By Cliff Rold

Storied Boxing writer George Kimball has recently come out with a fascinating look at the Fabulous Four of the 1980s (Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Tommy Hearns, and Roberto Duran) titled “Four Kings.”  The subtitle of the book describes it as the ‘last great era in Boxing.’  There can be arguments against that idea, particularly from the Tyson/Holyfield/Bowe/Lewis led Heavyweight 1990s, but it’s not far off the mark.  While there have been and will be many great fights and fighters, the public anticipation and acclaim for those four was a perfect storm not repeated anywhere in the sport today.

So much of the perfect storm was due to timing, the right fighters making the right fights at the right time.  It was also about rivalries.  As Kimball notes, all of the four fought one another at least once and was just shy of a Fab Five with Wilfred Benitez facing all but Hagler.  Include Carlos Palomino and Pipino Cuevas, and it reaches into a pool of seven hall of Famers emerging from that pocket of Welterweight-to-Middleweight history.

Nineteen years after the final clash of the multi-man rivalry, played out in a forgettable rubber match between Leonard and Duran, all the buzz of the fistic world centers on a man who might go down as the best of their true heirs.  Whether at ringside or couchside, anyone who witnessed the catchweight clinic Bernard Hopkins laid on 26-year old current World Middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik can be forgiven for remaining in awe. 

In two weeks, two of Hopkins’ key comparative rivals, Joe Calzaghe and Roy Jones, will enter the holy ground at Madison Square Garden to see if they can steal his thunder. 

All three have been assumed as winding it down for a while now and, sooner than later, it will even be true.  For now, Calzaghe at 36 and Hopkins at 43 stand out as among the very best fighters in the game with no arguments against their place being rightful.  A growing feeling that Jones, 39, might have one last great effort in him is building as well and could find him sneaking into the pound-for-pound debate one more time before a trip into the sunset.

When, finally, their collective sun does set, Boxing fans can determine what it is they saw in the years since the Fab Four faded from center stage.  It wasn’t all Jones, Hopkins and Calzaghe of course.  They will be joined in history by James Toney.  There are others as well, but these men will mark the gold standard of their time at Middleweight and beyond. 

No, it wasn’t a time of great press coverage or mainstream attention but as these warriors polish resumes that will all be honored in Canastota five years from their lasting retirement dates, can any Boxing lover say they didn’t witness a great era?  Could they even go down as the equal of the men before them?

There are arguments for and against the idea with some even pointing to superiority amongst the latter era over the former.  Let’s start with the cons first.

Bad Timing:   Three of the four ‘other’ kings all turned professional between late 1988 and early 1989; Calzaghe joined them in the paid ranks in 1993.  Their various levels of progression happened at different rates, with each winning their first World titles approximately two years apart.  Prior to this year, no more than two of them were in the same division together for a concerted stretch since 1993.  After November 8th, barring some unforeseen developments, only Jones will be able to say he saw ringtime with all of the men who will stand out as the best of his time partly because of this timing.   

Jones could have been moved the fastest based on his Olympic bona fides but instead was managed cautiously early on while Toney rocketed from novice to lineal World Middleweight champion by 1991 with a classic knockout of then-Pound for Pound player Michael Nunn in May 1991.  Jones and Hopkins, who followed his 1988 debut loss with a learning layoff until 1990, wouldn’t join him at the championship level until competing for an IBF belt left vacant by Toney in May 1993.  Jones won that bout and would topple Toney one division higher for more IBF accolades in 1994.  Hopkins would pick up the belt Jones left vacant in April 1995.  All of this was before Calzaghe was really a serious thought, not joining the title ranks until October 1997, with Toney already evolved into a Cruiserweight.

Like the 80s four, these men did their work across a span of multiple divisions, but the timing of their careers plays a part in only three, soon four, fights contested between them over some twenty years.  The Fab Four got nine fights done in a decade.  Timing wasn’t the only problem…

Protectionism: There was also a strong hint of protectionism during the time when all of the above were in their prime.  Jones and Toney never had rematch after their 1994 bout and he and Hopkins sort of mutually negotiated their way out of a rematch when it made a lot of sense in 2002.  Calzaghe didn’t cross the ocean after defeating Eubank in 1997 or at any other point before his 2008 bout with Hopkins and neither Hopkins or Jones was keen to travel to him.  Toney and Hopkins couldn’t seal the deal for a Cruiserweight fight in 2003 even after it made the cover of Ring Magazine.  Whereas Leonard in particular bred an impression that economics were as important as making fights, at the end of the day the fights still got made and made when they mattered in the early to mid-1980s.  As nice as it is to see the clashes of 2008 that have and are taking place and the modern giants break out in some head-to-head, they don’t take the place of prime clashes at full speed like Leonard-Duran I or Hagler-Hearns.  Speaking of those classic fights…

ZZZZZ: The head-to-head clashes of the later crew so far have paled in comparison to the 80s.  Jones vs. Hopkins and Toney, and Hopkins vs. Calzaghe, were all just sort of there.  Of the bunch, only Jones-Toney is really worth repeat viewing and only if one is into one-man shows.  In contrast, four all-time classics emerged from the Fab Four (Leonard’s first clashes with Duran and Hearns, comeback against Hagler and Hagler-Hearns) and two near classics (Leonard-Hearns II and Duran-Hagler).  At the end of the day, great fights are the benchmark defining great fighters and what allowed the men of the 80s to define each other.

However, fights are where the knob starts to turn in giving higher regard to the post-80s best.  Not against each other but…

Great Against Everyone Else:   While their inter-party duels have dulled, it hasn’t meant a lack of great fights generally.  Toney’s bouts with Nunn, and later Mike McCallum, were awesome affairs which skyrocketed Toney to a spot just below Pernell Whitaker in sport-wide regard.  Jones rarely got himself into shootouts but his style was thrilling at 160 and 168 lbs., a breathtaking combination of power and speed that left capable warriors like Thomas Tate and Thulani Malinga devastated and left a near-great Light Heavyweight in Virgil Hill writhing.  Calzaghe has by and large been entertaining against a range of competition, engaging in brawls with Eubank, Charles Brewer, Byron Mitchell and Mikkel Kessler along with a sensational whooping of American Jeff Lacy.  Even Hopkins, derided in recent years for too-cerebral affairs, had his share of wars with Segundo Mercado and Antwun Echols along with mastering Glen Johnson, Felix Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya.  The first of those masterings leads to another point in today’s favor…

Timing Be Damned: One of the problems the ‘others’ have faced is winning some of the right fights at the wrong time.  Jones didn’t get a ton of credit for beating Hopkins in 1993 and the credit accorded the win now often comes more from those who read the record more than those who saw the fight.  Hopkins put the first loss on Johnson’s record, but Johnson wouldn’t prove to be a notable win until many years later.  All but Toney were derided often for poor competition in their peaks.  However, as time has passed, each has established a great resume despite the catcalls.  For all the pockets of bad challenges, none went without more than their fair share of real, hard fights.  It is remarkable that each of these men who first made their bones at or near the Middleweight limit was able to define themselves without a string of fights against their natural rivals.  They are bonuses to each other’s records where they met, but they are uniquely defined without each other as well.  That may say something about their time that stands out the most of all…

Greater Depth and Longevity: The ‘others’ fought in a time where the pool of talent beneath them may have been stronger than what the Fab Four faced over the course of time, going through multiple pools of talent from 160-175 lbs.  When Jones, Toney and Hopkins were turning pro, the Middleweight division featured not only aging versions of Duran and Hearns but legitimate studs in Nunn, Sumbu Kalambay, Eubank, McCallum, Michael Watson, Julian Jackson, Nigel Benn and eventually Gerald McClellan who, but for tragedy, may have been a powerful fifth wheel to his contemporaries.  Only Toney really got a taste of that group but in doing so he set the stage for the rest of his generation.  It’s 2008 and the names have changed to Pavlik, Kessler, Jermain Taylor and Jones, Hopkins and Calzaghe still top the marquee.  The Fab Four didn’t tussle much with the men who came behind them beyond Iran Barkley and Hearns great win over Virgil Hill.  The ‘others’ have gone about stopping the future in its tracks.  Toney appears to have faded the farthest but before he did, he moved to Cruiserweight, beat the best fighter in the division in Vasily Jirov in 2003 and then went on to become a top-five Heavyweight for a spell.  Jones went so far as to win a title at Heavyweight before faltering against Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson, ultimately ushering in a wave of activity at Light Heavyweight still playing out.  Only Duran, amongst the Fab Four, made such a lasting impression at the very top through so much of two decades.

Put it all together and it wasn’t as big as the Fab Four outside the ring or, in direct competition, as good in the ring.  However, as Hopkins latest big win proved again, these four stood out in their day for a reason and earned a measure of greatness every bit as lasting.  Greatness doesn’t always come in the most preferred package but it can never be denied. 

Toney.  Jones.  Hopkins.  Calzaghe. 

They have been kings in their own right, creating memories and impressions sure to leave the fans reared on watching them just as certain that whatever finally replaces them can’t be every bit as good as they.
 
Without a Familiar Cup of Joe

Another note on Joe…

Sure, everyone knew it was probably over in April, that it could even have been assumed over last November.  On September 28, it became official and the longest and most acclaimed title reign yet in the two-plus decades of Super-Middleweight history came to an end.  From his 1997 WBO title victory against Chris Eubank through his November 2008 unification victory over undefeated Mikkel Kessler, Calzaghe won every belt available at some time or another and finished his run with accolades from the WBA, WBO, WBC and Ring.  He was proven, in the purest sense of the word, the World champion.  

One at a time, Joe Calzaghe went about shedding the belts he’d won in the division throughout 2008.  In April, he defeated Bernard Hopkins at Light Heavyweight to win Ring’s belt in the division and finally vacated the WBO and Ring belts respectively to draw the curtain completely shut on a decade plus that included 21 WBO defenses. 

Those are big numbers.  Calzaghe’s was a big presence.  Reigns like his come to define a division and leave voids when the reign has passed.  This weekend, Boxing gets a better idea of how big the void will be.

That’s because, one day and a continent apart, two men who arguably make up the class of the class in Calzaghe’s wake put their wares on display.  One is familiar to the Boxing world by way of exposure beyond his borders and the fact he faced Calzaghe; one begins to get the exposure he needs.  On Friday, IBF titlist Lucien Bute (22-0, 18 KO) faces rugged contender Librado Andrade (27-1, 21 KO) in his first major U.S. televised bout.  It’s followed Saturday with WBA titlist Mikkel Kessler (40-1, 30 KO) defending against mandatory Danilo Haussler (29-3-1, 7 KO). 

The road to somewhere is officially underway.

Somewhere is the best way to describe it for now.  When dominant champions vacate their crowns, it usually takes a while for the next dominant champion to emerge.  It took almost a decade from Marvin Hagler to Bernard Hopkins and around the same for Rocky Marciano to give way to Muhammad Ali.

As Jake Donovan pointed out yesterday at BoxingScene ( https://www.boxingscene.com/index.php?m=show&id=16525 ), it won’t be a bad thing.  Super Middleweight has some solid fights on tap so the quest to replace Joe will be entertaining for as long as it lasts.

The Weekly Ledger

But wait, there’s more.  It’s the week in thoughts with a look at the P4P and divisional state of Boxing:

Fourth Quarter Ratings: https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=16432
Updated Pound for Pound: https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=16498
Hopkins-Pavlik Post-Fight: https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=16484
T.V. Picks: https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=16513

Cliff’s Notes…
 
Tomorrow, a closer look at Bute-Andrade…A last thought on Hopkins-Pavlik.  Not comparing the fighters because we know how they ended up (though Hopkins certainly compares favorably), but on 05/23/1922, a seventh year pro named Gene Tunney entered the ring (including Box Rec estimates for News wins) 48-0-2 to face a guy named Harry Greb at 193-14-15 and got, by most accounts I’ve read, thrashed.  Tunney learned from the loss and came back to not only beat Greb but become an ATG.  Not saying Pavlik is Tunney, and he'll never likely get another shot at B-Hop, but it's worth noting that losses are often good things and the only way fighters learn what they do wrong…Anyone else reading Roy’s diaries at ESPN.com?  It’s interesting stuff and, while Calzaghe deserves to be a heavy favorite, Jones certainly seems to be acting the part of a great fighter looking for one last reminder to the world…I’m shocked, SHOCKED, to read rumors of a Floyd Mayweather return.

Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com