Why are boxers of the past always the greatest?

Nostalgia

Boxers get their full credit long after they retire.

Calzaghe will be considered the greatest SMW withing 5 years.

 

So true, yet disgusting.

 

That's all that needs saying.

 

It's called rosy retrospection.

 

There's an element of nostalgia, but as a whole I don't think especially high of the talent level in boxing as opposed to earlier eras.

It works both ways with mythical matchups. There's great fighters in every eras. Marvin Hagler beats Sergio Martinez, Carlos Palomino probably loses to Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather.

 

The same reason music and movies were better back in the day. We only remember the good ones.

 

1.)The anti-herd mentality
People don't wanna be associated with the crowd.This is true with younger fans of the sport who didn't see the old greats fight live.And yet puts them on the pedestal of greatness based solely on written records and fuzzy video footages.

2.)Nostalgia
True for the older boxing fans


It's hard to topple the old boxing greats.This is true for every sport.It's not enough to perform slightly above them or reasonably above them.You should perform something that is mind defying to be considered the greatest.

 

that's not always true. It works both ways. i think Mayweather beats Arguello but Louis beats the klitschkos.

 

It's simple: we hate 'em when we have 'em and love 'em when they're gone (kind of like women). People picked on Lennox Lewis when he was champ...now he's an ATG. There are many other examples. IN fact, I believe much of Ali's 1970's popularity was due to his absence in the late 60's; people had mixed feelings about him in his first reign, but after he was out three years, the public had a chance to MISS him. And they welcomed him back. Just as they've welcomed Tyson and Holyfield back several times. People pick on the Klitschkos now, but they'll be missed in a few years, and will eventually show up on a lot of people's ATG top 10 lists...seriously, they will.

It's human nature to not know what you have until it's gone.

 

I think alot is to do with appreciation e.g. you don't know what you've got til its gone!!!! In my time Lennox Lewis was slated - now he's a all time great there are many others like it; people will say the same of Mayweather, Calzaghe, Pacquio, (although many already think he is). However - another reason, and possibly more objective view is - fans, and even boxers tell you..... Ali said he was the greatest, in my humble opinion he isn't, he was fantastic - but no Sugar Ray Robinson - but then again, how would I know - hearsay!!!! Unless you've witnessed it, its debatable at best.
In my time i've seen many fantastic fighters, Naz, Benn, Hatton, Eubank, Calzaghe, Gatti, Mayweather, Pac Man, Cotto, Tyson, Lewis, (Sorry for Brit bias in names) but can I say they are / are going to be the greatest? Its objective like the mythical P4P.
Think we should all kick back and enjoy the sport.

 

Once upon a time boxing was a major sport. There were gyms everywhere, which means the talent pool was greater. Once upon a time, there were only eight divisions, so a guy like Cotto would have had a whole career as just a top contender.

Joe Calzaghe's ass would have had to decide to fight either middle or light heavy and would have ended up being no greater than say a Joey Giardello or a Paul Pender.

Once upon a time you had same day weigh ins imagine a Hagler with a whole day and a half to hydrate coming in weighing 175 pounds to 180 lbs at middleweight.

Once upon a time, the talent pool of hungry in shape fighters on the way up was so great that by 30 you were considered old. The young blasted the old past it warriors into oblivion, a changing of the guard. Today the talent pool of safety first protect the 0 guys is so thin that old past it ****s like BHop and Mosely can still get creak on into their late 30's and 40's

Once upon a time there was a historical prespective and an interest in the history of the fight game, today there are a bunch of guys in love with skill sets, flash and bull****, opposition is secondary to skill sets and how a fighter looks dispatching cans.

Once upon a time there were no catchweights or multiple belts or super Champs or multiple Champions and the best fought the best and legacy mattered. Today you have duckers and dodgers, hype jobs, and clowns. They are rarely exposed and have unmerited reputations that were not forged in the ring vs the absolute best warriors that their era could provide.

 

Less belts, better conditioned fighters the list goes on and on ..

 

Correct:yep

Back then their was only the WBA/WBC & neither body would rank the others so what ever governing body route you took it was a hard hard slog of fighting yer way up into the top 10 & elimating all contenders until you reached number 1 or 2. National title 1st, then Continental title 2nd which got you a world ranking, then 2+ years at least fighting all those ranked above you. No hiding place, you had to fight the best to get a shot at the top man.

Today any **** can be a world champion what with all the bull**** belts about, totally bogus TV title's, at this rate yer could break open a fortune cookie & a belt would fall out.

It's not a case of listining to yer old man going on about his generational hero's it's all on ****in u-tube for any daft deluded **** to see & witness why the majority of the fighters from yester-year are in the main on a far superior level than today.

There's no way the likes of mayweather could get away with the antics of today. he'd be hunted down by the hungry pack of contenders, Fighters had to fight back then unlike today where they can safely make a pile of $$$$$$ without in all reality face a top fighter or contender in jis respected division. There are no more "Contenders" there all TITLISTS with an alphabet belt around there waist & calling themselves CHAMP

Weight class jumping back in the past was an extreamly dangerous thing to do & only the very elite succeded. Today you can take yer pick from 6 titleists in each division...WBC/WBA/IBF/WBO/WBU/IBO & all these ****ers are called champ & very rarely unify. There will be exceptional champions from every new generation who would have held there own in any era, but as far as career longevity went not many would have made it past 30 at the highest level as not many did all through history as has been pointed out in the above post & here.:bbb

 

That first sentence was the best part of a damn good post!