Old time fighters you'd like to see trained today?

Dempsey would be interesting.

 

John L. Sullivan, Sam Langford and Jack Dempsey.

 

Fitzsimmons and Jeffries.

 

Greb, Gans, Dempsey, Langford,and Leonard.

 

Dempsey, Greb, Ray Robinson, Marciano, Joe Louis.

 

I actually think that there's not a heck of a lot that "modern training could do for guys like Dempsey, Marciano and Greb. These guys were nearly always in great shape (in their prime) and I don't see a huge amount technically that could be done for their game.

Greb is unknowable, because we have no footage, but his record speaks for itself.

Dempsey clearly knew what to do technically, his book is excellent. He looked sloppy in some fights which leads me to believe that a trainer that could force him to stick to what he knew already would have been more beneficial than different training methods. Maybe a ham sammich when he was fighting for food might have helped out some

Marciano developed his own effective style based around his physical limitations. I can't see what modern methods would drastically improve him?

 

Marciano.

He trained like an absolute madman with methodologies of old, with the modern approach he'd never break a sweat!

Same goes for Hagler and Benn. Those two were workhorses of the highest degree as well.

 

As soon as I read the thread title I thought of Ruby Robert.

 

Willie Meehan

 

/end thread

This guy obviously had lots of potential. Sling his ass in a gym with somebody like E. Steward and see what comes out.

 

Ok let me clear this up.

Old School fighters trained DOWN to as low as possible so they would be skinny fighters (although there are exceptions). Today fighters are eating 6 times per day compared to the 3 small meals (if that) of prior eras particularly the pre 1900s to the 1930s. During Marcianos era and later fighters started eating more but they ran a hell of a lot more as well in order to cut a lot of weight. Marciano ran 10 miles at times and I can guarantee if he ran half of that he would have been around the 200 mark.

So don't consider what training methods and "nutrition" they have today consider the "norm" fighters don't train down today like they did in the old school. An old school fighter who didn't train down but just got in shape could be 20+ lbs minimum. The only thing they have different are supplements which were available in Marciano's era at the least. Fighters got there supplements in through natural means like Carrot Juice, Turnip Juice, etc.

Guys who are notorious for training down were Fitszimmons, Dempsey, Jeffries, and Marciano. There are plenty more if you look.

 

The better athletes who were at times limited in style due to the rules and tactics of the era of which they fought in would be my picks. With a modern trainer, some guys would be even better.

 

Good post :good

 

Max Baer