Comments Thread For: Where does todays heavyweight era rank among those of the past?

[Smash]

terrible, fat james toney beats them all

[noone]

todays heavyweights would have beaten most heavyweights that ever lived. they are just too big and athletic. if anyone believes a 6 foot, 185 pounds ezzard charles stands a chance vs a 6´9, 270 pounds tyson fury is living in fantasy land and has obviously never boxed before.

[mjh1969]

Today's era of heavyweight boxing is pretty good. Fury, Usyk, Wilder, Joshua, Parker, Bakole and a few others are good fighters. I would rate today's era at a B level for sure. The important thing to remember in today's times is to get that stain off of the Floyd Mayweather style of avoiding top fighters because you are afraid of taking a loss. With that being said Fury should've fought Joshua and Joshua should've fought Wilder several times. The fights we are getting are good fights. PPV and the loss of HBO boxing and Showtime boxing have made these top fights less accessible to boxing fans.

In my mind the 1970's era had some real tough fighters all fighting each other when they were in their primes (Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Lyle, Norton, Holmes, Shavers, etc). That was an A+ era. Then the 1990's era had (Holyfield, Tyson, Lewis, Bowe, Mercer, Moorer, Ruddock, Tua, etc) and they mostly fought each other. That was an A+ era. The 1980s era was a level B era. The 2000's-2010's was a B era as well.

I feel that if they weren't paying these heavyweight fighters as much money that we would get more frequent fights between today's top fighters. Guys are fighting about twice a year because they can afford to do that. Heavyweight fighters should make enough to eat and feed their families but not enough where they can sustain themselves for the next top years. Guys have gotten ****y about the money they make where in earlier years that wasn't always the case.

[Marchegiano]

Boxing is neither getting better or worse. What dictates boxing style, rules, substance is the fans and the fans ideas about what boxing is. Give me just one paragraph to prove it.


Floyd Mayweather's career is a lot more similar to Daniel Mendoza's than the men he faced. They both used the public posturing and inflammatory remarks to sell their fights, a defense first style that was about the only thing respected of them, and left a massive economic hole. What followed Daniel? A buy out from aristoc**** including the formation of the Pugilists Club? And post Mayweather have we seen any aristoc**** all of a sudden take an interest in throwing their money around to "fix" boxing?

It's not that boxing styles or landscapes are better or worse, they're just always changing. You can relate Marciano to ancient figures more easily than you can relate him to fighters he beat and just by coincidence immigration will be part of that story ... sure ... coincidence. Not immigration breeds new ways of doing very old things.

So, any list that pretend by default newer fighter are better is pretty **** and low in scope

Likewise anyone who exalt all olde tymey fighters like all of them were made of magic is also a bad source for objectivity.


The reality is Jones earned his spot along names like Robinson. Fitzs belongs in the conversation with Usyk. Even Mendoza should be considered when talking p4p. Because it's not the rules that dictate style, it's not even the equipment. It is the life around the sport.

Primo Carnera being the one and only Italian born HW champion during a time when *******s control the rating vote in europe is super duper predictable. Just as predictable as the colorline coming right after the civil war and ending with **** battles.



The color line dictating styles is almost never argued against, but, for some reason saying Rocky Marciano was the son of immigrants and fought like one or Floyd Mayweather's style is about economy is controversial because boxing must be either improving or regressing. It can't possibly be all these styles are always viable and what really dictates which one lands on an individual with talent is their life.

[Boxing 112]

I think later 70's to the 90's was the golden age. Early 2000's was not terrible but I would say mid 2000 to today has been horrible. Just a huge drop off in talent. The Klitschko era I found was the worst but this 2020's era makes that era look good. You only have two real players in Usyk and Fury. None of the others are even close. AJ is basically done, DDD seems like he is coming on but is very beatable. Zhang is old, Wilder is shot. It is just really bad

90s was def an over rated era. Tyson over rated was no different to Wilder fighting 25+ journeyman start of his career. Imagine if M Tyson was in the social media era? You think he would get away with those same first 25 opponents? No. These days a pro fighter on their 4th fight is dissed for fight a journeyman. Current era in sports is better and harder, with social media the whole world has an opinion live every minute of the day they have it harder and views are influenced by online debates. Old washed slow Foreman managed to win a title. Tyson paid 6 million to Lewis to duck him when he was mando. Bowe vs Lewis/Tyson never happened. 90s is the most over rated era there is

[YouTube: Big Donch]

This heavyweight era is solid and exciting

[A.B Counterhooks]

Well , if we take into account the current poor state of American HW's boxing scene, I would say Low, very Low ranking compared to other Eras.

[A.B Counterhooks]

By far and away the best. The way Jake Paul nullified Mike Tyson's power shows you that modern men have more tools in their box than the talent of days gone by. Tyson demolished the best of his time, outside of Lewis, Holyfield, and Buster, but neither of them outclassed him the way modern man Jake Paul did. Modern HW's like Jake have too much for fighters from the past like Ali, Liston, Joe Louis, even Rocky Balboa, despite his win over Mr.T.

Nostalgia is a strong drug, but modern men like Tyson Fury, Usyk, and Jake Paul, make easy work of fighters from days gone by, and the same thing will happen in 20-30 years time, when, for example, the son of the face of boxing may be the main man then, and better than the current crop as an even more next-gen man. Nash out - His Excellency

Lmao, Sarcasm always on point Nash. Be safe

[famicommander]

Fury vs Ngannou is a huge stain on this entire era of heavyweight boxing.

[ShoulderRoll]

This era of boxing is way more entertaining than the Klitschko era. I know that much.