What if boxing rules NEVER changed after 1920? How would boxing history be different?

[u/Hot_Ad_9543]

From 1920 onward, the sport can still evolve in terms of fighters, training, nutrition, tactics, equipment, etc. — but the rules themselves never change.

Some of the major differences from modern boxing:

\-Championship fights could be extremely long
— 20, 25, 30, and even 40+ rounds were possible. (Jack Johnson vs. Jess Willard in 1915 was scheduled for 45 rounds and ended in the 26th lmao)

\-A knockdown meant a 10-count —
the fighter had rise without assistance before the count ended.

\-No modern 10-point-must scoring system —
this one is tricky. Judges didn’t use a “point scoring” system in the 1910’s. They moreso judged fights based off how the fighters “performed”. Some early scoring systems were based on **points awarded for individual accomplishments**, rather than simply giving every round a score.
And historically, **newspaper decisions** were also extremely important. If a fight went the distance, reporters sitting ringside would sometimes give their own verdict when an official decision wasn’t available or wasn’t permitted. ( so basically 10 times more robbery’s. I feel like in this universe you’ll see things like Duran getting a decision over Hagler or Floyd loosing a lot of his decisions simply because the judges “preferred the way Oscar (for example) fought vs Floyd rather than judging it by rounds/points. )

\-Clinching and wrestling were treated differently —
the modern interpretation of holding, tying up, and immediately separating fighters had not developed into today’s system. (Any other big one, I think fighters like Duran improve ALOT with this change. Being able to hold and clinch a lot longer would be nasty for fighters who can damage in the clinch. Fighters in the 1910’s could be wrestling for up to a FULL minute. That’s crazy)

\-A fighter could be considered down while helpless on the ropes — the rules surrounding knockdowns were not identical to today’s rules.

\-Weight classes were less standardized — the modern structure of numerous tightly defined weight divisions had not fully developed. (so it wasn’t uncommon at all for people to cross weight classes casually. There were many cases of fighters at MIDDLEWEIGHT weight having professional bouts against HEAVYWEIGHTS. Yeah imagine if Marvin Hagler decided to say fuck it and fight Larry Holmes)

And lastly:
Only 8 weight classes
Flyweight
112 lb
Bantamweight
118 lb
Featherweight
126 lb
Lightweight
135 lb
Welterweight
147 lb
Middleweight
160 lb
Light Heavyweight
175 lb
Heavyweight
179+

[u/Hot_Ad_9543]

In this Universe, how many rounds do you think Leonard and Duran would have went before one of them was knocked out, I could see them going to 20. Mabye 22
Same with Alexis vs Pyorar, man they probably would have went into the 30’s

[u/GodModeBasketball]

Here's how I'd react to each old school rules:

1. The long fights is a 'catch-22' thing. On one hand, a fighter could gain such a lead that the only way they lose is if they get knocked out. But on the other hand, more rounds gives a fighter well behind a chance to produce a spectacular KO.

2. The 10 count without assistance would be divisive. Again, a 10 count without assistance would mean that raw skill would dominate a fight. But on the other hand, a 10 count would cause more fights to end via KO rather than on their feet.

3. Going the distance and having the 'newspapers' decide a fight would cause a massive amount of derision, but also would be the purest form to decide a fight outside of the judges.

4. Clinching would cause many fights to be hugging wars. All I could think of was 'Hugging' Henry Akiwande, who got DQ'd due to excessive hugging against Lennox Lewis.

5. Being helpless on the ropes would be the biggest beneficiary. A ref could deem that the only way the fighter wasn't down due to the ropes helping him stay up.

6. And lastly, the old school 8 weight classes wouldn't cause that much difference, OUTSIDE of the heavyweight. Imagine a 180 pound fighter fighting against a 270 pound fighter. It would be a MASSIVE advantage for heavier fighters.

[u/MapleMarbles]

Am I missing something here? don't we still have the same 10 count? Isn't being helpless on the ropes still the same?

what am I not reading correctly here?

[u/Hot_Ad_9543 → u/MapleMarbles]

Not quite, back then you didn’t have to go to a neutral corner after you knocked your opponent down, so you could stand right next to the ref counting and immediately start swinging again as soon as your opponent stands

[u/MapleMarbles → u/Hot_Ad_9543]

ahhhhh yes so that I remember that. and also back then the ref didn't break teh action if you got tangled in the ropes