Isn't it a bit naive to expect past era fighters to be competitive against modern fighters...?

Your Right T O

it's just a wide sweep of the overall greatest periods that is the general consensus of most scribes,

but yes the 20s too, but the athletisim and flow in styles became more the norm by the 30s onward.

 

Got a response yet, since you made such a fuss?

 

This simply dosnt stack up. America dominated the higher weight classes because until about 1970 America produced the worlds biggest people due to the better diet. This means America always produced a similar percentage of big people in the 1920s as the rest of the world does now. So in the country that dominated heavyweight boxing they always had guys that big. So Where were all the super heavyweight sized champions before the year 2000?

When the average height of European men was 5’6” the Americans were largely similar in stature as they are today. Even now 6’4” represents 1% of the population. The rest of the developed world people have caught up with the Americans. But 1% is still only 1%.

 

ROIDS have 90% to do with it.

Skill levels have seriously eroded over time. Hardly any hwt understands boxing’s basics. It’s all WWE mode...get roided up, forget skill and you can get by in today’s horribly watered down boxing world.

 

We are comparing all weight divisions across decades, not just heavyweights.

 

Nah bro. It's just totally legit supplements, and nutrition.

They wouldn't use PEDs, it's against the rules

 

I’m not sure if this is supposed to be satirical, but human beings most definitely have not evolved to any appreciable degree in the last 100 years. If you mean “evolution” in a literal sense (and not just as a poorly fitting metaphor) this is exactly as absurd as saying your kid has noticeably grown in the last ten minutes.

 

No it isn't, and here's why. A 135 lbs man is a 135 man. If he was born yesterday, and become world champ in 2040, or if he was born in 1900 and became World champ in 1920 he still is a 135 lbs man. At at that weight their is only so much strength a champ in 2040, will have over the champ in 1920. If anything at all.. It then boils down to know how. If the 135 lbs man in 1920 is fighting 10-13 fights a year compared to the 135 lbs man fighting in 2040 maybe 1-2 fights a year, guess who will be the sharpest. Especially considering the sparring the 135 lbs man is doing to be ready for the 10-13 fights he will have in 1920. Honestly the only division that rule wouldn't apply is Heavyweight. But even at that weight, a more talented and skilled smaller fighter has successfully defeated the bigger but less skilled bigger fighter. So all the fancy diets, fancy supplements, fancy training methods, in today's game mean pretty much nothing if the fighter your facing is far more active, and far more skilled from that activity than you are. Personally fighters from the late 1930's through the early 1990's are the best combination of training, diets, activity, and mental toughness in my opinion.

 

Upstanding men of honour would never stoop so low...

 

Actually you are mistaken. We have gotten bigger on average, but it is not due to evolution. Take it from an old Anthropology major.
The word implies that our averagevgenetics have changed. No significant genetic change occurs within say a couple 100 years. Even if there is the differential survival that selects for a trait-& for a long while now, & due to civilization, in most places, even the relatively less or unfit live & breed.

We are taller due to better nutrition & eradication of stunting childhood diseases.
While many more people means a lot more folks of whatever size exist.
Epigenetics plays a part in some places-when there is great shortage then for generations a population will be smaller, & we tend to get further from those events over timeThis is a fascinating adaptation & a longer discussion.
But mainly greater heath, largely more calories & macro-nutrients during childhood, makes us taller.
Also this & science/specialized diets for training & the science of progressive resistance adds weight that is largely muscle.
Add PEDs to that & you can get an even more dramatic difference.

I think it is unfair to compare weight classes WITHOUT taking into account the in ring weight. A WW today comes in near or above the MW limit.
They are not the same division, for all practical purposes, due to day before weigh ins.

Tunney could easily have made LHW when he was over 190 in the ring. As a stretch, he likely could have made SMW.
Just cut a bit of the little fat he had, mostly just dehydrate then re-hydrate,
MW he would be losing significant strength & muscle, so that would not be feasible by the time he was naturally 190 or so.
I mean it would be less effective. But when he was a LHW, he easily could have drained to 160 max for a day.

 

Data collected from the federal Centers for Disease Control show that average height for Americans has stabilized in the past 50 years to about 5 feet 9 inches for men and 5 feet 4 inches for women.1% of American men are 6’4”.

"We've pretty well maxed out in terms of stature. There's been little change in adult height over last generation," says William Leonard, an anthropologist at Northwestern University.

I agree they are not the same weight class. This is a very good point. But it works both ways. A 190 pounder can cheat the scales today and operate in a lower weight class. But without the 24 hour weigh in he cannot. He’s still 190 only he’s knowingly fighting men the same size men or bigger, and theoretically he’s not draining or weakening himself drying out.

But why would he want to fight at lower weights if he has access to all The science specialised training diets and PEDs that artificially build all the extra weight and muscle like everyone else who is naturally similar to him? Even today Tunney is above average height. His weight would correspond to the training of the heavyweight era he’s fighting in.

. This is certainly true of men who max out to an optimum “in the ring weight” of 190 today. But a “in the ring weight” of 190 without access to specialised training diets and PEDs is hardly going to be 190 anymore is it?

 

Yep, we've all just got bigger via "protein bars"! LOL

 

Do you remember last year when that fighter fought with his hands down by his side and kept fainting? You don't? Well neither do I but hey guys who fought back in the 1920's or before could still be compete now. You know why they could ? Because guys on boxing forums like this say they could. Do you remember when last year they was that guy who was 5'9-5'10 and weighed 170-180 pound became heavyweight champion? Well neither do I. But who cares 5'10 170 to 180 pound guys like Gene Tunney and Rocky Marciano could still beat modern sized and modern skilled heavyweights. You know why they could? Of course you do, because guys on forums like this say they could.

Boxing has not evolved in the last 100 years. Boxing weight classes mean nothing. A 5'5 120 pound guy could beat a 6'3 to 6'5 220 to 250 pound heavyweight like George Foreman, Lennox Lewis, Riddick Bowe or Wladimir Klitschko because only skill matters. But it only matters when it comes to certain fighters. It I said Pernell Whitaker could beat Rocky Marciano these people will say no Marciano is much bigger. Then these same people will say Rocky Marciano could beat George Foreman.

 

LOL! You rule, @Brixton Bomber

 

Spot on.