heavyweight boxers of 80s. some questions

[golota1337]

I know there were 2 top boxers in that decade: Tyson and Holmes
and many more gr8 guys like Dokes, M.Spinks, Witherspoon, etc ...
Some averege guys: L.Rodriguez, J.L.Gardner, Monroe, Mercado, Chaplin, Ocasio, E.Lopez, Cobb, L.Alexander, Tillis, S.Frank, Gregg, Racette, Tangstad, Knoetze, Benton, Broad, Kane, D.Simpson, Eklund, Ribalta, J.Ferguson, Coetzer, Notice, G.Mason, Biggs, Cooper, M.Williams, McCall, Du Plooy, Halstead, Norris, A.Stewart, T.Davis

But then i looked at the next level of fighters and they have very poor records, something like 25-15, 25-20, etc ...
I mean the guys like M.White, Billups, M.Wills, Collier, etc..
They beat boxers like Douglas, Page, Hunter, Smith, but lose to very many nonamers =/

Were they good enough to be like guys above ("averege") ?
If they are worse, i want to know more boxers of their level (80s)

Please help me, thx

[them_apples]

80's was just another meh HW era, like most of them.

The HW division was only top notch in the 70's and the 90's.


all the other eras were a bunch of average to above average HW's ruled by 1 or 2 top fighters.

[JAB5239]

80's was just another meh HW era, like most of them.

The HW division was only top notch in the 70's and the 90's.


all the other eras were a bunch of average to above average HW's ruled by 1 or 2 top fighters.

The 80's had excellent talent and skills in comparison to today, most just wasted it by sniffing it up their nose.

[Terry A]

I know there were 2 top boxers in that decade: Tyson and Holmes
and many more gr8 guys like Dokes, M.Spinks, Witherspoon, etc ...
Some averege guys: L.Rodriguez, J.L.Gardner, Monroe, Mercado, Chaplin, Ocasio, E.Lopez, Cobb, L.Alexander, Tillis, S.Frank, Gregg, Racette, Tangstad, Knoetze, Benton, Broad, Kane, D.Simpson, Eklund, Ribalta, J.Ferguson, Coetzer, Notice, G.Mason, Biggs, Cooper, M.Williams, McCall, Du Plooy, Halstead, Norris, A.Stewart, T.Davis

But then i looked at the next level of fighters and they have very poor records, something like 25-15, 25-20, etc ...
I mean the guys like M.White, Billups, M.Wills, Collier, etc..
They beat boxers like Douglas, Page, Hunter, Smith, but lose to very many nonamers =/

Were they good enough to be like guys above ("averege") ?
If they are worse, i want to know more boxers of their level (80s)

Please help me, thx

Just my personal opinion, but I think there were more good and very active fighters in the 1980s than there are today for one big reason. Guys who grew up hearing about and seeing Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Quarry, Lyle, Norton, Shavers, Bonavena, etc wanted to grow up and BE fighters themselves. That crew from the 1970's were great role models to kids who wanted to fight.

Flash forward till now....less active fighters and not as big a pool to have guys matching up as frequently as they did in the older days. And I imagine that with the dearth of American heavyweights nowadays and the better quality fighter coming from the ex-Soviet countries and Europe, we'll continue to see another generation of really good fighters emrge from those eatern Block countries in the future.

[Sugarj]

Just my personal opinion, but I think there were more good and very active fighters in the 1980s than there are today for one big reason. Guys who grew up hearing about and seeing Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Quarry, Lyle, Norton, Shavers, Bonavena, etc wanted to grow up and BE fighters themselves. That crew from the 1970's were great role models to kids who wanted to fight.

Flash forward till now....less active fighters and not as big a pool to have guys matching up as frequently as they did in the older days. And I imagine that with the dearth of American heavyweights nowadays and the better quality fighter coming from the ex-Soviet countries and Europe, we'll continue to see another generation of really good fighters emrge from those eatern Block countries in the future.

I couldn't agree more. Absolutely spot on.

Theres no two ways about it, watch the likes of Holmes, Biggs, Tucker and Douglas and its obvious who their idols were.

As has already been stated, there were very talented, well conditioned fighters in the 1980. Many of whom, on their best day would be competitive in the 1970s. Cocaine and easy money were largely to blame for many fighters inconsistencies........so many had cocaine issues! Fight purses went through the roof during the time that Ali was fighting and contenders of the 80s were earning far more pro rata than their 50s/60s counterparts. Money bought sports cars, drugs and stunning women, I can understand contenders losing focus.

[pwilky]

I think a big factor in the 'decline' of the heavyweight scene during the 80's was Don King.

For long periods of the decade he totally monopolised the division by seizing control of almost all of the top fighters.

The likes Dokes, Page, Tubbs, Witherspoon etc were a talented group but, once King got his hands on them, they each became lazy, drug-dependant, disillusioned and in most cases, bankrupt!