Timeline of the heavyweight division decline.

Yeah, Dominance can be boring.

Waldo has stopped 13 of his 16 opponents since taking the belt from Byrd. If you can't see the genius in this perhaps it's different sport you should follow. He doesn't have midgets like Charlie Mitchell or John Donaldson to push around. Perhaps then he could be more "explosive"...

 

oh haters come on, Tyson focused trained say the 86-88 version gets Douglas out of there within 3.

 

This sums it up.

for folks not living through those fights in the 70's, just because Ali--Frazier 3 turned out to be a great fight doesn't mean it was considered another terrific match going in. It wasn't. Nobody was picking Joe. Same thing with Holmees--Weaver.

It was like one of my personal favorite fights, the Brewster--Liakhovich fight. Going in, everyone thought Lamon easy. Nobody picking the other guy. We sure did get a terrific fight though.

But that doesn't mean it was a terrific match going in. I'd have rather seen the proposed Brewster Tua and Sanders fights that got cancelled. Better matches going in, but likely not the great fight we saw with Liakhovich.

Sometimes boxing fans get treated to a terrific fight. That certainly does not mean the champ was not cherry picking and looking for a soft title defense. They just didn't get the soft guy in the ring that night. Tyson--Holyfield 1 is an example.

The Tyson camp thought they were getting the washed up guy that looked real bad in his previous form against Czyz, of all people. So, they sign the contract. The guy that showed up was different, but going in it was considered an easy ko over a name opponent.

 

Take a look at footage of any great heavyweight who was active before 1994 and Wladimir Klitschko. I am not arguing about Klitschko's effectiveness as a fighter in this post. It is simply that Klitschko bouts are dull as dishwater and do much to kill any interest in world heavyweight title bouts in the United States.

- Chuck Johnston

 

If a guy like Seamus wrote that I might be hurt, but you don't know much about boxing and the classic forum isn't for you. Water off a duck's back.

 

You must be an English teacher. atsch:rofl:

 

The klitschko era destroyed the heavyweight division.
Maybe the klitschko background didn't want competitive opponents.
against the brothers.The klitschko's background is the strongest ever the political
correct vitali klitschko's political carrier proves this.
These klitschkos have/had ridicolous stamina,training etc. advantage against their crap opponents .
We can't see new north-american/british talents after Tyson,Holyfield,Lewis era.
After Lewis started the crap klitschko era with the Klitschkos and their chicken opponents.
(Fat and /or unskilled and/or old opponents and/or neverbeens and hasbeens and/or so many suspect cherry-pickers. )

These klitschkos never beat an athletic,skilled and dangerous opponent.

 

I have no idea what any of this means.

I do especially like that between both K bros. neither ever beat an athletic, skilled and dangerous opponent.

 

Must say, not a fan of Wlad but I shudder to think what happens when he retires. At least he has maintained a standard over the years. Imagine the likes of Chisora or Fury as champion.

 

I'd ignore troll Wuss1985 if I were you. Dude's absolutely obsessed with Douglas/Tyson. Frankly, I think he could be Buster himself.

 

The heavyweight division will be fine. It's been lying fallow for a decade and the new crop is coming in. Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder, Bryant Jennings, Tyson Fury. Plus, there is bound to be a few wild cards popping up from overseas.

I imagine that if neither of the Klitschko's had existed, then either Ruslan Chagaev, Tony Thompson, or Alexander Povetkin would have taken up the slack. They wouldn't be so dominant and people wouldn't be afraid to fight them so we'd see a lot more rock 'em sock 'em close competitive heavyweight fights. Swag is definitely sleeping on Chagaev, who's basically white Joe Frazier fighting in an era of 6'3"-6'8" monsters. Except instead of losing to Ali and Foreman, Chagaev's only losses came from Klitschko and Povetkin.