Ok maybe you haven't couldn't do anything like the reasonable training, assume you are training a solid athletic person. It's tangential to the subject of modern training methods (which I don't really buy), but anyway. What do you think the ideal way to prepare for a finish fight would be?
A very good question. You would basically have to reinvent the wheel Even in Sullivan's day people came in significantly lighter for finish fights. I think that the weight lifting would have to go, and you would start to see training regimes more like an endurance athlete. Initially you might even end up copying the regimes of the old bare knuckle fighters, because it would be the only starting point that you had!
I actually disagree agree with a lot people on weight lifting. I think the issues around it are more of bad, sometimes shockingly bad, implementation. Like loads of work on machine, often without full range of motion, slow reps, and too much of it. There is also the problem of sacrificing other areas to much to get better at weight lifting, when weights should the the servant of improving at the sport, never its master. But still, I think a bit of weight work wouldn't be a bad thing. I notice a lot of early boxers did do stuff with indian clubs etc. which seems to have more of a focus on injury prevention (mobility etc.), and movements standing so you have to stabilise yourself.
I am an ultra distance runner, and I do use weights to support my training plan. Endurance athletes with a bit of meat on them don't get injured as often, and they have less trouble holding posture spending 24 hours on their feet. That is not boxing of course.
Oh cool, I've never done anything that long, but I've dabbled in some stuff a bit over marathon length. I think some of the principles do apply, then again the other training they did probably covered that ground too. Chopping wood, carrying stuff etc.
I'm a fan of the training used up until the early 80's. Up until then in shape fighters were going 15 hard rds and there training was all boxing based. Once the separate conditioning trainers were brought in physiques improved but in ring ability declined. Guys got tired faster. If I were in a fight to a finish I would train the way fighters used to train and that is to fight over the long haul.
