ESB Essay Competition: Were old-timers more motivated than modern-day boxers?

Calzaghe's motivation is that of supernatural entity, can any old timer make claim to that.:think

I can think of one for certain, that would be Maxie Rosenbloom...

 

Jack Johnson vs. Joe Louis, it'd be a hell of a fight no?:happy

Maxie Rosenbloom was a god.

 

IRN BRU cut with rum.

BTW McGrain, Louis KO 4 Jack Johnson.:yep

That first day you joined I stated that Louis' era was an evolution from Johnson's, thinking back on it and relating to the recent discussions, it's really hysterical...

 

No, I'm not wrong, I'm going to check that thread in a bit, rewatch some vid's and come back with more argument and try to keep it fresh without the bias.

Foreman KO 1 Johnson.:yep

 

Today's fighters are money-hungry prima-donnas by comparison.

Boxing has become an easier sport to participate in over the years. What I mean is that there are no longer fights fought in baking heat without cover, no longer are fights scheduled for 20, 30 or 40 rounds, the gloves are bigger and more padded, and the referees are far, far more compasionate to an ailing fighter, among other things.

If the rules of Johnson's time applied today, how many young men would even dare take up the sport?
What motivated fighters back then? For one thing, there was nothing else going. The NBA, NFL and NHL were not even around back then. Boxing was one of very, very few sports to provide an outlet for men coming from disadvantaged backrounds, especially for blacks.
Many fighters back in the old days were literally starving, and a boxing match provided at least enough for a meal and a bed for the night. Jersey Joe Walcott said that he spent a good portion of his pro career literally half-starved.
No matter how bad the circumstances today, you don't hear of such appalling stories anymore.

Purses back in the day were meagre by comparison too, and that's partly why guys then fought so often. Hell, Ray Robinson defended his title only a month after winning it. Today, a champion rarely fights more than twice a year, and sometimes only once a year.

Maybe it'a just a sign of the times, but people back then were willing to do more for less in all walks of life by comparison with today's standards.