Was the 1970s really the golden age of heavyweights?

Tyson was an international superstar long before his serious legal troubles, though it may be he's now better remembered for the freak show he became rather than how damn good he was at his best.

 

I can see greatness in every era, some had dominant champions and some had frequent changing of the guard. For me the 80's were poor with the Pages,Tubbs,etc. hot and cold boring lean fests and split titles, I like Holmes but was frustrated by his failure to fight the best of his era. Tyson was a blast of fresh air because he smoked the guys that were struggling with one another and cleaned up the split titles for a bit.

I think the 70's had a fistful and very good fighters but the rest of the ranks were weak. So like I said 6 of one,half a dozen of the other...every era had there positives and negatives

 

Maybe Joe didn't fight Jimmy for the simple fact that there was no money to be made, plus, he knew jimmy might have beaten him at that time.

 

Jimmy Young was 14-4-2 and hot off his victory over Bobby Lloyd 5-10-1 when the Thrilla in Manila happened. If Frazier had fought him he would have been criticized for fighting and easy mark. Joe was not worried about Jimmy Young.

 

Yes, with the 30's right there neck and neck. The 90's give them a close run with the big names and excellent promoting. But the 80's had the most unfulfilled potential and chock full of talent while the fighters felt they reached the pinnacle by just winning the championship. So I'd say those 4 decades were the best, in that order.

 

I'm sure Joe was more than familiar with Jimmy Young from the sparring sessions they had.He knew what Jimmy was capable of.

 

After Manilla,Joe would have lost to Young,imo. That fight finished him.

 

Instead, Joe goes straight to Foreman again.

 

A good response.

 

Yeah,that sums it up perfectly

 

Then it might be a good time for you to learn.

Are you claiming that " regular " people in the US lost interest in boxing due to their perception of Ali, but came back in droves to witness the ****** freak?

That sounds further fetched than **** from China to me.

Ali is without a doubt the most recognised sports personality on this planet, and by a " very " long way. No one has ever transcended a sport in the way he has. He was, and is even still, far bigger than boxing. Possibly because he was both controversial, and latterly conformist.

He is even a muslim that folks from other denominations greatly admire and respect, in this day and age when it seems fashionable to vilify certain sections of Islam.

 

The early 70s had a rich grouping of talent.

The late 70s was pretty bad once you got past the top 5.

 

The years 1970-75 were the golden of the Golden Era.

 

75-80 is hardly Golden. It's not even bronze.

 

He said 70-75.