What exactly is a boxers Legacy? I have a rough idea - but would appreciate some help as to define exactly what it is. I often see on the boards it gets confused with resume - and also many peoples definition of what legacy actually is appears to vary. I thought the classical experts may be able to help. Thanks.
I simply define it as the sum total of his career, including not only his record or his opposition, but what people thought of him as a fighter including his peers, the public, the press and so on.
It depends: His boxing legacy is the impact he made in the sport that he leaves when he retires. Some boxers leave a legacy in society as a whole, they are normally the great ones.
"Legacy" is the public's perception of the fighter's dominance that remains in the public's mind after the fighter retires. By "dominance" I'm talking not only about the fighter's superiority to his peers in his own era, but also how he is perceived to compare to excellent fighters of past eras. Perception is the key here...it can be ruined when an excellent fighter comes out of retirement and begins losing fights because he's physically burned out. When that happens, the public may no longer give him credit for his excellent performances while in his prime.
You have some nice points, but I'm not sure that I agree with the notion of perception being the core of a fighter's legacy. If a fighter acheives a good record, wins a title, does well in the amateurs, and beats good fighters, its still a legacy weather the public remembers it or not. Leon Spinks for example was never highly thought of, and probably never will be. But, for whatever its worth, his gold medal along with winning the heavyweight title, plus having a younger brother who did the same, is still a legacy regardless of what you or I think.. I think legacy has to do with personal acheivment.
There are two ways a fighter can get a legacy. 1 ) One is by comparing him in his era. Was he the best of the time? The most remembered of his time? How popular was he? Did he meet the best fighters of his time? What did he mean for boxing when he was active? Here each fighter of a different era can be a legend. IMO a fighter does not need to be a top p4p fighter to be a legend 2 ) A numbers and records comparison the way baseball does it. Here fighters can be compared regardless of era. What was his overall record? What was his, title defense record? What is his KO%? How many total bouts did he have? Did he break any ring records? Did he make a successful comebacks? Did he compete well at an older age? etc…
Hard to define, but here's my stab: His legacy is the impact of his career in terms of the levels of performance he's achieved, given those of his opponents at the time. Doesn't sounds nice to the ear, but it's half-way there, I think.
...................It's a highbrow word some use to describe something they think they are owed by a fighter. :roll:
