Could a 19th century fighter realistically have beaten prime Tyson or Anthony Joshua

He didn’t intentionally leave out active fighters; he explicitly stated that he didn’t feel any active fighters were better than those 10.

 

Hindsight is a great thing. But it was just the beginning of the decade Ali dominated. In 71 he was just back from a long ban and he lost that Frazier fight. Frazier does not go in a top 10 then.

 

Physically most likely. What they didn't have was the 100 years of boxing knowledge since then.

 

That’s true. But you have got to admit that Joe Louis being 6th, behind guys like Corbett, is a little crazy.

 

Back in Jack Dempsey’s era, heavyweight boxers were fighting with 5 ounce gloves (only slightly larger than modern day MMA gloves).

Have a look at what Jack Dempsey (6 foot 1, 190 lbs) did to Jess Willard (6 foot 6 and a half, 245 pounds). Dempsey obliterated Willard in 3 rounds, knocking him down 6 times in the first round whilst breaking his jaw and several ribs.

It doesn't matter how much muscle you pack, the cranium, mandible and ribs can only take so much punishment. In a fight with 5 ounce gloves, it’s not out of the realm of possibility for a boxer like Dempsey to seriously hurt Tyson or Joshua and vice versa of course.

 

The footage we have on early 20th century pugilists shows them to be shockingly crude and awful looking, even taking into account the different dynamics of the sport back then and the limited and poor quality film we have available. And these were considered the best of their time, and in some cases the best that anyone had ever seen up until that point. They were also tiny compared to modern heavyweights, and fought completely drug free.

So no, not a chance in hell.

 

That's assuming Tyson and Joshua could only take a punch as well as Willard, with is a pretty extreme proposition, especially in Tyson's case.

Would you give Kovalev a chance to seriously hurt Joshua now? He's about the same weight and dimensions as prime Dempsey on fight night.

 

In 1896, Spiridon Louis (Greece) won Olympic gold running the marathon in 2:58:50. Today, highschool kids in the national US contest routinely run it in the 2:30s, 2:40s.

Stamina- and endurance-wise, physically the fighters of the 19th century would be considered amateur club fighters by today's standards. I am not taking away anything from their achievements and mental toughness, especially their willingness to suffer and inflict physical damage. Just putting things into perspective.

Any 19th century fighter would get overwhelmed, bullied and destroyed by today's elite athletes who are faster, stronger, smarter, who have much better stamina and conditioning.

 

Hence the 100 years of boxing knowledge that I menioned. That includes how to prepare for a fight.

Your base genetic material would likely be just fine though.

 

why not, i thought boxing re-emerged over 100 years earlier than 19th century boxers.

 

The cranium, mandible and ribs can only take so much punishment. In a fight with 5 ounce gloves, it’s not out of the realm of possibility.....

 

demps would ko josh

 

I was being a smartass / I'll take any opportunity to talk about some old ****.

Honestly, in his prime, Mike Tyson smashes all in the Queensberry ring. I'm ****in' bias.