When, in your opinion, did the Heavyweight title lose it's glory?

What exactly is this Heavyweight title you speak of?

 

When I first came to the Classic Forum.

 

Oh....so it’s similar to the flyweight title but for tall, fat, uncoordinated clumsy gentlemen??!

Sorry in seriousness, like most weightclasses for me it lost a lot of luster during the fragmented title years. I always respect guys like Tyson and others who work to unify the belts so that they actually mean something. But that is irrespective of weight division for me.

 

About the same time that modern day boxing collectively lost it's glory. It's been a long, slow, steep decline.

 

Riddick Bowe throwing his belt in the garbage (rather than face his biggest and most legitimate threat, Lennox Lewis) did irreparable damage to the legitimacy of the Heavyweight Title. And, the repercussions damaged the lower weight classes, as well. Ever since that despicable and cowardly act, fighters have been cherry picking and avoiding fighters far more than was previously tolerated.

 

When the blob Andy Ruiz dismantled that hopeless bodybuilder and gobbled up those titles belts.

 

It hasn’t lost any of its glory, unless you’re measuring mainstream interest.

It’s still the ultimate sports prize in my eyes.

The issue that you may or may not be referring to is the alphabet titles which makes it more difficult for fans and casuals alike to follow the lineage.

 

1983 was the last great yr in boxing history. About June 84 it all changed. Less way less free tv sat and sunday fights. All the big fights went to hbo. ESPN started sucking and boxing did not seem to matter to them. 12 rds by that parasite Suliaman destroyed the fights. IBF and 3rd title by the cretin Lee watered everything down. The terrible Larry Hazard began to singlehandedly destroy boxing in Atlantic City. Philly was at its end in boxing importance. With the end of Larry Holmes reign free tv lost it's last bastion of Heavyweight greatness and primetime awe.
Everything unraveled from 1984. Now its a joke. 12 rd fights. Next day weighins. Nobody fighting in weight classes they should. 9 different title in each class. NO KNOCKOUTS. Thievery on every single card in vegas. Incompetent judging everywhere emlse. PAYFORVIEW pushed boxing into a hobby sport. No one can names fighters anymore in regular society. Boxing is done
1984 is yr answer.

 

The last time the title changing hands meant something was 1990 after Tyson lost to Douglas. Bert Sugar said it best when he said a heavyweight is a heavyweight. He’s the toughest man on planet earth. He knocks out other men, doesn’t out point them over twelve rounds, doesn’t barely get by. Decapitates them in ninety seconds and moves on to the next.

What heavyweight boxing fans want, what most of us as fight fans want, is a spectacular fight with a resounding knock out. How many corrupt judges decisions like Lewis v Holyfield 1 have destroyed interest? How many times did Wlad going over to Germany to out point some bum construction worker put fight fans to sleep? That and the fragmentation of the title. Dillian Whyte is the rainbow unicorn sprinkles champion? Who the fcuk cares?

 

The instant I lost interest in the proceedings.

 

When there became more of them.
If there's 2, it's only logical to say it's only worth half of its value. And if there's 3, it's only logical to say it's only worth a third of its value.

Nowadays there's 4, so I see each piece as a quarter of the crown.

 

When the modern superheavyweights with skills arrived on the scene!

 

Heavyweight boxing has had its highs and lows for yrs. The highs of J.Louis era followed by the lows of Charles/ Walcott. Reemergered with the Marciano era, after that the Patterson era which though he was popular it was a low era, until he was destroyed by Liston . Than came the best era in Heavyweight boxing that encompassed the L iston era ( Because "Clay" was the media focus) The incomparable Ali era. This era had the best heavyweights in history from top to bottom. The "Stars" also made it fashionable to be ringside during the big fights, and the entire World seemed to be dialed in to Heavyweight boxing. The Holmes era followed . Wasn't a bad era, and Holmes was a heck of a fighter in his prime. Just had the misfortune of being right behind the incomparable Ali era. The Tyson era came next, and Heavyweight had a reemergence with "Kid Dynamite " destroying everyone placed in front of him. But it wouldn't last because Tyson proved to be his own worse enemy. But since the Tyson era, Heavyweight boxing has suffered a slow , long decent into obscurity. With a few ascents like Bowe vs Holyfield , Lewis had a decent run. So did the Klichkoes. But boxing itself, not just the Heavys have descended. So in my opinion the Heavyweights began to loose their luster after the Tyson era went south.