Older generation boxers tougher than today's?

Ok. Very true

 

Fighters back then didn't have the luxury of investors! They had to work to earn a living! And, in the old days, fighters knew what they were doing. They knew what they were there for and they got the job done.
Also, back in the 30's and 40's, there were only 8 weight divisions. At the time, a light heavyweight was 175 pounds, but Braddock stepped up to fight heavyweights.
A good example of that were guys like Conn, Moore and Charles. But you haven't got that today! Today's light heavyweight fighters couldn't carry their gym bags!"
-LOU DUVA-

 

You are to a point, but growing up tough does not fully translate into a tough fighter, example, I've always watched a lot of street fighting, gangs and such on youtube and years ago i had found an underground network that posted them all the time.
Gang members would fight and they would video and post them, very few a small percentage were what i would call tough, most when in a real fight crumbled quickly or quit. even though all grew up in rough neigborhoods and in a gang. The same would go for asia or anywhere else. growing up tough does not always mean they are all that tough, it helps, but it does not make a person hard.
The boxers back in the older days, and the farther back you go seemed tougher, going 20 plus round regulary, times were tougher they were tougher and there were many reasons for this, plus they were all mostly full time Professional fighters.
They trained more, they put more time into it, they lived to fight, they would fight in bars, on the streets anywhere, it was a different time and place, same for Football or any sport, in the day a Running back could get tackled and someone might try to poke his eyes or kick or stomp on him or try to severaly hurt on purpose and no one would think twice about it.

 

Understand that many greats from the past built toughness and physical power via hard labor. Fitz via 12-16 hour days as a blacksmith, Jeffries as a boilermaker, Johnson via long hours working on a farm. This was a time where there were no social programs to assist those in need. It was a time we’re black oppression was well beyond anyone’s imagination today. For these reasons those that got to the top were the toughest of the tough. Tough beyond what the word means today. Yes in those days top fighters were made of tougher stuff.