What era was the last really competitive HW division

[DoomOnHorseback]

A lot of people point out that the current HW division is lacking depth. So my genuine question is, when was it last stacked with 7-8 genuinely good fighters all with title aspirations?

[Anthony342]

I think the '90s, since I've read that the '70s and '90s are considered the strongest heavyweight eras.

[DoomOnHorseback]

I think the '90s, since I've read that the '70s and '90s are considered the strongest heavyweight eras.

So who were they? I could reel off a lot of 90's HW boxers. But when were they all challenging at the same time?

[Anthony342]

I'll let the learned historians here weigh in on that one.

[Sugar Adam Ali]

Early 90s was the last time the division shined with Tyson, lennnox, Holyfield, bowe, golata, mercer, foreman, moorer, morrison, ruddock, Bruno, plus had guys like tua, grant, awkiwande, Rahman, seldon, cooper

[Elroy The Great]

mid 90s-mid 00s was the hw div at its deepest. the crackheads were getting beaten out of the sport while legit beasts were plentiful.

lenny, holy, mercer, tua, morrison, bowe, spoon.....
even fringe guys like ruiz, golota, byrd, johnson, rahman, the truth, mccall.......

[DoomOnHorseback]

Early 90s was the last time the division shined with Tyson, lennnox, Holyfield, bowe, golata, mercer, foreman, moorer, morrison, ruddock, Bruno, plus had guys like tua, grant, awkiwande, Rahman, seldon, cooper

Good post. I think the general consensus is to revert to the early 90's.
Can add McCall to the list as well.

[Ben Bolt]

Perhaps the HW division reached its peak in the '70s with Ali, Foreman, Frazier and Norton.

But, nowadays we're more aware of the downside of boxing.
If you're a young, well-trained athlete today - why choose boxing?
It would be stupid gambling with your brain.

[them_apples]

So who were they? I could reel off a lot of 90's HW boxers. But when were they all challenging at the same time?

Well when Holyfield was prime and Bowe was prime, you had a still relevant Tyson on the radar and a comeback but determined Foreman around as well. They all didn't fight eachother but it was a stacked era by HW standards.

Lewis came later and finished off or decision-ed these guys but they weren't anywhere near their peaks anymore.

I would like to hear some other opinions though. The 70's in my book is by far the best HW era, it produced the most greats who had long careers that spanned multiple eras.

Muhammed Ali has the greatest HW resume to date and it's by a landslide and probably won't ever be matched. He beat prime contenders in both the 60's and 70's - both good eras with quality competition.

In the 70's Foreman came along who is still to this day massively underated because he is one of the greatest hw's of all time. He was a powerhouse in the 70's and came back in the 90's as was still a very live contender (well schooled and crafty with a great jab), fighting tough opposition in both eras. In the 90's you saw the character of a man usually left behind in the past eras (tough and determined).

[OctoberRed]

90s-00s for sure. Most consider the 70s as a sure fire era of top heavyweights. Just think about how many guys from the 70s went to the Hall of Fame and how few would go now.