... team or individual, where the success of a current superstar is belittled by using reasoning that it's opposition is inferior (by some opinions) to that of previous generations. It's not done in basketball, American football, football (soccer), baseball, ice hockey, tennis, golf, etc... So why do boxing fans do it? :think
Ive always wondered this too myself, looking forward to hearing some answers on this. Great question caneman
It happens in tennis all the time; loads of people have cited Laver, Borg, and Sampras' levels of competition to belittle the accomplishments of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic. Beyond this though, there's an actual logic to this when it happens in boxing beyond mere nostalgia. At the most basic level, the overall talent pool of boxing has shrunk in terms of the sheer number of fighters in the sport. Additionally however, there's been a clear decline in technique as a result of trainers with more robust technical knowledge fading to the margins of the sport. This is a result of a number of factors but I'll highlight two. First and foremost, the incentives for being a boxing trainer simply aren't what they once were when the sport was at the peak of its popularity. As a result, when older trainers die, they do not necessarily have anyone to pass that knowledge onto. Roach and Richardson are really exceptions to this trend, and their current success is at least partly a testament to the knowledge they received from Futch and Fisher. A second trend has been an increase in the number of fighters who simply rely on their amateur coaches throughout their time in the professional ranks. There might be some benefits to maintaining such relationships in terms of comfort or motivation, but a guy like George Peterson can't really teach Paul Williams the fundamentals that have been lacking throughout his entire career. As result of these two trends, we see more and more guys today relying on sheer athleticism alone and never picking up sounds technical knowledge during the course of their development. The idea then that previous generations faced a tougher level of competition then is not based entirely on nostalgia alone, but real trends that have accompanied the overall decline of the sport's relative popularity.
Boxing is the only sport where you get to pick who you fight. College football teams get criticized for who they play due to them being able to to pick non conference opponents.
Well said. To add to this, there are added weight classes to water down the divisions and talent pool even more. All the added belts don't help much either.
happens in full contact one on one sports they do it mma they have done it Olympic wrestling they do it because its happens and its true. its not like it just made up from air the **** happens. kobe bryany made jordan look bad a few times but you will never hear me say kobe is better then jordan. kobe played a old jodan and there is no more jordans to challenge him. so he seems a level above everyone else or shity opposition pick ur posion.
I'm not a football (Soccer) fan but I seem to see this around ESB about certain players quite often. Hardly to the same extent of boxing, but it happens.
Because the other sports have gotten better over the years and boxers have gotten worse. Compare the guys from the 80's to now. Middleweights actually seem athletic back then. Look at some of the guys SRL fought and the speed they had and compare it to nowadays.
Capitalism based on populartity has ruined boxing competition, but has been great for less than the 1% of boxers who become popular. Everyone is ducking and dodging tough opposition for little reward for easier opponents and bigger paydays. Really it's coming down to who has caught the eye of a bigger promoter and has the media backing. I'd rather we go back to tournament style. Perhaps winning the title once a year or few years, rest of the year trying to fight for ranking, then get into a final tournament for the title.
Most other sports also realise that you cant compare athletes of this generation to athletes of a previous generation because they know their sport has evolved. You'll NEVER hear a basketball fan say the 1979 Boston Celtics team would beat the mdern Boston team. Or how the 1975 Giants team would be able to beat their modern equivalent. Or how Babe Ruths Yankees would crush the 2011 Yankee. Other sports fans KNOW that athletes and abilities evolve and improve over time. They respect their former greats for what they acheived in their own time. Boxing fans dont seem to get that.
Not true it is done, it's nostalgia Had so many arguments about football, that X player isn't as good as X player from 30 years ago The point is though, in other sports, the comparison between generations makes a difference, football for example was very different in the 60s and 70s to what it is now Boxing however, is largely the same
boxing hasn't evolved though. The only thing that has gotten better is the physical training. Fighters are as smart any more and the fighters today aren't as genetically gifted. Plus the best fought eachother more often back then
You saying that players in basketball/american football/soccer were less smart back in the day? Thos sports havent changed much either,but players are not only better trained physically,they'ren also more skilled. Watch a soccer game(not a sport that relys massively on strength or power) from the 50s or 60s and then watch a modern one. The diffeence is MASSIVE! Skills,technique,tactics as well as physical attributes have come on a massive amount. Even watch a sport like snooker or darts,which have zero to do with fitness. The've improved. Back in the 70s,you'd NEVER see a 147 break, now you've got 15 and 16 years old getting them. Sports evolve. Like everything else. People need to realise its the same in boxing. Look at the style of Jack Dempsey,he had all the craft,and foorwork of a modern toughman contestant,and he weighed about the same as a modern lighyt heavyweight on fight night. yet you still get idiots who say he could take Tyson.
No I'm saying boxers aren't as smart. The other sports have evolved like I said. Boxing hasn't. You're right soccer players are more skilled and all that, but boxers aren't. Trainers aren't as good nowadays and the amount of people competiting has shrunk, so we get less genetically gifted fighters.
basketball kobes achivements is being belittled cmpared to MJ. reason being he played in a relatively weak era