[GIF] Max Baer showing skill and reflexes with a triple jab, followed by a sharp combo, and a slip

Wow, a young kid wants to lecture long-time boxing fans on how to pay proper respect to the old fighters! And once we all see it his way, he promises that this will be a better place, where serious, high quality discussions will flourish.

Honestly, I don't know if I should LMAO... or feel sorry for the guy!

 

Good ideas?? This is the internet for crying out loud! Sure, I agree that it would be great, if we could all get along, and exchange of views could take place in a friendly, productive atmosphere. But we all know that won't happen.

So it's really an impossible dream - even though it would be nice if it wasn't.

But I do hope you can get people to back your project - which I understand you will start working on once you get an apology from McGrain. Well, good luck with that!

 

I'm curious as to how people think Baer's career would have played out had he stuck to a more traditional skillset than that which he used, especially on the offensive side of his game. He gambled "all-in" on his aforementioned assets of power, chin and athleticism, assets he held in spades over almost all of his contemporaries. I don't know if he would have done any better following a more "boxer-type" approach to his fights. In fact, I think he would have fared worse. For every time he could correct getting outboxed or out hustled during his career, he might have missed an opportunity for a stoppage on the other side of the ledger. Boxers find the styles that best exploit their physical assets, whether it be Baer or Wilder or Klitschko or Ali. It's not about exhibiting moves from a textbook; it's about understanding what works best with your talents to bring a W. So, in the end, it's not even necessary to hunt and clip moments from film where Max displays technique. Look at his record. Look at his opponents (say about this what you may). Results are the ultimate exhibition of skill. Whether the observer can recognize these or not is another question.

 

It's really hard to say because we would have to imagine a completely different fighter. His crude technical skills mostly served him fine against his physically overmatched opponents but it's hard for me to imagine that he wouldn't have done even better if he'd been more adept at working off his jab, throwing tighter punches, using better head movement and a better guard, etc. He was never going to be a "pure boxer" type of fighter but if he'd received better training and dedicated himself to learning better technical skills, who knows? He might have had the raw talent to be discussed as an "ATG"... He had his share of disappointing losses--maybe some of them go the other way? (I guess it also depends on whether we excuse away all of his bad performances as reflecting his lack of dedication/playboy lifestyle or not).

 

No doubt making old videos into normal speed gives us a better idea as to their boxing skills. I've seen a video of 1922 New York street life, make to be at normal speed, that was amazing.

I'd like to see the old Jack Johnson videos make normal speed because he looks awful to me until he feels like punching instead of grabbing. Baer looks bad in old films....looks like he's always scratching his back or pulling up his trunks.

 

Of course he would. I don't see how that's even up for discussion. Boxers practice those things for a reason.

I'd be very surprised by a fighter who goes "oh, I must stop honing my skills now. If my punching and combinations and defense get any better it's going to hurt my effectiveness."

If Lewis had felt that way he probably wouldn't have achieved nearly what he did. But he hired a new trainer instead, improved his balance and composure and went on to do great things. Same with Wlad. That doesn't mean they became 250 lbs versions of Ricardo Lopez, but they made an effort to improve and reaped the rewards.

 

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Well if the long time fans weren't sucking at the moment maybe they could avoid such lectures.