Is it getting easier or more difficult for a boxer to be considered an ATG?

Difficult because they will never be greater than ancient greats of yesteryear..Its almost sacrilege to state that the fighters now are stronger and faster than ever and will have a good chance against someone from 1940

 

Far harder, because history remembers people fondly and over-rates their achievements.

Ali loses to most of the super-heavyweights of this era, but you can't say that without sounding like a laughing stock, yet he's considered the greatest of all time? Along with Sugar Ray Robinson who was very beatable, yet if you mention that, again, you don't know boxing.

It's harder in todays age but in 15-20 years, the Mayweather's, Jones Jr's, Klitschko's and such will be rated as ATGs.

 

I don't know. But I think that boxing in the higher weight divisions is much more shallow than it used to be in the past. Everything north of middle weight seems to yield champs that wouldn't cut it in earlier times. The lower divisions seem to be quite strong.

 

Its getting easier to be considered for the casual fan because of all the media hype following boxers nowadays. But the hardcore fans know that (with the exception of a few) all the ATG fought before the 90's.

 

Ali to his defense had all the talent skills and intangibles that if you transport him in time in his prime and made him a cruiserweight... Hed probably leave a greater legacy. His speed and movements were ridiculous for a man weighing over 200.. I can say the same with SRR.. but a guy like Roy can match up well

 

Its getting easier. PBF is considered by many to be one of the greatest ever.
The sad thing is the only fighters of note on his resume is DLH(who is a little past it). Castillo(good credible win) and Corrales(another decent win).
I would definately say its getting easier.

 

Hmmm. Yes, well I certainly laugh at this.

 

Much more difficult. Nowadays fighters have less fights so a single loss can set fighters back years, as well as having fewer chances to redeem themselves...

 

Its weird because he could have easily picked someone who was a good example and he picked the two worst examples instead

 

Greatness is based on what they did for their time, the level of the fighters for their time that they beat and how good they were for their era when your comparing fighters from several decades apart. Whether a superheavyweight of today could be Joe Louis or not doesn't matter much when rating each man's greatness. No heavyweight of today comes anywhere near Louis when talking about accomplishments.

I don't think it's necessarily harder or easier. ATG fighters are fighters that were amongst the absolute best of their time and who had the ability and overall careers to still register as special for any era. It's impossible to say if it is easier or more difficult to achieve ATG status today.

 

Harder because the talent pool just isn't as deep as it used to be.

 

Exactly :good

 

Good post..ERAS cannot be judged...but people like to do a H2H comparison and I think its reasonable to do that. Ill make an analogy regarding the great horse secretariat.. He ran a record time for a mile and a half that up to now has not been broken...Now if Secretariat competed today, hell blow the competition away..thats greatness..

Some true greats like Ali are like that...If a young prime Ali fought today, he'll be a cruiserweight..Hell be damn untouchable...now thats how you can really measure true greatness.. Those great fighters of their era I give them credit but some cannot be great today with the skills they possessed.