Yeah mate I have, here is a brief report from another forum I posted up: ========================================== Finally got my hands on a copy of the Packey McFarland vs. Mike Gibbons middleweight fight (an 11 minute clip) and I watched that a couple of times today. McFarland and especially Gibbons really look good in this one. They both have quite modern styles (it's quite amazing) and they are very skilled on the defensive and offensive. Gibbons looked to be shading the action from the footage I saw but McFarland was game and was pushing Gibbons back, despite looking the smaller of the two and being the lighter hitter. He didn't look quite as sharp as he did against Freddie Welsh but that's to be expected when a lightweight becomes a junior middleweight. Still looked excellent though. Gibbons was doing a good job in the infighting, which is not really something he is renowned for, and his uppercuts and right crosses proved the most telling blows of the fight. On the outside, both men had good jabs and punch-slipping ability, and Mike Gibbons had really good leg speed, but the fight was by and large conducted on the inside, if the highlights are an accurate depiction of the fight. ================================================ Both these guys have styles that could easily compete in today's fight game. Very skilled operators. If any fight pre-1920 advertises that fighters from that era were not crude or limited compared to today's fighters, this is the one. I can't think of a single pre-1920's fight that does a better job of disproving the 'boxing has evolved' argument.
:good Both are great fighters. I wish we had more footage, but the glimpses available from these two give us plenty to ponder.
BIG DEE HERE: I have been saying this for years and have repeatedly been told that i`m full of it. You gentlemen have just discovered what I learned 45 yrs ago, that these fighters could fight with anyone in the 1960 and today in 2009. If you study these men over and over you see them do things that you wont believe. Their close in-fighting is a joy compared to todays fighters. Just think Mike Gibbons and Packey McFarland and you have seen them fight. Just think you can study them over and over and see what the old-timers talked about. Their greatness is there for you to see if you want to see it and that means watching them 100, 200 times and more. I used to watch my old films untill they wore out. GOOD LUCK WITH THE FILMS YOU`LL LEARN MORE WATCHING THESE GUYS THAT ANYONE YOU`LL EVER WATCH.