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Boxers today are monsters when compared to yesteryear. Also, Ali, Foreman, and Frazier bodies would react well with today's performance enhancements and advancements in medicine. With that said, Ali/Frazier would have interesting fights with Tyson, Lewis and the brothers. Given Foreman's natural size, I think he would transition very very well into this era...Remember, that punch he dropped on Moore...Wow!...Like dynamite!
Boxing training really hasn't changed much over the years. The basics like jumping rope, roadwork, bag work, etc are all still there. Fighters back in the days trained for fights that went 15 rounds, and back in the real old days fights went on until basically somebody was knocked out. Those guys in the 30's thru the 80' would have mopped the floor with most of the competition today. A lot of that other junk training is basically usless and can result in a fighter bieng overtrained. I won't even get into the BS about PED's and PES.
Many of the classic fighters stayed close to their fighting condition all year. They trained hard throughout the year and did all the fine tuning before each fight. Today, fighters are taking two or three fights per year, with 8 week training camps prior to the fight. Consider this; Robinson and LaMotta fought each twice within a three week span...unheard of today! One of the fundamentals of boxing is, the more you fight, the better you'll get, so long as you're stepping up the competition with each fight. Today, fighters are getting title shots with just 20 fights on their resume. Competition is watered down with too many belts and titles, and champions are now afforded the luxury of choosing their own opponents.
Another aspect to today's training is use of PEDs, and a lot of new age fitness routines that really do not benefit a boxer. I sometimes look at these training regiments and feel the fighters are being over-trained in some instances. They are also more protected in sparring, wearing full face head gear, which doesn't allow for scar tissue to build up in the nose and mouth. This is why some fighters today are quick to get bloody noses and busted lips, they spar with face protection and then get busted open during a real fight.
I would say Ali, Liston and Foreman would be champs today. Digging deeper into the lower weight classes, Robinson, Pep, Saddler, LaMotta, Griffith, Armstrong, Conn, etc, would all be champions as well. The only weight classes that would be competitve from today's era of fighters are the 140 - 154 lb. range. The rest would be mauled with a few exceptions such as Andre Ward, Rigondeaux, or Gamboa.
and had modern training and nutrition, how would they do?
Edit: Sorry, I meant classic fighters, like Marciano, Ali, Foreman, etc.
They would not have changed how they trained. I am certain Foreman, Ali, and marciano would mop the floor with these guys. Foreman had trouble with guys who stick and move and land a good shot when they settle down. Marciano had trouble with great dancers, ali had trouble with great swarmers with high endurance and crab fighters. There are no good heavyweight crab fighters since Norton (who was taught his style by frazier might I add for the ali fight). No great swarmers except maybe Tyson who was kind of an unorthodox swarmer. Problem is he lacked the endurance to really take a prime ali out, meaning ali would probably take tyson between 5-8 like the liston fight. Marciano could pretty much absorb any punch or at least get up from them, and he would have also whipped anyone of today because once they became tired or got sloppy he'd knock them back to wherever they came from. Boxers of today are too fat to stick and move like ali and young did, only perhaps michael spinks could have danced foreman.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jbub22
Boxers today are monsters when compared to yesteryear. Also, Ali, Foreman, and Frazier bodies would react well with today's performance enhancements and advancements in medicine. With that said, Ali/Frazier would have interesting fights with Tyson, Lewis and the brothers. Given Foreman's natural size, I think he would transition very very well into this era...Remember, that punch he dropped on Moore...Wow!...Like dynamite!
Lewis got knocked out twice by smaller inferior, truly B rate boxers twice in 42 fights. Frazier beat up a lot of big guys. I don't see Lewis winning. I think if Duran was a heavyweight he'd probably be the closest thing to being able to beat a prime Ali, the way how he beat the **** out of leonard makes me believe this. For Tyson to beat Ali he'd have to make 10-12 rounds without tiring, which of course never happens. Tyson would tired ram that head into the chest and grip the arms. And this is where Ali would just murder him, it'd be Ali-Liston 2. Never mind that Tyson leaps forward. Even if Tyson cut off the ring and dropped Ali, well lets be honest, no one ever caught Ali in his prime. Henry Cooper caught him with a good left hook when he was up and coming but the rematch, when ali was in his prime well, it wasn't close. With the exception of Jack Johnson, prime Ali could destroy just about any heavyweight in under 10 rounds.
Yeah even old fat foreman could come back to win the title, so its not even questionable how he would have done.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mongoslade223
Boxing training really hasn't changed much over the years. The basics like jumping rope, roadwork, bag work, etc are all still there. Fighters back in the days trained for fights that went 15 rounds, and back in the real old days fights went on until basically somebody was knocked out. Those guys in the 30's thru the 80' would have mopped the floor with most of the competition today. A lot of that other junk training is basically usless and can result in a fighter bieng overtrained. I won't even get into the BS about PED's and PES.
True that. I can tell who is on the ped's today, it those guys like gamboa and pryor who get knocked down alot and get up in like 4 seconds and have huge punch outputs. Because a truly skilled swarmer wouldn't get hit so many times. But if you are doping well you get knocked down alot and get hit alot
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coolhand68
Many of the classic fighters stayed close to their fighting condition all year. They trained hard throughout the year and did all the fine tuning before each fight. Today, fighters are taking two or three fights per year, with 8 week training camps prior to the fight. Consider this; Robinson and LaMotta fought each twice within a three week span...unheard of today! One of the fundamentals of boxing is, the more you fight, the better you'll get, so long as you're stepping up the competition with each fight. Today, fighters are getting title shots with just 20 fights on their resume. Competition is watered down with too many belts and titles, and champions are now afforded the luxury of choosing their own opponents.
Another aspect to today's training is use of PEDs, and a lot of new age fitness routines that really do not benefit a boxer. I sometimes look at these training regiments and feel the fighters are being over-trained in some instances. They are also more protected in sparring, wearing full face head gear, which doesn't allow for scar tissue to build up in the nose and mouth. This is why some fighters today are quick to get bloody noses and busted lips, they spar with face protection and then get busted open during a real fight.
I would say Ali, Liston and Foreman would be champs today. Digging deeper into the lower weight classes, Robinson, Pep, Saddler, LaMotta, Griffith, Armstrong, Conn, etc, would all be champions as well. The only weight classes that would be competitve from today's era of fighters are the 140 - 154 lb. range. The rest would be mauled with a few exceptions such as Andre Ward, Rigondeaux, or Gamboa.
Yeah guys like louis, ali and tyson even fought at high paces often fighting 8-10 guys in a YEAR!
I know, picking your opponents, seriously, a boxer like larry holmes is the perfect example, avoid giving rematches to the tough fights, duck the hard fights and just beat up little guys because don king makes a belt just for you.
I don't see a guy like Ward lasting against a Nigel Benn or julian jackson.
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