Why did classic boxing skills die?

Alot of the new breed of fan see hattons style as wrestling or even cheating in some cases when it is in fact a classic and old-school way of fighting.

 

Lack of great trainers. When all those big name old guys retired from the sport in the early 80's, you only had a few still in the game. You just didn't have the rotation of greats to come up and take their place & since the Futch departure, it's even gotten worse.

 

There's also that MTV generation effect...everything quicker, faster, bigger, stronger.

The highlight reel knockout that's so beloved. How you actually work up to the knockout, whatever struggles you may have had to get there simply ignored in favour of that bang-bang-bang as a fighter reels around the ring from a heavy attack. That becomes the popular image, what defines the entire fight rather than what actually happened up to that point.

 

About 90% of the film from that time span is displaying only mediocre skills, despite the fact that mostly the film of top fighters has survived. Only few selected fighters are showing skills above mediocre, same as it is now. Wrong premise.

 

On body punching--after watching Wlad-Rahman last weekend, the referees have killed it. Rahman's only real chance was to get inside and then work Wlad over, but the referee would hop in the instant Wlad grabbed him. In the old days, they allowed fighting to go on while in close if the arms were free. Wlad has clumsy clinching skills. He might have paid a price for that fifty years ago. Now the ref jumps in and they are soon back at long range.

Example--watch Tunney-Dempsey 1 and compare Tunney's clinching skills to Wlad's.

 

In addition to the list of valid responses already given, I will ad that modern fighters of the last 15 years have placed too much emphasis on being bigger and stronger than their contemporaries. Size and strength seems to have replaced emphasis on polishing skills and improving speed, stamina, etc. Technique seems to have gone the way of the dinosaur from a lot of different aspects.

 

Nobody will be surprised that I lay a lot of the blame on the abolition of the 15 round distance. OLD FOGEY and zadfrak also made excellent observations.

Heavyweight size and strength at the world class level would be reduced considerably in importance if the 15 round distance was properly restored. Strategy and tactics would again rise in emphasis.

Boxers also simply don't compete as much anymore, and a defeat becomes a major blemish in such a situation, where losses were once allowed as valuable learning experiences for up and comers.

 

All those skills are used today, its just some neglect aspects of boxing in all eras, your only going to watch the better fighters from the past, today you'll watch the not so great fighters too.

Also bodypunching isn't always advisable, hooks to the body leave you open to counters

 

There are fighters today who display all these skills to the same extent as the top old timers.

They are becoming less numerous however.

I think that many fighters who would have been slicksters in the 30s or 50s are being developed as punchers today.

 

The weight class focus always changes for one thing. In the 50's there was a focus on middleweights, in the 80's there was a focus on welter and middle. That made fighters look a lot more skillful because the smaller guys are more skillful.

The major heavyweights today are more skillful than heavyweights in some eras such as the early 80s and early 30s.

I don't know how it's going to shake out now with these massive men coming out of Russia. It may really be the biggest hit to demonstrated boxing skills yet. It's still better than watching one of those 80s wrestling matches with Tubbs or Tucker....

 

1.Fighters today are rushed in to title fights ,they dont have time to develop their skills

2.The emphasis is on staying unbeaten ,hence they are carefully matched to play to their strengths, and not asked questions , inside the ropes.

An example . Jimmy Maclarnin,one of the great Welterweight Champs had 61 fights before he fought for the Welter title.
Among his opponents were
Jackie Fields
Fidel Labarba
Pancho Villa

Also very experienced veterans like
Bud Taylor 56-9-7
Memphis Pal Moore 134-34 -31
Joe Glick 102-33-16
Sergeant Sammy Baker 90-7-3
Stanislaus Loaysza 47-7-3
Ray Miller 59-23-9
Sid Terris 97-7-3
Louis Kid Kaplan 84-11-18
Billy Wallace 58-15-23
Tommy Cello 56-22-26
Sammy Fuller 45-10-2
Young Jack Thompson 60-23-13
Al Singer 56-6-2
Billy Petrolle 105-19-13
Lou Brouillard 75-7-1
Benny Leonard 183-18-11

THESE WERE BEFORE HE GOT A SHOT AT THE WELTERWEIGHT CROWN, WHERE HE MET YOUNG CORBETT WHO HAD A 104-8-22 RECORD.

Maclarnin was managed by Pop's Foster who loved him like a son and became his legal guardian ,[leaving his estate to him when he died].

Foster was considered to be very careful at matchmaking his "Boy", yet Jimmy met all, styles ,shapes and sizes,he had his share of defeats but really learned his craft .Today a Hopkins or a Toney is called Old School,and called an ATG, maybe they are, but back then every contender was Old School, and had learned his trade the hard way ,on the job.

 

Wrong.

Hooks to the body do not leave you open to counters if you know how and when to throw them. In fact, they can be perfectly safe -to wit: slip the right cross outside low and throw a left hook to the body. No chance to get countered. Slip the jab outside low and throw a right hybrid hook to the ribs then follow up with a left hook to the sternum. No chance to get countered.

 

thumbless gloves also.