China_hand_Joe's education of the classic forum thread.

Neither do some high school gridiron football teams. Doesn't exactly mean they would terrorize the pros.

 

I don't know how you could claim there is not a lot of luck involved when the choice of judges might well decide whether you win or lose.
Superior fighters have often lost because of injuries. Anyone could dislocate a shoulder with any given punch or suffer a badly cut eye, etc.

While luck plays a role in gridiron football, see how many coaches feel that luck creates champions.

 

Valuev went undefeated longer than Calzaghe.

It's also the only sport where a top athlete doesn't have to compete against other top athletes. Calzaghe has definitely benefited from this.

Also, you're overlooking the obvious. Not only will the top fighters' quality change from one generation to another, but so will the field. Variance is irrelevant because the opponents from different eras do not come from the same talent pool.

 

Boxers do not play dozens of games over an entire season. They play occasional games against (mostly) picked opponents.

 

If you can prove it, I will agree.

But boxrec will not help you much in that regard. It's only useful comparing fighters within the same era.

 

I agree that a long season tends to bring the cream to the top, but it is true in all sports in America which I follow closely that as you move up to the top levels of competition, pro gridiron football as opposed to college, pro basketball as opposed to college, pro baseball as opposed to college, the best teams tend to lose more often to their competitors.
Luck doesn't exactly explain this. As the competition level rises, it is more difficult to stand out, and opponents have more talent, so an off day can be fatal.
And I must say, without going into detail, that even champion gridiron teams are occasionally very badly beaten to such an extent that "luck" can not be adduced as the reason.

 

I will add that in general, fighters with flawless records are more likely to emerge in uncompetitive environments (see for examples: MMA, point karate, Full Contact Karate/American Kickboxing, Muay Thai, BJJ). Guys like Pep and Robinson are exceptions--they racked up huge win records in an era where most fighters struggled. Calzaghe, on the other hand, is the rule--more and more fighters have pristine records, which indicates a lack of competition.

 

Wonderful point.

Only Willie Pep managed to become a champion in the first half of the century without first suffering a loss.

 

I'm waiting with baiting breath.

 

Having picked up the baton and thoroughly analysed the data myself, this eventually led me to the following pictorial conclusion:

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1000 Words

 

You guys really should stop humouring this kid.:nono



:think On second thoughts, ignore that, humouring him does create some quality information. A classic example where the ends justify the means.:good