How would AJ have done in the 70s?

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by MixedMartialLaw, Jul 23, 2022.


  1. FastLeft

    FastLeft Well-Known Member Full Member

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    but we know tall tremendous athlete did also exist in 1960 & 1970
    this is why there is sport of basketball popular
     
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  2. choklab

    choklab cocoon of horror Full Member

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    No, I have been through this. Put more big persons into the 1920s era. Jack Dempsey will still beat a top ten made up of Jess Willard’s. That’s as good as those giant guys got before science could make them more functional at combat sports. Which is why the guys smaller than Willard gave Dempsey more trouble than the big guys like Willard ever did.

    it is the science rather than the number of people that made the difference
     
  3. FastLeft

    FastLeft Well-Known Member Full Member

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    no science to AJ being " " tremendous athlete ' '
    he only trains for boxing combat sport
    but sprints the 100m very fast
    this is his nature
     
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  4. FastLeft

    FastLeft Well-Known Member Full Member

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    Jess Willard start box at 27 or 28 age
    & did not like to take instruction
    just very strong & tough
     
  5. choklab

    choklab cocoon of horror Full Member

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    I have a theory that AJ represents the new advancements and without these benefits he would make a much better basketball player than he ever would have been as a boxer.
     
  6. 70sFan865

    70sFan865 Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    I think it's overstated how much big guys improved athletically from the 1950s. When Marciano was a champion, Bill Russell in college was the candidate for high jump in Olympics. He was gigantic compared to most boxers, he was taller than Fury after all. Not long later, Wilt Chamberlain came in. Other lesser known centers from the 1950s like Ray Felix or Walter Dukes also did very well in T&F.

    Maybe big guys simply weren't interested in boxing back then? There were fewer of them and few big boxers are good anyway - even today, when big guys pool is much bigger. I mean, 6'6 was huge for boxer in the 1960s but it's average for basketball players then and other sports also took away a lot of athletic big men.
     
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  7. 70sFan865

    70sFan865 Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    AJ isn't that big and he's probably not that athletic compared to guys his size from different disciplines.
     
  8. FastLeft

    FastLeft Well-Known Member Full Member

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    you have a theory
    :thumbsup:
     
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  9. FastLeft

    FastLeft Well-Known Member Full Member

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    AJ is good boxer
    but not very special
    besides nice muscle look
    he same as good big HW in other era of history
     
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  10. JohnThomas1

    JohnThomas1 VIP Member

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    You haven't overly put much logic forward yourself.

    Yes he could well have been one of these guys that never came back from their first knockout.

    It has nothing to do with any of that. Some people simply thought Tate was a better fighter at the time and was the best in the world.
     
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  11. choklab

    choklab cocoon of horror Full Member

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    Yes I can see that now actually. In the same way people might have thought Thomas and Norton were once the best heavyweight in the world. Definitely a possibility.

    it’s a bit like Bowe isn’t it? Still a young guy when it caught up with him. I’m going to study it some more. Perhaps those guys did not ride shots so well? Seems unfair that others just kept on going for much longer.
     
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  12. JohnThomas1

    JohnThomas1 VIP Member

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    Everyone is so different tho. Some get knocked out multiple times and still fight superbly for years. Some cop one flogging and are never the same. So so many intangibles.
     
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  13. Journeyman92

    Journeyman92 Mauling Mormon’s banned Full Member

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    He’d be in the top mix. I rate the Wlad he beat higher then the likes of Lyle and Shavers… Jeez, wasn’t long ago AJ was being matched with Ali. Lol. He’d be easy prey for Ali and Holmes. Even Jimmy Young.
     
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  14. Journeyman92

    Journeyman92 Mauling Mormon’s banned Full Member

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    I mean besides your eyes and common sense.
     
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  15. Journeyman92

    Journeyman92 Mauling Mormon’s banned Full Member

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    Foreman weighed in with combat boots on. “Big” George Foreman was 210-215lbs on the scales with a little weight on him. He could be a cruiser today with a moderate weight cut.