I was reading the Ring Magazine state of the game article when an interesting point was made. One of the famous matchmakers said while Jack Johnson and Joe Gans were advanced for their times, their skill level would put them behind modern champions in the same weight classes. He says boxing techniques slowed down from advancing in the 1940s to 1950s. Is he correct? I tend to think so. What says the forum?
Loma is part of the new breed using their dominant hand as their lead, this has been done before by the likes of Hagler so the game was still evolving at that stage, but a few of the top P4P fighters are using their dominant hand as a lead brilliantly, that never happened before, only Hagler got that highly rated using this method.
The concepts of the jab and defense have noticeable differences from early filmed fights to now. All sports evolve, and so did boxing. Boxing wasn't fully developed shortly after the Marquess of Queensberry Rules
Technique changes with time, but doesn't necessarily improve or regress all the time. Bareknuckle techniques are completely different from today's. Sometimes things are forgetten and rediscovered, mistaken for progress. I remember a UFC fighter was doing the Walcott shuffle and Joe Rogan was going on about how he was a revolutionary. I know Rogan isn't the best source but still. Jack Blackburn was saddend by how much Louis' generation had forgetten. Dempsey wrote about it as well, how there were less killers and fake trainers sprung up and ruined good talent with bull**** to make a quick buck due to boxing's popularity. So I'll say, technique has changed, but not evolved necessarily. Certain styles are developed, certain techniques are dug up, but not true evolution
They are shown in exactly the same way in the manuals. Rules change, equipment changes, and the optimum way to deploy these assets changes. It is still just shuffling the same cards though.
John L Sullivan himself said his skills were outdated and they were too scientific by Jeffries time. I agree rule changes had something to do with how boxing evolved.
No, that's what you choose to read into what he said. There were people while Jeffries was champion, who thought that Jem Mace could have out boxed him.
This is what Sullivan said. Which people thought Jim Mace would have out boxed him? I dont; understand why you just can't; watch the films and see the fighters for who they were. If they have lived later on, I agree they would have more skills.
Creedon called Mace the cleverest fighter he knew. Creedon boxed among others Bob Fitzsimmons, Kid McCoy, Joe Walcott, Young Peter Jackson, George Green, and served as James J Corbett's sparring partner.
I think it stopped with guys like Duran Hagler Arguello and the rest of those greats from the 70's ending around 80. Sure there were greats after but I feel this was the end.
