Hindsight: Is it a Wonderful Thing?

Once their careers have come to an end, it’s likely the Klitschkos will be regarded more highly in hindsight. The opposite could be said of Iron Mike. Whilst reigning supreme, some felt he was the greatest heavy of all-time; however, once his career was evaluated in its entirety, many felt the need to reconsider their initial assessment of the fighter……….and the man. In terms of boxing, perhaps Tyson was only the best whilst he was the baddest.

It makes you wonder how some of the fighters we consider great, now, will be viewed by future generations of fans looking back.

So this is what I’d like to ask:

In your opinion, who was regarded more highly whilst they were active but less so in hindsight?

And, whose stock increased on reflection?

My knowledge of boxing doesn't span too many generations, but I would go with:

Whitaker - Increased
De La Hoya - Decreased

One guy whose stock does appear to have fell over the years is Jack Dempsey, during his reign and for a good few years after he was regarded as if not the best heavy ever then certainly in the mix, with many saying he stood comparison with Louis and the other greats of the division, does appear to have been something of a downgrading of him of late, the Wills situation seems to really count against him and often hear him dismissed as too small etc.

Some fine examples above, already. Wouldn't argue with any of them.

In more recent times, I'd say that Jones Jr is a perfect example. When his career peaked with his Heavyweight belt in 2003, there was serious consideration in some quarters on whether or not he was the greatest since Robinson. Now, somehow, there's debate amongst some over whether he was really great at all.

Strange one isn't he, Alma?

The thing is, even when he was at the summit of his career, small criticisms of Jones' matchmaking did crop up here and there. In that respect, some of the backlash he's received in recent years maybe shouldn't be seen as much of a surprise, even though some of it does go a little overboard.

It's his shocking plight in the past eight years which has really stunned me. Call him aloof or no-risk (and plenty of people did), but Jones always came across as one of the smartest fighters out there, insofar as most people would have bet their house on him getting out at the right time and being smart enough to go out with his health, reputation and legacy all in one piece.

Sadly, that hasn't been the case.

I'll always view it as a shame that we've had to see such a drastic decline, though. I suspect that once the dust has finally settled on his career (and I sincerely hope that we're not far away from that point), Jones' legacy will be reaffirmed and he'll be afforded the respect he deserves. The bubble may have burst to a certain degree since 2004, but I'm firmly of the opinion that it would be a great shame to recognise Jones as anything other than one of the true modern masters.

Am possibly opening a can of worms with this one but think Lennox Lewis is fast in the process of being regarded a damned sight more warmly than he was during his reign. Always got the impression Lewis was seen as a good, solid champion during his time rather than the all time great he seems to be portrayed as more recently, have also seen him refered to as exciting or devastating on occasions, tags that to my memory were rarely attached to him in his time. Think the perceived lack of quality in the division and what many people consider to be the safety first approach of Wlad has led to Lennox being more warmly regarded and ranked than he was during his tenure as champion.

Agree one hundred percent on Lennox too, Jeff.

When he retired, the ignomonious Rahman defeat was still fresh in the mind, for instance. Plenty of people opined that he'd got lucky against Vitali, whose stock wasn't all that high in 2003. Certain quarters claimed that he'd been presiding over a terrible Heavyweight division, etc.

A few years on, the McCall and Rahman defeats are often written off as irrelevances due to him winning the rematches, the Vitali affair has become known as a glorious victory looking better and better over time with each WBC mandatory that Klitschko beats to a bloody pulp, and Lewis' era has suddenly become known as the last great generation of Heavyweights.

Which is the more accurate reflection? Personally, I'm inclined to believe the truth on all of those matters lies somewhere in the middle.

I think part of the problem may also have been Lewis' sometimes aloof, no frills personality, to an extent at least. The public never quite took to him or showed an unconditional interest in him the way they did with Bruno, Tyson and the like. Oddly enough, his shunning of the limelight and quiet, content retirement has since become a large source of praise for him.

My best guess would be that Lennox was slightly underappreciated in the final few years of his career / at his retirement, but is pretty much afforded the correct level of praise and recognition now, even if one or two people do go a wee bit over the top with it.

I'm not sure that many of these are genuine examples of hindsight in the true sense of the word. Hindsight is a reappraisal after the event, but it suggests concurrent experience of the event.

Dempsey is starting to be questioned more than he was, say, 20-30 years ago. However, I would argue that has more to do with the fact that there are simply fewer people alive who saw him fight in the flesh. Those who did kept a high regard of him even with the benefit of hindsight. The Wills issue, for example is, I think, more a case of people with less knowledge of either fighter coming to a conclusion based on supposed 'fuller' evidence but without the benefit of contemporaneity.

I think the Lewis/ VK fight is a great example of the benefit of hindsight, however. As pointed out, it was criticised as a near-robbery at the time. However, VK's subsequent career casts Lewis' performance in a far better light.

So, I guess in reply to the (rhetorical) opening question, I'd say that hindsight is a wonderful thing, insofar as it accounts for the viewpoint at the time and is not simply historical revisionism.

Good points Mr Beadle.

Im never quite sure with Dempsey whether or not his stock has actually fallen though. I know occasionally on here there will be a thread questioning how high he is placed but I dont know if thats a reflection of contemporary fan or expert opinion.

The IBRO and Ring Magazine have Dempsey number 4 and Sports Illustrated have him number 6. Granted these are a few years old, but still made a good 80 years after dempsey at least. Contemporary fan opinion seems pretty varied on the top heavyweights and I have seen a great many lists all with varying results.

There is no real definative list out there that tracks ratings or measures contemporay opinion from eras long ago so its hard to say. Even if there was, it wouldnt account for the obvious rivals that came later which would have valid grounds for moving him down the list. Great importance is attached to the opinions of a relatively small number of authorities.

I would say Tunney is a fighter that has suffered quite badly under more modern ranking criteria. Back in earlier eras there never did seem to much notice put to him being a "natural" light heavyweight. Partly I think because the weight wasnt as much of an issue when heavyweights were much smaller. In past eras he was rated at heavyweight without any issue whereas now his size and longetivity at the weight barely have him being considered let alone rated highly.

Louis on the other hand has undoubtadly risen significantly over the years. Im surprised at how he couldnt have been seen as hands down the best in the 1950s and 60s but its not until much later that he becomes almost an automatic top two.

At the time he was champion, many boxing writers regarded Riddick Bowe extremely highly. Unfortunately, due to his many bizarre antics and the 2 Golota fights, he's regarded as a bit of a joke.

I was thinking Roy Jones Jr, but I think his stock only dropped because he is still active, once he retries the recent losses will be forgotten, he did achieve some magical things.