Marciano was clumsy and crude in that fight and down on the cards after 6 rds. Bad balance is bad balance ,in any era.When evaluating past heavyweight champs Emmanuel Steward commented on Marciano's balance issues.
While I agree with the consensus that the 90s was a strong era, it was seen by many at the time as weak. Pick up any Ring or KO magazine from the mid 90s, and some hack will likely be shitting over the heavyweight division, and proclaiming how inferior they were to the heavyweights of yesterday. You could probably go back and find the same in every decade since boxing began. We don't know how this era will play out, and how ultimately it will be perceived with the passage of time. What you can guarantee though is that in 20 years time people will be talking about how bad the 2030s heavyweights are, and how Wilder, Joshua and Fury would wipe the floor with them.
This is so true! It seems, that a favorite passtime of experts/historians is to denigrate the present and talk up the past. Not just today - it's always been like that.
Very true regarding the 1990 s, it was ripped to pieces at the time. With Mccall, old Foreman and Holmes fighting in his old age there were plenty of critics.
Botha-Schulz was apparently a new low in heavyweight championship history (at the time), and the success of Foreman/Holmes was seen as obvious evidence that the era was weak compared to the 70s. Now that the dust has properly settled, we can take a more rounded view, and perceptions do change over time. Fighters are now more commonly able to extend careers with success into their late 30s and 40s, so the idea of a 42 year old man fighting for a title isn't as absurd as it appeared back then. In retrospect, it stands to reason that a physical freak like Foreman, with relatively few miles on the clock, could adapt his style and be a successful fighter in his latter career. His ATG power, strength, chin, along with his underrated timing/accuracy were a formidable package when backed up with better pacing, strategy and composure. A technical marvel like Holmes was able to handle younger, quicker fighters with that ATG jab and ring smarts. They weren't what they were in their primes, but as long their chins held up it's not unreasonable that they would be top 10 guys at an advanced stage of their careers. Lewis and both Klitschkos could probably have been top 10 guys well into their 40s if that was the direction their career took. Holyfield was very close to winning a title at 46 against Valuev.
The rose-tinted eye test is probably the least reliable way of comparing eras. Unless we subscribe to the view that boxing has been in perpetual decline from the point that Corbett beat Sullivan, it's been proven wrong at every juncture. If we use a starting point that all eras are equal, and then work from there based on all the available evidence, it''s probably a better way to approach it.
Morrison-Tomashek wasn't exactly a glorious day for the division either. To be fair, if you split earlier eras up into 4 sub-divisions, you would probably get some equally strange fights and outcomes.
That's right, and that Era did have some great battles. Holyfield v Cooper, Bowe, Mercer v Cooper, Morrison v Ruddock.
If one of Joshua, Wilder, or Fury beat the other two, then that man would undoubtedly gain a lot of credibility.
A lot of talent coming out of the Amateurs these days- years ago we had the Olympics every 4 yrs but today a lot of other amateur outlets. I think the professionals are already seasoned from the amateurs and should be interesting these next couple of years
There have been great fighters in every era with positives and negatives. The size of the super heavyweights these days like Fury-Joshua and Wilder and their talent is impressive and still much more action in store soon the decade of the Klitschko's also impressive. - tough skilled brothers Lewis-Holyfield Tyson - great stuff The 80's we had heavyweights who did not fight each other so a lot of unanswered questions- Tyson fought everyone who would fight him Lennox did a good job banging out many Big heavyweights - Rudduck- Golota-Botha-Grant but got caught himself 2 times and was fortunate to survive Vitali Ali was active and fought everyone but a lot of the fighters of the era were overrated but a lot were very good- still impressive wins over Frazier-Foreman- Bonavena-but many feel Ali lost to Jimmy Young and Norton in particular more than once- Marciano had 7 Championship bouts and fought experienced-still dangerous men- Walcott & Charles and a great Champion in Moore (who beat 2 # 1 heavyweight contenders Baker and Valdes and KO'd Harold Johnson - Joe Louis had an incredible run and fought many great fighters Dempsey destroyed Big Jess- was inactive and rusty but still put Tunney (another great fighter down for the long count) KO'd a young Jack Sharkey) - I wish he was more active but JD was still one of the meanest and hard knuckled heavyweight -mean as a rattlesnake