Classic vs Modern. Aus Forum Only. You decide!

Please share because I would be interested to hear either way.

 

You really think Sugar Ray would school a prime Jermain Taylor. Jermain is a natural middleweight and very big for this division. I imagine he would weigh in well over 170 on the day of the fight. Robinson certainly wasn't prime at 160. he is a naturally smaller man. He was beaten at 160 numerous times by guys that would appear to be much lessor fighters then Jermain Taylor. Watch the two on film side by side. Not highlight reels but actual fight footage. Tell me who looks bigger and stronger, even faster to a degree. It is a very POPULAR opinion that Ray Robinson is the greatest of all time, but we are looking at actual ability here. Robinson may win, but I highly doubt he schools a guy that elite fighters from our generation could not do.

 

Good Post.

 

Taylor isn't an ATG at 160 and never will be, but neither was Sugar at 160. He was best as a welter weight. Look at the size difference alone. Jermain is a tall, fast strong and big middleweight. Look at some of the guys that Robinson lost 2 at 160. I think its easy to remember them as these invincible fighters, but in reality they just weren't.

 

I realise there will be some idiots that it will attract. But that happens everytime on ESB. The debate i have going is more so between myself, Amsterdam and CHJ against a lot of the classic forum guys like Sweet Pea, McGrain, Cross Trainer ect. Obviously a lot of other people have been putting in though as well, so it will be interesting to see if we can get a heap of facts and footage together to see collectively what the opinion of the posters here is.

 

Do you think fighting more often is beneficial though? IMO it would cause more injury and give less time to train. Training gives them the opportunity to practice new skills, refine their techniques and have much more sparring completed. It would have been very difficult for older day fighters to do any where near the amount of sparring that modern fighters do as they would risk injury before their fights. Is it better to spar 50 rounds in a week under the watchful eye of your technical coaches, or to fight 12 with the obvious pressures of a live fight with a crowd.

 

To be fair though Roy was KO'd past his prime, just like Ray lost a heap of fights past prime and many other great have as well. Mosley certainly isn't the best from our era either. Watching the film how do you compare the defense of someone like Robinson to Whitaker? What about his counter punching ability to a fighter like Mayweather. It is my belief that as boxing progresses, fighters can learn from all the fighters gone. They can watch all the tapes of old and benefit from eras of great boxers, taking the best skills and using them to bring their game to the next level. When I watch someone like Robinson I can see his natural ability, but technically often times he looks sloppy. I honestly have trouble believeing that he you could take that exact same fighter and put him in with Floyd Mayweather and watch floyd get thoroughly beaten.

 

Ray lost to a heap of fighters at 160. Obviously he was past his best, but if you are arguing that a 160 version of him SCHOOLS Taylor I would say you are wrong. Maybe he beats him but I definitely don't see him schooling him.

 

I compare Taylor to perhaps Monzon in their styles. Both guys are very awkward to watch, but seem to get the job done. I highly doubt that he gets schooled. Perhaps losing but not schooled. Regardless, Taylor is hardly the best of our generation or even close to it. If we are comparing the best to the best, what about whitaker or mayweather as opposed to Robinson.

 

Have you seen any of these guys fight though? Some of them are VERY rough technically. jake la Motta at times looks like a lead footed punching bag. These names look great but you are comparing resume. What I am asking is to look for yourself beyond the widely accepted opinion of most here, and use your own analytical ability to see who has the better skills. Not just look at the names that we know are commonly accepted as being the greatest.