What do you consider as the best decade in boxing

I like the 80's overall, from top to bottom. Maybe I'm biased but everything seemed better in the 80's and not just boxing.

Holmes, Tyson, Saad Muhammad, Spinks, Hagler, Hearns, McCallum, Curry, Pryor, Arguello, Sal Sanchez, JC Chavez, Camacho, Leonard, Duran, Gomez, Galaxy, Chang, Whitaker, Taylor, Holyfield, Breland, Jeff Chandler, McGuigan, Azumah Nelson...to name a few.

 

80's or 90's.

 

80s

 

The 80s for names and fights that a) happened and b) lived up to the billing. But, aesthetically, I love the early colour fights like Ali-Williams or Frazier's title defences. No logos on the ring or the fighters' trunks, just their initials if that, plain ropes and corner posts, audience not lit up. It makes it easier to watch. I also liked the 70s for outdoor fights. That doesn't seem to happen now like it used to.

But Boxing Illustrated did an 80s special edition and subtitled it Boxing's Greatest Decade (obviously they could hardly have called it Boxing's Rubbishest Decade from a marketing standpoint) and I think it justified the hype.

I think it was Ali's legacy as all the kids he got into boxing became grown men and incorporated a bit of his chutzpah into their games. Am I stating the bleeding obvious there or have I been unwittingly insightful?

 

I suppose quite a few will be predisposed tie it in with their boxers allied to their own primes, Fathers telling Son's 'Their Good ...But not as good as in my day..." so perhaps a bit of a licence with the Rose Tinted Glasses sort of thing

I must say just a Partial Run-down of the seventies ensures it gets my nomination - The Heavyweight Divsion alone was Stella. but Just thinking of .. the following

Heavyweight > Ali
Lt Heavy> Bob Foster
Middle > Carlos Monzon
Welter> Jose Napoles
Jr Welter > Wilfred Benitez
Lightweight > Roberto Duran
Jr Lightweight > Alexis Arguello / Wifredo Gomez
Bantam > Ruben Olivares (Creeping In ) / Carlos Zarate

They all had a host of good supporting Players like Zamora Dejesus Buchanan and Valdez ect etc...

And of course later in the decade a host of Emerging superstars were climbing the Ladder Ala Leonard, Hearns, Pryor and Hagler

Apologies for any i have missed, but such a talent rich Decade in Depth, I think the 70's has to get my Vote.

 

Agreed, and i will quicky add Pintor and Benitez. Pedroza too.

And then you had exciting boxers like Garza. Also, tho not ATG's, who could forget the 135 slugfests featuring the likes of Arroyo, Choo Choo Brown, Rockin Robin Blake, Baltazar, Munoz and anyone i've missed. God they put on some shows.

 

I'm totally biased...the 80's!!!! The best era in boxing history.

 

The 80's by far and away.

 

The 80's

 

The 80's.

The 1880's.

 

Hard to argue with the 80's.

The Fab 4 + Benitez, Holmes and Tyson, Sanchez and Gomez, Nelson, Camacho, Pryor and Arguello, Spinks and Qawi, Chavez and Holyfield coming up....

 

the 80s were actually pretty weak, especially after 1982, and became weaker with each year after that with the exception of the mighty Hagler, who was beyond comparison

the 70s was also weak but early on and got much better after 1976

In my opinion, the 40s were strong, the 20s were even stronger, and between 1910 & 1920 was probably the strongest decade. so much competition

 

Were you growing up in that era?

 

Def not now.