[1954] Harry Wills apparently not big on Marciano or Charles

Same old story for every generation.

 

Charles would kick his ass.

 

Ah, yes... the lost art of feinting. Always cracks me up!

 

If Rocky Marciano was going to kick my @ss you bet I’d faint

 

Wills said no way would he have fought with the equipment of the real old timers.

 

It's ok if he said that, but it's hard to actually prove,
with what little film out their of that era, and specifically him.
Based on what I've seen of fighters from that era, they hardly
sidestepped , hands down at their waist level, generally fought
in straight lines. So take what he said with a grain of salt.

 

This is also false. Two false narratives fighting for decades...

 

So you can prove they generally didn't fight that way I described?
If so please, by all means enlighten me.

 

The only thing that is true in your words is that they used low guard (due to smaller gloves). Other than that, boxers from 1920s weren't any less advanced than later generations. Maybe you talked strictly about Wills, but then we don't have anything of his prime on tape either.

 

My point exactly. It can't be proved or unproved , so how is
my comment false? Did you,with your own eyes see them fight?

 

Prime Wills? No, but many of the best boxers from that era were excellent. 1920s was very deep era, people attack it only because of heavyweight division and it's not like it was that bad.

 

They were excellent for that time period. No doubt about that. And I'm not attacking that time period, just posting what should be obvious. By what little film there is of them
Its impossible to get a sound opinion of
the fighters of that era. Sure some writers
That were knowledgeable said So and So
Was the best fighter they ever saw. But that
Same writer never saw Larry Holmes. We
are very fortunate to actually may have seen the
sport at its zenith. The periods of late 30's to the early 90's. Because most of these
World class fighters today are not very good in comparison to fighters from the time period I mentioned. There's plenty of film to support this opinion.
So unless fighters are allowed to do what would be necessary to get to that level of greatness again . It will never happen.

 

Go watch footage of fighters like Gans and Mike Gibbons and Benny Leonard. If you dont see sidestepping a feinting then run to your optometrist.