50 years ago today:

Yeah, I don’t think Jeffries necessarily instilled fear into his opposition as did the others mentioned - and certainly it would be difficult to pull the bogeyman image completely off when you draw the colour line, thereby excluding all black fighters and, as a consequence, give you cause to avoid your most eligible and dangerous challenger. That’s not an opportunistic attempt to slag on Jeffries either - it’s just logistical facts -

 

I’d definitely put Dempsey in there as well. Many guys were beaten before they entered the ring

 

And hopefully for many years to come!

 

I was thinking of other BIG fights 50 years after the event.

Dempsey and Tunney where stil there after the long count.

Frazier and Ali where both dead by the time there 50th roll around.

Foreman is the only one of the 2 still kicking from the Frazier Foreman fight. And I expect him to still be here when the Ali Foreman fight comes up in a few years.

 

It's strange to think but when I started watching boxing, back in the early 80 s, it was Dempsey, Louis, Schmeling, Sharkey who were the old guard and George not even 40.
Now George is the grand old man of the heavyweight s. Time waits for no man.

 

And Foreman is the only one still kicking from that era (Champ wise, not contender) since Frazier, Norton and Ali are gone, not even hit there 80's, where the past old guard were still alive during there "Old guard" stage. Dempsey 87, Sharkey and Schmeling both made it to their 90's, Only Joe Louis was the only one to not make it to his 70's.

 

Yep, and one day, it'll be Mike Tyson as the grandad of the heavyweight s! Now that will be strange.

 

I think it would pretty much be Tyson Spinks and Holmes when that happens, which seems right since they ruled the 80's.