There have been many attempts to create a failsafe system, a consistant and better conditioned fighter who can throw the same amount of punches from the first round on through the end of the fight. It seems though that this has been more of a problem for the modern fighters.
Madianna is a perfect example. He was at a cross roads when he had to figure out a conditioning regime that would allow him to pressure Floyd all the way through the fight. De La Hoya is another fighter who was known for fighting well for a while during the fight and then slacking off. It seems like today we see a tremendous amount of these problems...despite the fact that fitness knowledge is suposed to be progressive, athletes are supposed to be getting better, the fights last less rounds, there seems a geniune problem with pressure guys being able to fight hard for the entire fight.
There is ample evidence that this was not such an issue in the bygone eras of boxing where fighters fought more rounds and were active through the entire fight.
Fighters used to do road work, calesthenics, some basic weight training, bag work....and they used to fight. They fought more rounds in the ring, more rounds in the gym. A great example is James Toney. As a fat heavyweight against Rahman, Toney looked like a bad fat joke, while Rahman looked chiselled, like a greek statue. Despite appearances, Toney threw more punches than Rahman. Toney's way of traning for the fight was to spar rounds, over and over again.
What this tells me is that fighting rounds, sparring rounds are the primary way that keep a fighter in great shape, not any new innovative fitness concepts. This makes sense when we consider that repetition of movements and familiarity with patterns of movement make a person perform the movements more efficiently and more naturally.
Modern day fighters may look better sometimes, vis a vis David Haye for example...but much like Haye, who has problems with stamina, despite the looks fighting rounds and experience made a better conditioned fighter for the purposes of the ring. It would not suprise me if Tony Galenta, for example, had more stamina than David Haye.
The Klits hold on for dear life often.... And now we have some sense of why this may be!
Madianna is a perfect example. He was at a cross roads when he had to figure out a conditioning regime that would allow him to pressure Floyd all the way through the fight. De La Hoya is another fighter who was known for fighting well for a while during the fight and then slacking off. It seems like today we see a tremendous amount of these problems...despite the fact that fitness knowledge is suposed to be progressive, athletes are supposed to be getting better, the fights last less rounds, there seems a geniune problem with pressure guys being able to fight hard for the entire fight.
There is ample evidence that this was not such an issue in the bygone eras of boxing where fighters fought more rounds and were active through the entire fight.
Fighters used to do road work, calesthenics, some basic weight training, bag work....and they used to fight. They fought more rounds in the ring, more rounds in the gym. A great example is James Toney. As a fat heavyweight against Rahman, Toney looked like a bad fat joke, while Rahman looked chiselled, like a greek statue. Despite appearances, Toney threw more punches than Rahman. Toney's way of traning for the fight was to spar rounds, over and over again.
What this tells me is that fighting rounds, sparring rounds are the primary way that keep a fighter in great shape, not any new innovative fitness concepts. This makes sense when we consider that repetition of movements and familiarity with patterns of movement make a person perform the movements more efficiently and more naturally.
Modern day fighters may look better sometimes, vis a vis David Haye for example...but much like Haye, who has problems with stamina, despite the looks fighting rounds and experience made a better conditioned fighter for the purposes of the ring. It would not suprise me if Tony Galenta, for example, had more stamina than David Haye.
The Klits hold on for dear life often.... And now we have some sense of why this may be!
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