I’m looking for insight on boxing rules, preferably from someone who’s seen “Unforgiveable Blackness”, the Ken Burns documentary on Jack Johnson.
I was watching it recently and wondered: would Johnson’s style of fighting be legal today? He was a great defensive fighter, who would deflect punches (which I presume would still be allowed), but he also would tie up opponents and hug them. Modern boxing referees seem to break up such clinches more quickly than did the referees in Johnson’s bouts.
The reason I’m wondering about such minutiae is that I consider a fighter’s ability to win in different eras a figure of merit, and a early-20th century fighter whose style would be illegal today (or rendered useless) would rank below one who could still employ his techniques.