Heavyweight boxing has always been considered the pinnacle of the sport. At times it has been viewed as the very peak of sport in general. There is a reason Muhammad Ali is the most renowned athlete of all-time. But the quality of boxing’s big men tends to go in cycles. For every glorious period of excitement and intrigue there are others of tepid indifference. The 1980s were a desert of interest beyond the great Larry Holmes, who stood alone until Mike Tyson’s emergence at the end of the decade. The 2000s were a wasteland after the retirement of Lennox Lewis and enforced injury lay-off of Vitali Klitschko, with some of the weakest champions in history walking around with the belts.
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Happily, the current state of the heavyweight division is the best it has been in decades. For the purposes of this article we will include Tyson Fury as an active part of the division. It is impossible to keep up with his multiple retirements but as of today, he holds the WBC heavyweight championship and thus he warrants inclusion for now. So how does the current heavyweight division compare to some of its best eras? We have decided to stack it against the two periods generally considered the greatest: the 1970s and the 1990s.
So how does the modern heavyweight division compare to those that have long since passed into boxing folklore? Let’s take a look.
The 1970s
Legends: Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Ken Norton, Larry Holmes
Contenders: Leon Spinks, Earnie Shavers, Jimmy Young, Jimmy Ellis, George Chuvalo, Jerry Quarry, Ron Lyle
Greatest Fights: Ali-Foreman, Ali-Frazier I and III, Holmes-Norton
Greatest Fighter: Muhammad Ali
The gold standard, this decade packed in so many of the foundational fights and fighters you think of when you think about heavyweight boxing. The Rumble in the Jungle? Check. The Thrilla in Manilla? Check. Muhammad Ali’s phenomenal first flourish, dethroning the monstrous Sonny Liston, took place in the 1960s, but the 1970s saw his legend truly form. His exploits in Zaire against Foreman, battling through a broken jaw against Norton, going to hell and back against ‘Smokin’’ Joe. It’s all here.
But the 70s were far from a one-man show. Frazier started the decade as the world’s premiere heavyweight, a status he backed up by beating Ali in their first meeting. George Foreman would emerge with two knockouts over him later in the decade. The 1970s ended with Larry Holmes emerging, beating Norton and Ali and taking his place at the top of the pile. He would remain there through much of the 1980s.
The chasing pack was perhaps the strongest the heavyweight division has ever had. Jimmy Ellis and Leon Spinks would both enjoy brief sojourns with the title. Ron Lyle gave Foreman hell and Jimmy Young would even beat ‘Big George’. Jerry Quarry and George Chuvalo would have won titles in any other era. Just a wonderful collection of fighters who all converged at the same time. Iconic.
Rating: A+
The 1990s
Legends: Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield, George Foreman, Riddick Bowe
Contenders: Michael Moorer, Oliver McCall, Frank Bruno, Donovan Ruddock, Ray Mercer, James Douglas, Larry Holmes
Greatest Fights: Tyson-Douglas, Tyson-Holyfield I, Bowe-Holyfield I, II and III
Greatest Fighter: Evander Holyfield
Larry Holmes dominated the first half of the 1980s, while the second belonged to Mike Tyson. Both men would have a part to play in the decade that followed. Holmes remained a factor, giving Evander Holyfield all he could handle in defeat, and beating quality men like Ray Mercer and Jesse Ferguson. But ‘Iron’ Mike would do more to steer the fortunes of heavyweight boxing, though not all of it was good.
The most memorable title triumph of the decade featured another holdover from the 1970s. George Foreman shocked the world in 1994, knocking out Michael Moorer to win the WBA and IBF heavyweight titles aged 45. ‘Big George’ remains the oldest man ever to wear the heavyweight crown.
Holyfield emerged as the fighter to beat during this thrilling period. His war with George Foreman put the former undisputed cruiserweight king on the map in the top division. ‘The Real Deal’ had an era-defining trilogy with ‘Big Daddy’ Riddick Bowe, which he lost 2-1. But the decade still belonged to Holyfield as he defeated Mike Tyson twice. The first was a mesmerising fight in which Holyfield stopped his man in 11 rounds. The second infamously ended in disqualification when Tyson twice bit down on the ear of Holyfield.
Lennox Lewis completed his long climb to the top during this decade. ‘The Lion’ was awarded the WBC title in 1993, when Bowe refused to defend it against him. He lost it to Oliver McCall but regained it with a win over the same opponent three years later in a bizarre stoppage victory, when McCall began crying in the ring. By the end of the 90s, Lewis was the undisputed champion. After a controversial draw with Holyfield, Lewis beat him via decision in the rematch to add the WBA and IBF championships to his mantle.
If we’re being charitable, you could extend this era two years further. Lewis’ eighth-round TKO over Tyson in 2002 felt like the true curtain-closer of boxing’s hedonistic 90s.
While this was a wonderful era, it ranks below the 1970s partly due to timing. Tyson’s prime was behind him for much of the decade while one could argue Holyfield was also past his best by the time his fights with Lewis were made. The 1970s edges this one simply because the primes of the key players matched up so beautifully.
Rating: B+
The Modern Era
Future Legends?: Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder, Wladimir Klitschko
Contenders: Andy Ruiz Jr, Joseph Parker, Derek Chisora, Dillian Whyte, Alexander Povetkin, Luis Ortiz
Greatest Fights: Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder I and III, Anthony Joshua vs Wladimir Klitschko, Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk II
Greatest Fighter: Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk
It can be difficult to put occurrences into a historical context while they’re happening, and many will object to the current crop of heavyweights appearing alongside Ali, Tyson and the rest. But there’s no doubt this era of heavyweight boxing has given us some moments to truly savour.
Fury’s shock dethroning of WBA, IBF, WBO and The Ring champion Wladimir Klitschko jump-started the heart of the heavies. The Ukrainian had ruled the division for a decade, and finally a heavyweight had arrived to challenge that iron grip. While Fury walked away from the sport for nearly three years due to mental health issues, a new champion emerged in his wake.
Anthony Joshua’s destructive brilliance saw him hoover up the belts Fury had vacated and force home the point by knocking out Klitschko in a thriller. But every era gets the James ‘Buster’ Douglas it deserves, and Andy Ruiz Jr shocked ‘AJ’ to take the belts. The Watford man won them back in a rematch before losing them to the truly brilliant former cruiserweight king Oleksandr Usyk last year. Last Saturday, Usyk retained them against Joshua with a sublime display in their rematch.
Fury came back, with his claim to the lineal championship still intact. After climbing off the canvas to draw with knockout artist and WBC champion Deontay Wilder in an all-time classic, Fury would knock him out in a rematch. Their third fight, another stoppage win in Fury’s favour, is one of the greatest heavyweight fights of any era. Wilder had Fury on the verge of a knockout before ‘The Gypsy King’ roared back.
The only barrier to the current era ranking above its competitors in this piece is that more crossover is needed. Fury has not fought Joshua or Usyk. Wilder has not fought those two men either. The greatest eras in boxing feature cross-pollination. Whether it is the 70s or 90s heavyweights, the middleweight ‘Four Kings’ of the 1980s or the Pacquiao-Barrera-Morales-Marquez carousel of the 2000s; an era is established through elite competition between the best.
The most enticing thing about the current heavyweight division is we can get there. Usyk and Fury seem natural foes now in a bid to crown an undisputed heavyweight champion. Wilder and ‘AJ’ are both looking to rebuild after defeats. While the likes of Klitschko are gone, there is top talent like Joe Joyce, Daniel Dubois and Filip Hrgovic looking to take their place at the top. The current era could potentially outstrip even the very best heavyweight periods we have ever known.
Rating: B…so far
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
