Quote Originally Posted by BIG H View Post
Quote Originally Posted by Matias64 View Post
I think sportmen of 2010's are generally better trained, more healthy, stronger, bigger, faster, have better technic, etc than those of 1960's, 1970's, 1980's. Besides in internet world teams behind boxers have much more knowledge about weakness and strongness of boxers. Knowledge of boxing is now better than ever before - even in times of Lenox Lewis. That's why there many things support this list of all time best heavyweight champions:

1. Vitali Klitschko
2. Wladimir Klitschko
3. Lenox Lewis
4. Mike Tyson
5. Muhammad Ali
6. Larry Holmes
7. George Foreman
8. Joe Frazier
9. Sonny Liston
10. Rocky Marciano or Joe Louis

You can think about it by comparing athletics like Carl Lewis vs. Usain Bolt, Jim Hines vs. Carl Lewis or Bekele vs. Lasse Viren (Emil Zatopek vs. Paavo Nurmi). The problem is that we tend to appreciate too much these old time heroes with no critic at all.

On the other hand i have to say that Joe Louis in his time and Muhammad Ali in his time were surely showing much more skill and technic than any of their rivals at the same time of before. It's not their fault if knowledge of boxing, know how, is now much more better. It's just unfair to compare Muhammad Ali to Vitali Klitschko just as computer of 1950's to supercomputer of our time.
A lot of truth in this. What would be interesting is how the likes of Ali would've done if they did have the benefits of today that you describe.
Sports medicines and science is improving all the time, football teams have an army of assistants, dieticians, fitness advisers, managers etc all looking after the interest of the athlete, Olympic Games running times get faster and faster every four years, swimmers always beat world records that defy belief, is Bolt a better athlete than Carl Lewis? No, just in a different era that's all. Usain Bolt has more advantages than Carl Lewis. In every world sport whether it be a team sport or indidvual sport someone will always surpass the efforts of the past, but that does not make them better at the game. Names like Ruth, DiMaggio, Namath, Montana are not forgotten because their records are broken, the same goes in any field sport, how much better would Pele be playing today? Is Tendulkar better than Bradman? Is Federer better than Sampras or Laver? Is Lennox Lewis better then Muhammad Ali....No he isn't!