When Did The Heavyweight Division Last Look Great?

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Heavyweight boxing was never the same once talkies became a thing.

 

Never.

It's always been extremely shallow. But at least once upon a time, the good match-ups were made in a timely fashion.

 

Great?
2002... for me:
Lennox Lewis, Champion
1.Wladimir Klitschko
2.Chris Byrd
3.David Tua
4.Evander Holyfield
5.John Ruiz
6.Hasim Rahman
7.Vitali Klitschko
8.Kirk Johnson
9.Mike Tyson

 

When you're actually inside it, it never looks great. There was an article at the time of Ali/Foreman/Frazier/Norton bemoaning how they'd already seen the last interesting match and there was nothing on the horizon because it was all dead now.

 

Last big night for me:

October 9, 2021
T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas Nevada

Deontay Wilder vs Tyson Fury III fought for the World Title and staged a classic (five knockdowns in total). Dillian Whyte had stopped Povetkin (who retired) and he was waiting for the winner as the mandatory.

Undefeated Frank Sanchez and undefeated Efe Ajagba fought on undercard (most expected Ajagba to win easily). And Jared Anderson impressed in the opener.

Usyk had just upset Joshua a few weeks earlier.

Joe Joyce was rolling.

That Wilder-Fury 3 fight night was the pinnacle of this era so far and a great night. Good mix of old and new.

 

By dismantling Quarry in five rounds (Referee Joe Louis—belatedly—stopped it) Frazier only underlined what many had sensed and now know: the heavyweight division is desperately impoverished. It has a champion (George Foreman) who is a big hitter but has no defense against fine print and legal niceties. It has a challenger (Muhammad Ali) whose talent is terribly dimmed. And it has Quarry and Frazier, who will never again illuminate the scene, and there is some question if either can continue—try as they may—to profit from it. The only major fight remaining is Foreman vs. Ali; gentlemen with the big cigars, the well is dry.​

- Mark Kram, after Frazier-Quarry II

 

Exactly.

 

My first thought was around this time, but as mentioned in this thread, most eras get a drubbing while they're happening and only later on if the next era is deemed worse, it starts to get more credit.

 

maybe 4 years back. joshua wasn't obviously struggling, wilder and fury was undecided and the fringe guys were 4 years younger. usyk is an interesting addition to a lesser landscape.

there isn't a single year in any division where i could accurately tell you who was 15-20 in the rankings.

 

It would be great now if the big fights got made.

 

As has been said,all eras are never as good as yesterday's until they BECOME yesterdays themselves. I'll always say though that the early/middle seventies,in retrospect,were the absolute best. Look at the names there.

 

70s and 90s were strong. But even one glance at a top 10 in the 70s and you can often find it full of Bobick's, Neumann's and Wepner's (in the same month)

 

Holyfield vs Bowe were the last fights that were actually worthwhile