Why don't some classic boxing fans and historians give modern fighters credit?

It goes other way, far more effectively.

There are some mind numbing misconceptions by even really well versed classic fans.

Joe Louis was a plodder or had bad defense. (A conception based on Ali's shadow)
Rocky had bad balance (lol)
Willard was nothing but an oaf, yet Bowe and Lewis are superstar technicians.
Max Baer didn't know how to box, and was only a wild slugger.
They never used to cut off the ring.
They never threw combos.
They never threw 1-2's.
Their technique is antiquated and obsolete.

A jab from old film is a paw.
A jab from modern film is "Sharp, beautiful, crisp."
Good footwork and mobility from old fighters is "Eh Whatever..."
Good footwork from modern fighters is "Beautiful, untouchable, slick"

Primo is slow and clumsy, but Bowe is technically sound.

There are credible opinions that would be laughable if different cameras were used to film and view the fights.
Stuff that shouldn't even be in the realm of thinking when assessing older fighters get spouted about regularly.

Most people here understand the sensitivity of marketing, advertising and branding, and what effect that has on perceptions. We've probably all seen at least one documentary on the subject. Yet they drastically understate the effects of watching boxing through antique cameras. And how that would severely impact impulse perceptions.

The same people who call Lomachenko a genius, will think Tommy Burns is trash.
This just would never ever fly if Burns was filmed with modern equipment.

So I think the gap is way bigger when it comes to giving the older fighters their due.

But it goes both ways. Belittling one or the other is short sighted imo.

 

Today there are far more boxers, from far more countries, taking part in far more fights than back in the 70s. So I don't see how boxing, as a sport/business, is doing so badly these days.

Whether the boxers themselves are better or worse than 40 years ago, is of course a matter of personal opinion!

 

Old timers were masters of the finer aspects of the game....feinting, parries, blocking, slipping, footwork and then deftly countering to vital areas of an opponents body.

Watch Johnson touch an opponents elbow to make a punch miss then block a ferocious hook stopping the blow as if it hit a brick wall.

Benny Leonard with just his footwork was able to tie an opponent in knots always one step ahead. He held his guard low in perfect classic fashion but with perfect stance, balance, footwork was practically unhittable.

 

Death? The real undefeated fighter in history. Father time.

 

Having more belts doesn't make it any easier to be the top guy in a division. If you're saying it allows more ducking, Dempsey ducked Wills.

 

No but it makes it a lot easier to hold a belt or gain a ranking.

It probably actually makes it harder to be lineal.

For example I can't see Golovkin not having fought for the lineal title by now, if there was only one title to shoot for.

 

It has always been the same. In written sources from ancient Greece there are the same disparaging of the current generation in favor of the older. During Louis's era he was not thought to be at the same level as Dempsey (which is clearly a ludicrous notion) and Ali wasn't thought to be on the same level as Louis etc etc.

Hell, people here look at the little footage we have of Burley and declare him a master technician even though he looks much more like an unorthodox slickster like Herol Graham or RJJ, with obvious flaws in terms of fundamentals.

As for the current situation, we have too many weight classes and, especially, too many titles imo. But there's nothing wrong with the talent. Rigo, Loma are as good technicians as any I've ever seen; Ward is very skilled, smart and competitive; Golovkin and Kova are top notch boxer-punchers and Joshua could prove to be a rare specimen indeed (but could also be found out).

And this is the situationen when fighters like Pac, PBF and the Klits have exited or are exiting the scene.

To say that this is nothing like what has been, has nothing to do with reality.

 

I think we are living through an amazing era of boxing right now.

 

And good fights happening. Ward-Kova 2 and, hopefully, Golovkin-Canelo. Joshua-Wlad would probably been more special if both were in their prime as opposed to one of them being green and the other fading or possibly shot, but I'm still excited by it.

 

Very good but didn't these dead masters talk to people, write anything down etc. I don't really buy that the knowledge that for example E. Steward amassed wasn't passed to his underlings in camp or fighters he trained, He lived to a fairly old age - why not share his expertise?

 

It also helps more fighters get paid. More money usually equals more competition.

 

Exactly!!!

 

You shouldn't buy it. The man trained many, many fighters. Dozens. Of course knowledge will have been passed on.

Even people who never trained under Steward will have picked up things from purely watching the fighters he taught.

 

Yeah I'm most excited about Klitschko-Joshua. Unlike the Fury bout, this one is for sure going to be a more intense fight.

I'm mainly excited to see it because of the immense the clash of talent. Can't wait to see how the two handle each other in the ring. And because of its historical implications.