I’ve seen this back and forth with not just boxing, but sports, period. Sticking to boxing though, there’s obviously still some world class fighters out there and all and the sport always replenishes itself. But it definitely feels like the talent pool in the sport has taken a major dip, when you compare it to the 70s,80s and 90s. You read so much about how new high tech training methods make the athletes better conditioned today, but I’m just not sold. I can’t imagine most of these guys going 15 rounds, seeing as to how they struggle to go 12 rounds. Fighters don’t even fight that much anymore, which causes imo a waste in talent. What say, y’all?
of course it has regressed. chiefly, due to the inactivity of all fighters and particularly the top fighters. how are you supposed to stay sharp and/or improve without fighting?
Whether they're better or worse is debatable, but there is no denying that style, tactics and strategy have changed. And from a fan's perspective at least, I think it's worse.
There's fewer guys fighting and so anytime a guy with a bit of talent comes along, he doesn't have Basilio/Gavilan/Turpin/LaMotta/etc waiting in the wings so he just blows out whatever chumps they got lined up for him to blow out. There's no need to "get good" to stop your face from being kicked in. Instead you come out the amateurs with some handspeed and power and start blowing guys away. There are exceptions sure ,like Usyk or Loma but....not many..
Another thing:- Sven Ottke was a great pure boxer. Nobody gave a shit. Perhaps rightly so. So there's no point being a great stylist and doing things "right". You'll have to fight 10 times to get the same money you will get if you win the Oscar Sweepstakes. So you be like Michael Grant and have casuals believing you'll do the job and somehow get through to the big title fight and make so much money you never really have to learn how to fight.
Lol, Otkke had shitty technique. Was far from a great boxer. He was a good strategist but he certainly wasnt a stylist
Even Duran was saying 50 years ago that most people had no idea how to infight. It was a rare art going out of fashion since years. Some guys like Corrales had a natural affinity for short range action despite being long-limbed, but that needs to be taken into account alongside his relatively poor long-range work. Hatton could fight inside and get inside but not too much more.
Hatton tried to emulate Duran. It's no secret Duran was his idol. Hatton was certainly effective at it by modern standards, I'll give him that.
You could probably make the case that fighters now days tend to be more responsible defensively. But it seems like that has happened at the expense of sustained action and offense. But of course, there are plenty examples of "old" boring fights and certainly there are exciting "new" fights.
A lot of younger fighters tried to imitate Floyd as well. Everybody wants to be a slick fighter as opposed to fighting to their strengths.
