When do you think Boxing had it right?

Probably the 70's for me, although I don't think there was much difference from the 40's right up until the 80's.

Before then the gloves were too small, the rules were too relaxed, leading to ugly fights. Boxers fought too much, resulting in the elite losing to nobodies. The fights went on far too long as well.

After, the the length of fights are less than they should be, fights are stopped easier, boxers don't fight enough and whatever.

In between though, the 40's to the 80's were boxings best years. it had the right balance of pretty much everything.

Sorry to be so unspecific, but I can't put it down to a single decade. I don't think boxing has changed dramatically enough for me to do that.

 

I think it was pretty much fine from the 40's-82-83ish.

 

Rules: Queensberry

Rounds: 15 round title fights

Refereeing: There are not enough good ref's. Mercante, and Lane come to mind.

Probably the 1970's had the best mix of talent and rules.

Where boxing went wrong is deserves a thread of its own. Boxing used to be on regular TV, had one champion per weight class, and had less legal battles outside the ring.

 

Boxing went wrong with the comming of gloves.

 

Unquestionably, for me it was the seventies, the Golden Decade of boxing in my opinion. Championship fights were 15 rounds, as they should have been, championship fights were on free tv, for all the public, especially those new to boxing to see, and to be acquainted with some of the best fighters ever to grace the planet. Ring entrances weren't overdone, and not until Hector Camacho in the eighties (an inferior decade) did you see fighters coming into the ring wearing sissy garb, like what appeared to be skirts, instead of real boxing trunks. Oh, I could go on and on, and **** off those fans who just born in the seventies, but basically it was the quality of the fights and fighters, the accessibility of the sport, and the 15 round championship limit, which seperated the men from the boys.

 

Now.

Much as I would love to see 45 round fights with no such thing as a TKO it is not in the interests of the fighters. I would like some of them to live to see 70.

 

Yeah ok.:nut I know you will respond with something related to Tyson, Holmes, or something along those lines. But now that I said it, you will most likely just say some random thing or not say anything at all (what everyone wishes you would do).

 

Plenty who boxed during the 45 round era did live to a ripe old age. Off-hand, I can't name any who died prematurely as a result of the 45 round limit. Jack Johnson had several defenses scheduled for that distance, but he was still going strong when killed in a car crash. (Who knows how long he would have lived if he'd died of natural causes?) Jess Willard nearly lived to be 90.

The objection that many would raise to the 45 round limit is that it turns what should be a contest of skill into one of endurance, like Jeffries-Corbett I and Willard-Johnson. In that scenario, an all time tournament for HW GOAT could come down to a final four between Tex Cobb, George Chuvalo, Jim Jeffries and Jess Willard. (Ironman Jeffries himself lived into his late 70s, despite weighing over 300 pounds through most of his retirement.) Reinstating the no-decision stipulation does have a certain appeal though, as it would eliminate crooked judges from the equation. Ditto for crooked referees, where eliminating disqualifications is involved. Perhaps Tex Cobb was right: "We're in there to raise hell, and the referee's only job is to count to ten!"

 

I guess from the 40s to anytime before the coming of multiple ABC sanctioning bodies, pay per view and the lowering of the limit from 15 rounds. Thats when boxing began to unravel as a sport of general interest to the public.

 

On the other side of the coin look at Battling Nelson and Ad Wolgast.

They were close friends and their wives were close friends but they ended up fighting for the title.

The fight went 42 rounds and both fighters averaged an amazing 85 punches per round!

They both ended up as institutionalised basket cases at a verry young age. It was that fight that did it.

Nelson when let out of the asylum would rundown the street saying that he was training to fight Joe Gans who had died years earlier.

 

I'm with you there.

I believe that boxing would be better today had Mama King had an abortion, or the guy he stomped to death was a lawyer or a mayor.

 

You should go easy on that clip.

Bill clearly respects Larry Holmes verry much and dosnt like to see it.

 

I think the 20s and 30s were better, boxing was the main international sport. The 40s through to the rise of Don King was ruined by the mob dominating the main titles.