Bivol didn't weigh much more than Fitz, Corbett, Sharkey. How does this one go? Scenario 1: modern rules and gloves, 12 rounds Scenario 2: Jeffries era rules and gloves, 25 rounds
Jeffries is favored. Bivol may be better pound for pound, but he is outweighed by about 40-50 pounds. Jeffries has great power and a chin of steel. One possible outcome is that the Boilermaker loses a lot of rounds before knocking out Bivol. Beterbiev, light heavyweight, knocked out Bivol, Jeffries can too.
You don't see Bivol struggling with the rules and rounds of Jeffries' era? How come? Jeffries would be the biggest and most physical fighter he'd fought, those variables are difficult to overcome under rules you've never fought under especially if Bivol's power can't hurt him. Unless you see Bivol stopping Jeffries?
I think Bivol is light years ahead in terms of technique, footwork, balance, IQ. I just see him forcing an error from Jeffries and doing so very often as Jeffries makes many errors compared to Bivol, Bivol has so many ways of setting up attacks, or he can draw the mistake from you, whereas Jeffries was one dimensional by today’s standards, not much movement, predictable footwork etc, when Bivol is attacking from all angles, feinting and making his attacks unpredictable, Jeffries wouldn’t know what’s coming or how to defend against it. People may say about the older ruleset favouring Jeffries, but the closest modern sport to that is BKB, where they all fight using modern boxing technique and not late 1800s-early 1900s technique.
The reason why is because BKB fighters are still boxing as if they have 10oz gloves, their high guard is the same, they target the same parts of the face you would target with gloves on but would break your hand without, the way they position and throw their fists are the same as if they had 10 ounce gloves on. They simply aren’t elite enough talents to adapt their styles successfully to their ruleset, which imo makes modern bare knuckle completely irrelevant when comparing it to past bare knuckle. Smaller gloves will would cause any styles to alter, though I wouldn’t say 1800s-early 1900s technique is that different apart from stances and hand placement. Jimmy Britt and Mike Donovan do not look too different to even other supposedly more evolved eras like Gibbons and Tunney, Gans looks different but uses the same tools as modern fighters and does so brilliantly. Even though it’s obvious we have differing views on Jeffries skills and abilities, keep in mind that Bivol certainly wouldn’t be the first to cause Jeffries to make mistakes and counter him for them. Jeff struggled with mobility so I certainly see Bivol doing this, but I just don’t see him hurting Jeffries when he does. Not to mention having to do so for 25 rounds under a ruleset that allows Jeffries to bully in the clinch more than anyone Bivol’s ever fought. Everything you’ve said Bivol would do to Jeffries has happened except by more murderous punchers, yet Jeffries came up on top.
The available footage of Jeffries does not flatter him. Bivol murders that version. However we all know that Jeffries was regarded as a spent force in the Johnson fights. So without better footage we cannot make a fair evaluation. Suffice to say that Bivol's footwork will be an out of context problem for that version of Jeffries.
Scenario 1: Bivol dominates. Would be like Conn vs Louis x100. Scenario 2: Bivol again dominates the action, though Jefferies could catch up in the later 20s and stop him on sheer exhaustion. Slightly favour Jeffries only because he actually fought in this ruleset. Jeffries is one of the most overrated fighters of all time imo. A natural 168lber like Fitzsimmons (not a mover) outboxed and caught Jeffries at will to the point his face was basically destroyed. The most Bivol really has to worry about is injuring his hands in scenario 2. Given this is a hypothetical, I won't consider a hand injury the same way I don't consider cuts in H2H match ups. There are plenty of old timers who can compete with and defeat modern boxers (and you know I rep them, especially in their ruleset). Jeffries isn't one of them.
I don’t know. Jeffries fought life and death with Tom Sharkey who was what ? 5’8” and like 172 lbs ? Wasn’t Jeffries taken the distance and had his nose broken.
