Norton disses the Louis era

There's no "tired" in tyre iron That dude could easily go several rounds, hard.

 

Also the aforementioned outstanding boxer at heavyweight at present is a blown up cruiserweight with inflated physical stats who is conditioned to fight 12 rounds unlike the SHW lummoxes he routinely slaps around whose cardio extends to about 6 rounds if they’re lucky.

 

Ironically, Usyk is THE sizeable elephant in the room.

Of course, when one duly highlights Usyk the relative Lilliputian, and his successes against the plodding beasts, to try and offset the solid counter argument, some will say “Aww, but Olek is an outlier, an exception to the rule…”

Of course that type of reply ignores several, comparably sized, equally and even more talented ATGs of the past - and fighters against whom Usyk would encounter far more difficulties than against the current crop of skill/stamina/output challenged behemoths - 6 round fighters, as you so aptly described them. Lol.

 

The SHW bubble burst when 5’11 obese, moderate punching Andy Ruiz stopped 6’6 body beautiful Anthony Joshua before their first fight was half way done.

I recall people tried to classify Ruiz as also a SHW on account of his lard to justify AJ’s defeat. Sorry Ruiz is a SHW like Tony Galento was ie a morbidly obese small statured heavyweight.

 

Yes, and upon checking just now they’re still listing Ruiz as standing 6’2” - haha, another inflation, - Andy is 6’ flat. He rated a decent chance of repeating the victory but came in even more obese for the rematch, disgusting - but AJ still fought super leery - knowing he had to protect that crystal faberge chin of his more carefully second time around. Lol.

 

I still remember all the amazing descriptions of Ruiz after he pole axed poor Joshua. Guy was an overweight Joe Louis. My god there was some shuckin' and jivin' as modernists stumbled end over end trying to explain their boys demise.

 

Inflated boxing heights as always.

 

There's also the matter of Usyk's closest bout (to myself and many others) being against Breidis, who is the same size as him

I remember all the posts desperately trying to explain why fat is so much better than muscle mass Good times.

 

It was his toughest fight without doubt.

Perhaps Usyk was weight drained lol

 

Maybe Oleksander read about the great superhuman Jefferies and decided to dehydrate himself? I mean it must be the only explanation!

 

Peak Norton is a live dog against Louis. He's a live dog against all but a handful of heavyweights.

 

I like Norton always have. He does real well in Joe's era but Joe would have knocked Kenny out

 

The Norton era was better than the Louis era.

Muhammad Ali
Larry Holmes
George Foreman
Joe Frazier
Ken Norton
Jerry Quarry
Ron Lyle
Earnie Shavers
Jimmy Young
Joe Bugner
Plus, guys who were top fighters on either end of his career, like Bonavena, Coetzee, Weaver, Ellis ... and on and on.

There just isn't a roster of heavyweights in the Louis era that is close to being that deep at heavyweight.

Hell, Ali, Holmes and Foreman tend to make up 30 percent of most all-time heavyweight top 10 lists. And Frazier isn't far behind.

Most heavys from the Louis era (late 30s and 40s) don't tend to bump heavyweight champions from the last 50 years on those all-time lists, either.

For example, I don't think the Jack Sharkey who Louis fought in the second half of the 1930s beats anyone on that list from Norton's era, and Sharkey wasn't that far removed from a heavyweight title.

 

I think the whole thing of athletes comparing their era to others in terms of quality is tiring.

Both in Louis's and Norton's era the best faced the best. No one pretended to be in camp for a fight he had no intention of taking and no one had their promotor becoming teary eyed with indignation because it's somehow injust to criticise his fighter for the many stupid things he says because he's supposedly bipolar.

No tough guys suddenly becoming snowflakes and no diva antics that would make Ava Gardner flush.

If Kenny kept to the facts like those, all good, but would he do better against Baer etc than he did against the punchers in his own era... Who the **** knows.