If the old-timers could criticize OUR boxing...

locked-knee, slappers, who scramble about for their balance and occasionally have the guts to throw a haymaker telegraphed from the 1700's have little to fault the moderns.

I respect their contributions to the sport, but there is little to gleaned for modern fistic science.

 

McGrain, that might be the single most sensible thing I ever heard said or written in the context of an oldtimers-vs.-moderns discussion. :happy

 

McCall almost certainly engineered his and you cannot put it past even a Rahman either.

I seriously doubt such moves are past even domestic level fighters today.

 

very interesting cant add much myself though

 

Interesting stuff. Glad CHJ bumped this up. Same old Wealthy Elite aswell, aye?

 

Although I admit that it's very interesting to compare modern boxing to it's ancestors, It's really an exercise in futility as we're comparing two different sports. The rules are completely different as is the equipment used. In bareknucle boxing a fighter had to worry about headlocks, hip tosses, kicks and hair pulling not to mention being hit with and trying to protect bare knuckles. Boxing back then was more like the early days of the UFC rather than the Boxing we see today. Boxing in the early 1900's wasn't that far removed from the bare knuckle days. The gloves used were smaller and less solidly constructed than the ones used today so fighters still employed tactics and stances used by the bare knucklers to some extent. When the gloves got bigger and better and hand wrapping became more of a science (and safer too) Boxing srtategy and science changed. It's only natural. A fighter could let his hands fly with less chance of injury and he could block a punch with his gloves closer to his face since they were bigger and better padded. I also imagine mouth guards improved over the years which could help a fighter absorb a shot better to some extent also. As a result Boxing styles changed. No need to employ an extended guard or stand up straight and lean back to avoid a head choke hold or "Chancery" as it was called. Fighters over time brought the arms in close and the hands up to deal with the changes in equipment and rules that occured over the years. It's unfair to compare John L. Sullivan to Larry Holmes since they fought under vastly different times and circumstances with different rules. Someone mentioned in an earlier post that old and new fighters would probably pick up some pointers from each other and I think that's true. I'm sure that they could learn from each other. The old adage that "Form follows function" rings true here. Put Ali in the late 1800's and he would have to change a few aspects of his style. The same goes for Sullivan as well.

 

What the **** are you talking about?

 

Think the first thing they say is what???? Just 12 weak rounds.


fights to the finish parts the men from the boys, non of this pansy 12 round points wins that mayweather does. In a fight to the finish, Bat Nelson kills him.

The 12 rounders made todays fighters soft.

 

after getting over the shock of finding myself awakening 210 years later after a holiday (don't know how I got here) I find it shocking that today's 'boxers' only fight a mere 36 minutes for so called championship bouts. I also am dismayed to find that these contests are decided by a boxer lightly punching his opponent while moving around the ring scarecely damaging his opponent but being declared somehow a victor based on scientific points. looking back I see very few men in the last hundred years who would have attracted any backing from the fancy. there is one legendary man though, because of these modern rules whose record pales to what he might have accomplished in the london prize ring, his name being george chuvalo.

 

Do you think that Jack Blackburn could have been a sucesfull trainer today?

 

Technique in boxing has changed. Specifically defensively.
The old timers would be overwhelmed by how the pay scale has changed. That in itself changed the whole mentality of a fighter.
Why should a fighter walk through a brick wall when he knows hes getting enough money to retire on? The whole purpose of boxing has changed, specifically on the championship level where the most competitive fights are made.

 

True enough.

Back in the day, a world class fighter could end up back working on the docks if he didn't deliver.

Even a champion knew that he would be fortunate to make enough money to retire on.

Tended to focus minds a bit.