Back in the day they fought so often. To give a few examples Harry Greb had 275 recorded fights, some say he had like 300 including non recorded fights. Battling Levinsky had 35 recorded fights in 1916 some say he had 50 that year counting unrecorded bouts. Suagr Ray Robinson and Archie Moore each had more than 200 pro bouts. How do you train for a fight in a week? And how did they absorb so punishment so often and keep going? It boggles my mind.
Not to mentionig, how did Bat Nelson throw and absorb 80+ punches per round for 40 rounds! Part of the secret is that they didn't live verry long. Some posters have suggested that the regularity with which they fought, might have made them better able to deal with it, and I am starting to think they must be right.
Plenty of amateurs today have 300bouts or so. In reality allot of these old timer fights were against easy marks, with about 5-10 meaningful fights a year, which is still allot. Its not that hard to beat up on men below your level though. Boxers today may fight the equivilent of 90fights in 12weeks of training for their big fights. The biggest problem I'd expect would be hand problems, especially with the smaller gloves old timers used.
Humans are animals of habit. It´s the same when training. You never train and start, you´re like dead the next day, after a few days you are used to it. Same here. You start a habit which may feel awkward or bad in the beginning but after a while you get used to it. We are very adeptable. Evolution made sure of that.
In the amateurs I notice the more I fight regularly, the less training you have to do for the fights as you keep in shape by fighting.
I think that's about the size of it. The fights were their training. Experience breeds craft. Tough times breed tougher circumstances, which in turn breeds tougher men. Neccessity is the mother of invention, etc.
Most of these old timers started young. There was not much in the way of amature boxing back than. I'm not saying it did not exest but the Olympic boxing movement only became important in the 1960s. Even if this was not the case. Most of these guys needed the money that being a pro boxer could give them and their families. Back than it was either have a talant like boxing or work in conditions that even the most despreat migrant worker today would find appaling. So if you can box and earn a little something without needing to put in 15 hour or longer days why not do it? Also a lot of these fights that happen after becoming a champion are bascily glorified sparing sessions. Against overmatched oppoents. That provide nothing more than at best a way to keep busy, keep their name out their. Rember this is before TV. As well as a way to make some extra money. This is also before the days of boxers earning a million dollars as champions. Todays boxers have a lot more amature fights. We are seeing guys who even in the recent past that may have turned pro in their late teens to early 20's waiting till their mid 20's to do so. Espicialy out of the former Soviet Union. Boxers are still having 100-200 fight careers it just that these days a lot of those fights are not as pro boxers.
Sorry ripcity but there was a huge amateur scene even as early as the 1920s. Ask Fidel LaBarba for example.
Come on now. Are you seriously going to compare an amateur bout today, of four rounds, with head gear, to the bouts that these guys were fighting?
R, I have to differ...In the "old ' days there were smokers and simon pure fights, some guys had 100s of them.They would get a prize,like a watch and hock it for money..I'll give you a small example of how busy pre-pros were and how many amateur fights then. I remember for example seeing the finals in the NY Golden Gloves in MSG. There were THREE Rings operating at the SAME time..There were so many fighters in the Golden Gloves at that time. The oldtime fighters were tougher because they needed to fight or beg on the streets for food.There were no welfare programs.Boxing was the ONLY way out for them to make a living then. And when there were many times more fighters than today,boxing clubs every day of the week, sans Sunday, numerous great full-time trainers, these conditions made for numerous fights. And as a result more competition, made for a tougher breed of fighters than today...
There were a few guys back in the day who had long amateur boxing carrears such as LaBarba and Ray Robinson, but I think they are the expition not the rule.
that appears to be the correct answer, the 1880's had the exhibiiton tours and you didn't need training camp if you were sparring every nite.
Mental toughness. People were tougher in those days. Most working men in the western world 100 - 150 years ago were labouring hard 15 hours a day, 6 days a week, and doing lots of jobs that we have machines to do nowadays. They were hardened to it, and it was how they fed themselves and families. Same principle with fighters. They were just toughened to the task, and it was their living. Most people these days are just pussys.