Let's be real here, Tyson Fury would comfortably beat Prime Muhammed Ali.

[SandisLL]

Rocky marciano really would not be competitive at all.

He most likely was capable to make LHW 175 lbs limit.
He was approx 188 lbs with 0 weight control attempts during some timeframe.
LHW in modern days I think.

 

[xaphoon]

Marciano was 5'10" and 185 lbs. Any hard punch from Fury would send him flying out of the ring.

a foot shorter, 100 lbs lighter and he still hits harder than Fury <Lmaoo>

 

[TheGreatA]

My point was that it’s easy to say that Sugar Ray Robinson was a flawed fighter because some nobody landed a few shots to his chin, because Ray was pushing forward and didn’t care about his defense, because he was fighting a nobody.

Meanwhile the modern fighter may not look so human, because he and his team are spending months analyzing footage, and shipping people from the other side of the country to be a sparring partner.

Ergo, some people look at black and white fighters and say “I’m not impressed” and truly believe that modern boxers are greater, when it’s apples and oranges.

It’s not about hypotheticals but about drawing simplistic conclusions based on the footage we have.

I think it's an over-estimation of "modern fighters" anyway, to say that they don't look human compared to old time fighters.

Floyd Mayweather was arguably the most dominant fighter of the modern era, yet he still looked mediocre against more than a few guys, including a guy like Maidana, who literally fights like a tough journeyman transported from the 1950's.

What old timers may have lacked in preparation, they made up for in experience and discipline. Most of these guys were in-shape 24/7, and they fought countless times as a pro, which polished their instincts to a greater level than most professionals today, many of whom have only had around 20 pro bouts.