The boxing prejudice against heavy weight training

I assume without knowing literally anything that it was just about making weight in the beginning?

 

There goes my before a coffee theory. Maybe they where all weak in the weight room and boxing was built to compensate for DYELs originally?

 

Actually, something worth a little something. In weightlifting they advocate in the beginning doing little of anything for your biceps or else you might not be flexible enough for the catch position because your biceps are too big- I personally had this problem maybe being too bulky without being flexible enough compromised some positions? this is purely a blind shot. @cross_trainer

 

Sean O'Grady used to say that having big muscles took away the flexibility and detracted from power, and this is a myth I have heard repeated elsewhere. There might be something to it with extremely muscular guys...I don't know. Holyfield, when he started lifting weights (and supplementing) used to work out with a a ballet instructor to retain flexibility.

I think the more likely thing is it just kills your stamina. Look at Shannon Briggs. Huge muscles...hits like murder...can't go more than three rounds and be effective.

Also, the more time fighters are lifting weight, the less time they are doing boxing training.

Weight classes was a good shout.

Another thing is injuries. James Toney lifted weighs and was always injured. Hopkins never touched them and was almost never injured. Vitaly Klitschko gave up weights because of his injuries and swam for resistance exercise.

Ken Norton became a weight lifter and said he wished he would have lifted weights when he was fighting. I think in the end, its just a case of different strokes for different folks.

 

It was a commonly held belief that lifting too much would make you slow, stiff, and prone to gassing out. This was the view of the trainers of both Ali and Rocky who were discouraged and scolded for it early on in their careers. Even in the 80's, Tyson seemed to be very skeptical of their benefit and questioned the wisdom of Bruno's intense lifting regiment.

In regards to the lower weight classes, It's definitely true that if you don't know what you're doing and just bulk up lifting heavy stuff constantly you could easily end up being too big to make weight. Of course we know how to handle this issue now, but back then it was far from an exact science.

 

George Foreman alluded to something like that on air when he complemented some fighter, maybe Quartey, who fought with a high guard.

 

^ THis

 

Most old school trainers and gyms were against heavy weight training.
As Glass City noted most were of the the opinion of the extra muscle
will contribute to endurance issues, less flexibility, even less power
on your punches.
And not only boxing trainers from days past, but most Sensei's
in most dojo's of the 70's and 80's were of the same opinion
Tennis coaches , golfers etc.

 

Briggs had asthma. His stamina did not worsen when he bulked up either. Different issue.

Wlad and Lewis probably improved stamina while adding muscle.

 

I think a lot of it is people seeing correlation and assuming causation. Though there is some truth too it, if the weight training isn't done properly)

In one of Dan Creedon's later fights it was commented that he'd gone stuff like someone who spends too much time lifting heavy sandbags. I think Bob Fitzsimmons in his book also criticises weight training (I think with a strongman anecdote). So there was some in the early 1900s atleast.

 

Wlad definitely slowed the tempo that he fought at after gassing a few times.