The biggest advantage modern fighters have over old time fighters

The question is what is the biggest advantage modern fighters have over old time fighters.

The question is not "what has had the biggest impact on the evolution of boxing technique".

If you believe, for example, that natural CW Holyfield was able to, for example, man handle and beat Tyson, because of film he watched, then I'll respectfully disagree.

Which elite, current boxer's skillset do you attribute to them watching video? Lomachenko and Uysk are arguably the most skilled fighters in recent years. What film have they watched to develop their styles?

 

The wide availability of film, better nutrition and PEDs are all good points.

I would also say that technically I think modern fighters are better. Fighters seem to understand the fundamentals better and put more weight on things like the jab, footwork and so forth. I can hear Classic erupt in bu---bu---but look at Tunney for a fighter using the jab and Pep for footwork etc. I'd agree. That said I feel its the creme de la creme of the 'old' fighters that exhibited modern looking and advanced techniques and on the whole the overall technical standards 'back then' were lower.

Now the obvious point to make is that modern fighters have built their fundamentals on what they learned from their elite predecessors, and I think that's true too.

 

Biggest advantage is weighing in the day before a fight. Just cutting some water weight over the last few days and adding it back (and more) before first bell — makes for a bigger, stronger welterweight, middleweight or whatever.

Make some of today’s guys weigh in day of fight and they’re two divisions higher, minimum … and they ain’t so big and strong anymore.

 

I suspect it would take more than a PED cycle for John Sullivan to be the best HW in the world if he was transported from his time straight into today.

I think we are interpreting the question slightly differently.

I agree the availability of fight footage has played a part in the evolution of boxing technique over the past century, though I suspect the repetition of training routines will have player a bigger part. I doubt Duran, or Loma, viewed footage of other fighters and tried to replicate it. I think it more likely that their styles developed organically through training and then through fighting.

I think the availability of footage will play a bigger part for individual boxers, in helping them formulate a fight strategy against specific opponents, than it will in have in developing their fundamental technique.

I think if you told an elite boxer today that they had to make do without PEDs or couldn't watch fight footage, they'd choose to forgo the fight footage.

 

Nutrition, training methods, medical needs,support structures. It’s night and day really. Safer for the fighters too.

 

Peptides for recovery

 

I think about this a lot. I personally think a lot of fighters who say they don't study films are actually lying (some definitely aren't though). I think they wanna come across to the media like they're virtuosos who are prepared for any style no matter what.

 

Here's the thing: Everyone uses fight footage. People scout each other all the time and coaches will pick up on what others boxers are good or bad at. Stewart and Futch openly talked about what they noticed looking at film or live matches of other boxers so that isn't even a debate.

If fight footage wasn't a big deal, then why do so many boxers today force onlookers to turn cameras off during sparring sessions...?