Corbett fight was the subject of controversy, as the ending was suspect and Corbett's estranged wife claimed the bout was fixed."


"Aug 30 Jim Corbett New York, NY LK 5 -It appeared that McCoy was faking to win bets; Some sources report "LK 6""


We will never know for sure if it was fixed or not..

 

I suspect that these guys would be cutting weight and fighting at cruiser or even light heavy like everybody else in these days of day-before weigh ins and massive weight cutting. I mean look at Povetkin who is considered small for the division, and he's 6ft 2 and clocks in at 225 lb and is cut at the weight. He's have been a monster back then.

 

Jim Jeffries today would be seen as similar to Tomasz Adamek.