The HeavyWeight Myth..

[Mugwump]

haha, so are you trying to call Oscar Bonavena, Shavers, Ellis and Bugner nobodies?

Bugner WAS a nobody.

[THe TRiNiTY]

While you have a point in the sense that the division was NEVER packed from 1 to 10. What you fail to meniton is that the Klitschko's mainly get **** for taking those 6-10 guys out with relatively boring fights.

[Steak]

You sound like an old man:

"back in MY day..."

haha, no way, Im only 19. Trust me, I respect the Klitschkos, but most the rest of the division is getting better.

Just as a reminder yall, this is the #3 Heavyweight in the world...

This is the #5

And this is the 6 and 7


I mean, DAMN. theyre awful.

thankfully, the division looks like its getting better. I think guys like Povetkin, Dimitrenko and Boytsov have the potential to grow into pretty good fighters. well just have to wait and see.

but for now, gosh the HW division is awful.

[Welter_Skelter]

haha, so are you trying to call Oscar Bonavena, Shavers, Ellis and Bugner nobodies? you might want to watch some footage of them. just maybe. Bonavena would have beaten everyone other than the Klitschko brothers, easily.
Wepner wasnt all that great, but he would still be top ten today.

the HW division started to go downhill after a certain point, when all the old greats were falling apart.

No I am not saying they are Nobodies... I am saying their status as somebodies is based on giving the champs a decent fight.. Not the stuff of legends at all..
They were contenders.. and contenders are just that.. guys who didn't make it all the way.. and they are same regardless of era.. guys with varying degrees of skill levels.. who are not quite champ material..

[Welter_Skelter]

Oh the excitement of one man flailing while another dominates him..

I have never seen this before in a boxing ring..

[Steak]

No I am not saying they are Nobodies... I am saying their status as somebodies is based on giving the champs a decent fight.. Not the stuff of legends at all..
They were contenders.. and contenders are just that.. guys who didn't make it all the way.. and they are same regardless of era.. guys with varying degrees of skill levels.. who are not quite champ material..

contenders are not all the same. Bonavena, Ellis, Bugner and Shavers would have beaten almost every top guy of the past few years, save for certain actually good guys(like the Klitschko brothers) and some few guys who would be bad style matchups for certain guys.

[The Hammer]

haha, no way, Im only 19. Trust me, I respect the Klitschkos, but most the rest of the division is getting better.

thankfully, the division looks like its getting better. I think guys like Povetkin, Dimitrenko and Boytsov have the potential to grow into pretty good fighters. well just have to wait and see.

but for now, gosh the HW division is awful.

Why not post videos of some of Boytsov's, Haye's and Povetkin's fights instead?

http://rutube.ru/tracks/660466.html

Everyone knows the three WBA heavyweights suck.

[Welter_Skelter]

contenders are not all the same. Bonavena, Ellis, Bugner and Shavers would have beaten almost every top guy of the past few years, save for certain actually good guys(like the Klitschko brothers) and some few guys who would be bad style matchups for certain guys.

Which is EXACTLY what they were in their ERA.. guys who could beat most except for the "actually few good guys" at the top.. making them "contenders" and nothing more.. same as any era.. They wouldn't have beaten Tyson or Lewis either..

[STEELHEAD]

Man The Heavyweight Division is at an all time low..

Bunch of fat Nobodies with no talent..

Now in the 70's.. that where the Real golden Era was right??

I mean you had guys Like Chuck Wepner in the top 10 for over 3 years..

Wepner is most famous for Knocking down Ali with one of the 7 punches he landed over 15 rounds.. (I am not kidding BTW.. he landed about 7 punches over 15 rounds)
Chuck Wepner was 30-9-2 when he fought Ali and he had a Top 10 ranking.. he landed 7 punches in a championship fight..

When he fought Ali.. he had already been KO'd by Sonny Liston, George Foreman,Joe Bunger and to an 11-1-1 Jerry Judge..

This Man was TOP 10 ranked for years...

I present to you the top 10 Ring magazine rankings for 1973

1973
Champ- George Foreman
1. Muhammad Ali
2. Joe Frazier
3. Ken Norton
4. Jerry Quarry
5. Ron Lyle
6. Earnie Shavers
7. Oscar Bonavena
8. Joe Bugner
9. Jimmy Ellis
10.Chuck Wepner

The top 5 certainly looks impressive enough
Who are these ATG from 6-10???


How about 1976??

1976
Champ- Muhammad Ali
1. George Foreman
2. Ken Norton
3. Jimmy Young
4. Duane Bobick
5. Ron Lyle
6. Larry Holmes
7. Howard Smith
8. Johnny Boudreaux
9. Stan Ward
10.Joe Bugner

WOW !! Again look at those names???

The same guys in the top 5 despite All of them having losses and even KO losses Again the 6-10 positions are filled with nobodies

Now Tell me A Klitschko couldn't compete.. Tell me Lamon Brewster couldn't compete..

Save for the same 3-5 guys ruling the division for half the decade.. The Talent level REALLY drops...

Sound Familiar???

here is a link for Y'all if you want to see what ATG's the 70's produced..

http://www.geocities.com/sadmspats/hello.htm

The 80's were worse.. the 90's was actually the golden era.. and YET it was not much better after the top 3-5 guys are removed from the picture..

Today it's Business as usual... 3-5 guys who are head and shoulders above the rest and a Bunch of stiffs with varying degrees of talent..

Some things to consider..
During the 70's and even the 80's Boxing was a mainstream sport on page one of the newspaper and free on national TV..
The stars of this ERA have transcended Boxing due it's immense coverage..
They were truly household names.. and It inflates their legend .. extremely..

Americans hate ANYONE being better at something than they are.. (not individually necessarily, but as a national psyche) and will abandon such things en mass .. Check the Olympic TV ratings of ANY sport if no American is involved..

I hope this helps put a few things in perspective .. especially some of you fans who are newer to the sport and seem to go on hearsay instead of just doing a little homework..

The past is always made to look bigger by those who lived it.. they are not crying for a lost sport.. but for their own lost youth..


Thank you for listening

its so wierd. when i rewatch hvwt fights from past there's so much more action. and more skill in even the second tier type fights compared to the sub par clowns we have now.
blah blah whine whine!

[AztecWanker]

Joe Bugner KO1 Wladimir Klitschko