BoxRec

How come so many people praise the old time guys? No disrespect to them cause I know they were the best of their time.
But when I watch them( I'm limited to YouTube), guys like Canzoneri,Jack Johnson etc,guys gush "the greatest ever".
I've seen Joe Louis and Marciano, and most of what's available and I agree those guys are among the best.
But you have guys like Greb,Langford, and many that are at best only available in a short clip or two.
Are these guys rated so high due to the nostalgia of old timers firsthand accounts?
Cause some of the guys look like they couldn't have made the top twenty of fighters from the 70-80-90's.

I'm not being a clown just seriously wondering.

Some people overrate the old timers, some underrate them.

There were bad, ordinary, good, very good, and great fighters in every era from the late 1800s to recent times.
You have to use every tool at your disposal to rate fighters. Watch as much film as you can. However, fighters didn't suddenly get better when film became common.

Pick a fighter that interests you. Take a hard look at every fight on that fighters record. Take a look at the record of every fighter that he fought that you heard of. Also take a look at every fighter he lost to. Take into consideration the stage of a fighter's career.
You will find yourself learning about old timers and find out which ones were great and which ones were not.

Ambling Alp II wrote:Some people overrate the old timers, some underrate them.

There were bad, ordinary, good, very good, and great fighters in every era from the late 1800s to recent times.
You have to use every tool at your disposal to rate fighters. Watch as much film as you can. However, fighters didn't suddenly get better when film became common.

Pick a fighter that interests you. Take a hard look at every fight on that fighters record. Take a look at the record of every fighter that he fought that you heard of. Also take a look at every fighter he lost to. Take into consideration the stage of a fighter's career.
You will find yourself learning about old timers and find out which ones were great and which ones were not.

Thanks for the reply.
I just wanted to know what others thought when after hearing and reading about the Greats and seeing them, were they disappointed.
Some lived up to the hype for me,while others baffled me.
I think nostalgia ( sometimes distorted over time) is a very powerful tool in bestowing greatness on fighters,people, products and eras of the past.
I know that I have seen fights that were awesome.
In my mind they'd play out as I retold others.
Then when given a chance to see again, were so different than I remembered.
But I definitely will take and apply your advice. Thank you

Its funny the old v new debate as there's two schools - old was better and old was rubbish lol.

The truth is somewhere in between I think. Athletes are bigger, faster these days but boxing is more than just that. Years ago there were more boxers and people were harder and hungrier.

I think the great of the past would have been able to adapt to this era easily and vice versa!

Jack johnson would be a champion today and floyd would be in ye olde days.

Athletes are bigger and faster because of the substances they take. And because sports are more professionalised.

Guys back then have better records. More experience. And so are more proven.

It's hard to look at a record like Greb's or Langford's and not be over-awed.

Those two you mentioned were exceptions though. Two of the top 3 p4p of all time right there (with SRR). I think its interesting that all three were at one time middleweights.

I call right now, Fidel LaBarba, an all-time great p4p fighter. A very underrated boxer if we talk about old timers. He was clearly, a two-time two division all-time great at flyweight and featherweight

My question is, where would you put the great Sam Langford ranked in an specific weight class?
I know he is clearly a top 20 heavyweight of all-time.
Does he has a spot with the top 20 light heavyweights?
Does he has a spot with the top 20 middleweights?
He started as a welterweight. Does he has a spot at this weight class as well?