Is Today's Heavyweight Division The WORST Ever?

[Spray_resistant]

How could anyone even say what era of any division was the best or worst?

I guess we have alot of 95 yr old posters on here who saw all of these eras live, probably the same posters who have top 100 ATG lists on here because they no doubt have seen several fights involving thousands of potential ATG candidates.

[Mikhnienko]

Dempsey
Louis
Marciano
Holmes
Tyson

Aside from the 70's most era's weren't much better, if at all.

The 90's was probably the next best era but even it wasn't that much greater than this one. I remember comparing the 90's and 2000's and in terms of talent there wasn't much seperating it.

[mrpain81]

I'll take Wlad and Vitali over Byrd/Rahman/Maskaev/Ruiz from a few years back.

[Nautilus]

It was pretty bad during the Carnera, Baer, Schmelling, Sharkey days. And it was also pretty bad in the period between Larry Holmes and Mike Tyson, with names like Pinklon Thomas, Greg Page, Tim Witherspoon, Scott Ledoux, Gerrie Coetzee, and Michael Dokes.

But Klitscho and Company have to be rock bottom. The heavyweights have never been this bad. If you put these guys back in the 1970s, they'd barely crack the top 10. They're that bad. I'm sorry to say.

WoW... There is something wrong with you...

I think the HW division is the best ever. There have not been such a classy, dominant, clever Champion ever... Vladimir rules!

[Heru]

My post from another thread:

Either Klitschko would be more than capable of beating any heavyweight from any era.

Ali, Frazier, Louis, Foreman, Holmes, Marciano, etc weren't even real world champions because they never competed against the superior Soviets.

Soviets weren't allowed to turn pro until 1990s because of the cold war.

Now Soviets are allowed to turn pro and we're already taking over boxing.

This is just the beginning of the Eastern European domination.

Foreman KOed the best Soviet Heavyweight in the world when he was 19.

Heavyweight (>81 kg)
Gold
Joe Frazier United States (USA)
Silver
Hans Huber Germany (EUA)
Bronze
Giuseppe Ros Italy (ITA)
Vadim Yemelyanov Soviet Union (URS)

Gold
Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali bin Nash Handome), United States
Silver
Zbigniew Pietrzykowski, Poland
Bronze
Anthony Madigan, Australia
Giulio Saraudi, Italy

Heavyweight (+ 81 kg)
Final
* George Foreman (USA) def. Ionas Chepulis (URS), TKO-2

[Sugar Sting Ray]

Heavyweight (>81 kg)
Gold
Joe Frazier United States (USA)
Silver
Hans Huber Germany (EUA)
Bronze
Giuseppe Ros Italy (ITA)
Vadim Yemelyanov Soviet Union (URS)

Gold
Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali bin Nash Handome), United States
Silver
Zbigniew Pietrzykowski, Poland
Bronze
Anthony Madigan, Australia
Giulio Saraudi, Italy

Heavyweight (+ 81 kg)
Final
* George Foreman (USA) def. Ionas Chepulis (URS), TKO-2

Good post. Enough to shut up the Klit Lovers.

[-Lucas-]

Heavyweight (>81 kg)
Gold
Joe Frazier United States (USA)
Silver
Hans Huber Germany (EUA)
Bronze
Giuseppe Ros Italy (ITA)
Vadim Yemelyanov Soviet Union (URS)

Gold
Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali bin Nash Handome), United States
Silver
Zbigniew Pietrzykowski, Poland
Bronze
Anthony Madigan, Australia
Giulio Saraudi, Italy

Heavyweight (+ 81 kg)
Final
* George Foreman (USA) def. Ionas Chepulis (URS), TKO-2

SteelHammer getting owned here...

[Iceta Lives]

My post from another thread:

Either Klitschko would be more than capable of beating any heavyweight from any era.

Ali, Frazier, Louis, Foreman, Holmes, Marciano, etc weren't even real world champions because they never competed against the superior Soviets.

Soviets weren't allowed to turn pro until 1990s because of the cold war.

Now Soviets are allowed to turn pro and we're already taking over boxing.

This is just the beginning of the Eastern European domination.

Thefelio Stevenson who was a great Cuban Heavyweight amatuer owned everbody when he fought amateur. So how can you say the Soviets would've been superior? I'm just trying to be fair man.

[Steak]

Good post. Enough to shut up the Klit Lovers.

you may think so, but its not.

Ive had this discussion before: their argument is that the Soviets didnt focus on boxing before.

personally I think that kills the point of the conversation, because in theory if India's nation sport was boxing magically and every Indian child grew up boxing, the boxing p4p lists would be dominated by Indians. I mean, its just not going to happen though.
but... thats just me.

the fact of the matter to me is that there were no real life (not imaginary or theoretical)Soviets at the time that had the ability to beat a prime Foreman/Ali/Frazier.

but...whatever.

[Mikhnienko]

Thefelio Stevenson who was a great Cuban Heavyweight amatuer owned everbody when he fought amateur. So how can you say the Soviets would've been superior? I'm just trying to be fair man.

Igor Vysotsky fought Stevenson 2x. Beat him both times and KO'd him once, dropping him multiple times before the KO

you may think so, but its not.

Ive had this discussion before: their argument is that the Soviets didnt focus on boxing before.

personally I think that kills the point of the conversation, because in theory if India's nation sport was boxing magically and every Indian child grew up boxing, the boxing p4p lists would be dominated by Indians. I mean, its just not going to happen though.
but... thats just me.

the fact of the matter to me is that there were no real life (not imaginary or theoretical)Soviets at the time that had the ability to beat a prime Foreman/Ali/Frazier.

but...whatever.

Gorstkov, Vysotsky, Zaev all would have been at the top of the 70's HW division.