Demise of Middleweights

Yep...No doubt.....

 

D 60s were a very strong era in that division , and also d late 80s 2 mid 90s .
But most of d divisions 2day r weak n diminished .
I agree that MW is currently less interesting than HW which starts 2 become competitive with d rise of David Price , Robert Helenius , Tyson Fury , Dereck Chisora , Alexander Dimitrenko & Mariusz Wach .
Sadly they don't and probably won't (at least almost) fight each other except from Chisora whom is sadly becoming d new Sam Peters .
No1 of them will get 2 d Klitschkos' quality if they continue 2 remain as protected as they r .
HW seems more competitive on paper but there r & won't b any competitive competitions .
Sorry , d thread was meant 4 MW .
Anyway , I think Hopkins' "reign" was just as weak .
Post Hopkins era was just slightly more interesting but consisted of fighters who were on borrowed time as 160 lbers .
But that was d case with Barkley , Nunn , Toney , Sosa , both Johnsons , Jones , Collins , Eubanks , Watson , Benn , McClellan so what's new ?
It's just a question of who is more drained , who is bigger , older , which "hometown" d fight will b fought at , which referee , which promoter , etc . There were fewer fights that didn't go by that than those that did .

 

Yeah, yeah, yeah, bah humbug. We get it.

 

Your avatar would get it. :hey


That is a darling dame. :hey


Hubbah Hub-bah humbug. :hey





...OK, I'm out.

 

Lol, before you "finish", stop by my Ryan/Basinger thread, if you've got a free hand.

 

It's pretty much every division. Go back to 50's, 60's even 70 & 80's fighters were much much better. Only the very best today would have been competitive.

 

I liked the Taylor/Pavlik era, can't be the only one...

 

wow. a bunch of crusty old curmudgeons think the modern era of (insert anything from middleweights to shaving cream) isn't as good as it used to be.

total ****ing news flash.

 

I'd only really argue with that point at light flyweight.


Today's top guys would do well against all but a very small number of past greats (a couple South Koreans and a couple of Mexican descent, to whom they'd all probably lose. But still - the other divisions all have more than four or give past greats who'd be favored over the current crops of tops. Not 108...)

 

Nailed it!

I was somehow thinking of Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns as I watched Chávez-Manfredo last night...and I shuddered at the thought of either of these two guys--one a "world champion"--in the ring with the likes of those greats of yesteryear.

And, yes, the same can be said of a Fast Eddie or an Arreola or a David Haye in there against George Foreman, Joe Frazier, or, God forbid, Joe Louis.

But not all is bah, humbug: as you say, today's best could be competitive in just about any era: Márquez, Mayweather, Pacquiao, and the Klitschko brothers would be food for thought for just about any name from yesteryear. There is hope!

 

middleweight division has been less than stellar since the early 90s. however i don't think every division is far worse than yesteryear. Seamus really has a point...

In the 2000s the featherweight division went through a golden era

Recently, the junior welterweight division looked pretty spectacular with bradley, khan, maidana, ortiz, holt, hatton, pac, making either stops or permanent residences

junior middle has looked pretty solid historically in the last 5 years or so with martinez, williams, wright, mosley, forrest (RIP), margo

really middleweight and heavyweight have been weak as **** but people I think are comparing current divisions to ALL of history when critiquing them at times. middleweight and heavyweight have numerous golden eras but the history of most divisions is like today: a few elite fighters with a series of also rans. As someone else said "the cream always rises" and does today as it always has

 

Every1 who was interested in d sport during d Hopkins era must appreciate d Taylor/Pavlik era :yep

 

I was keenly interested specifically in Taylor vs. Pavlik...but the rest of the field at the time?

Taylor's line of little-britches middleweight title contenders who were really junior middleweights (to be generous, more like welters)?

...Miranda? Abraham?

There wasn't a whole lot to celebrate @ 160 back then.

Taylor-Pavlik was the holy grail match-up, and we got it. There wasn't much else worth holding one's breath over (except maybe either one of them vs. AA) - especially after Pavlik exposed Miranda for the big US TV market, although Abraham had already done so himself much earlier overseas.