... do you think we will ever have a fighter who will surpass SRR, Greb, Armstrong, Pep, etc P4P? With how few fights boxers have today in comparison to the old days, its hard to see it happening.
The problems I believe is in the trainers. The great trainers passed their craft down to others and the legacy continued. It was up to these great trainers to find the needle in the haystack, great talent. That combination made a great fighter. The pool of great trainers is shrinking, the atheletes are looking to other sports, MMA is gaining in popularity, etc. Its going to be tough, but boxing has always seemed to perseveer. There always seems to be something popping up, but it just seems the talent pool is shrinking and shrinking across the board.
Probably not, unless the purses go way down. It's all about the money nowadays. In boxing as well as just about any sport. When Gary Player was asked if the golfers of today are better than the golfers of yesterday he replied "Are you kidding? We played for our supper!" The same can be said for the greats of yesterday in boxing as well. Pride is another big factor. Guys like Robinson, Armstrong, LaMotta etc. weren't afraid of taking on a tough opponent if it meant proving that they were the better fighter. Today many fighters avoid another tough guy for a soft touch because they don't want to ruin thier chance for making big money and having an "L" on thier record. One loss and they fall apart. Today a fighter is as much a businessman as he is a fighter and in some ways you can't blame him with all the money involved. It's too bad really because it's the fan who pays for it. Literally as well as figuratively.
Good point. Ulitmately the fighters today have to be judged on a much smaller body of work over a far longer time period. The money factor usually brings the two best fighters together with the public no longer willing to pay for crap fights. The only good thing is it allows some fighters to develop a little more before they take a challenge they may not be ready for.
