Are the 90s really the golden HW decade?

No he wasn't, it's biologically impossible for him to have been a better h2h fighter in the 90s, he scored his best performances in the 70s anyway

 

1950-75…hate putting a ten year period on it. Was kind of down hill after that. Think you had the greatest fighters to ever live in this window. They fought each other far more often and was before heavy drug and steroid abuse by fighters.

 

The 1970s and 1990s were both excellent. Lets look at the former first.

1970s
Two Champions at the start of the decade Muhammad Ali coming back off of his suspension and the new defacto Champion Joe Frazier. Towards the end of the decade the titles are fragmented which leads into the 1980s full of Heavyweight Title Champions.

Muhammad Ali (1970) (Lineal Heavyweight Champion)
Joe Frazier (1970-1973) (Ring Magazine/WBA/WBC Heavyweight Champion)
George Foreman (1973-1974)
Muhammad Ali (1974-1978)
Leon Spinks (1978)
Muhammad Ali (1978-1979)
Ken Norton (1978) (WBC Heavyweight Champion)
Larry Holmes (WBC Heavyweight Champion) (1978-1980) John Tate 1979-1980 (WBA Heavyweight Champion)

Overall great Championship fights Muhammad Ali is the dominant Champion and the decade has some decent contenders including Jerry Quarry, Oscar Bonavena, Flyod Patterson, Ron Lyle, Joe Bugner, Jimmy Young and Earnie Shavers.

1990s

Begins with an undisputed Champion and a huge upset leading into a succession of Heavyweight Championship handovers.

Mike Tyson (1990)
Buster Douglas (1990)
Evander Holyfield (1990-1992)
Riddick Bowe (1992-1993)
Evander Holyfield (1993)
Michael Moorer (1993-1994)
George Foreman (1994-1997)
Shannon Briggs (1997-1998)
Lennox Lewis (1998- 2001)

There is more overall depth to the division with WBA ,WBC, IBF and WBO Heavyweight Title Champions Oliver McCall, Frank Bruno, Bruce Seldon, Franciso Daminai, Ray Mercer, Tommy Morrison, Michael Bentt, Herbie Hyde, Henry Akinwande and Vitali Kltischko towards the end of the decade. There is also an overlap from the 1970s and 1980s with George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Tim Witherspoon and Tony Tucker and of course you also have other contenders such as Bert Cooper and Andrew Golota. The boxers are overall bigger and the decade seems more competitive compared to the 1970s. I feel like there were far more match ups happening in the 1990s compared to the 1970s however the missed opportunitiy for Riddick Bowe to fight Lennox Lewis was disappointing and there is only one trilogy between Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe whereas the 1970s had Joe Fraizer and Muhammad Ali and Muhammad Ali and Ken Norton. Were the fights more exciting in the 1970s compared to the 1990s? that's subjective. I feel in terms of fights to choose from the 1990s offered slighty more compared to the 1970s and I feel that is the difference.

Tyson Vs Douglas (1990)
Cooper Vs Mercer (1990)
Douglas vs Holyfield (1990)
Holyfield Vs Foreman (1991)
Mercer Vs Morrison (1991)
Holyfield Vs Cooper (1991)
Mercer Vs Holmes (1992)
Holyfield Vs Bowe (1992)
Lewis Vs Bruno (1993)
Holyfield Vs Bowe 2 (1993)
Bowe Vs Holyfield 3 (1994)
Lewis Vs Mercer (1996)
Bowe Vs Golota (1996)
Holyfield Vs Tyson (1996)
Bowe Vs Golota 2 (1996)
Lewis Vs Golota (1997)
Foreman Vs Briggs (1997)
Lewis Vs Briggs (1998)
Lewis Vs Holyfield (1999)
Lewis Vs Holyfield 2 (1999)

 

Thank You. Yes I also missed out Donavon "Razor" Ruddock too. There are too many to mention. I still think the 1970s were great however in the back catalogue of fights to choose from the 1990s has far more to offer.

 

Of the top 10 HWs of the 70s 4 were active in the late 90s. They went a combined 46-7 after 1989 and were stopped once. 3 fought for some form of world title and 2 won.

The 70s proved it's supremacy. The 90s people have vibes and little else.

 

That the 70's is far and away the leader here gives me hope

 

I've got them second to the 70 s.
Unfortunately there were a good few fights not happening in the 90 s .
But I still loved the era.
I was too young to really appreciate the 1970.s but I loved the Lennox Lewis/Holyfield/ Bowe/ Foreman era.

 

The 1990s are certainly one of the best HW decades. Probably the second best ever to the 1970s. Incredibly strong and if your gauge is which fighters would beat the others in hypothetical head-to-head matchups, the 1990s are probably the best. If legacy, taking fights when it is pertinent, resume, as well as head-to-head ability factors into your judgment, then the 1970s will be your pick.

I personally lean toward the 1970s being my favorite and the 1990s as a runner-up.

 

Must be a lot of boomers voting on this one. I just can't see the brilliance in an over-the-hill Ali, spare tire around his waist, grabbing ropes and mugging for judges, and the supposed monster in Foreman who was a smallish, one-trick pony by modern standards and who got flummoxed by both a past-it and a b-rated boxer, a Joe Frazier who was on the severe decline from 15 months into the decade, a few B-level but tremendously flawed dudes, and then the smattering of Eurobums and never-weres who populated the bottom half of the top ten... and that absolutely abysmal run the division had from Manilla on....

 

I think there were two golden eras of heavyweight boxing - the 70s and the 90s.

 

I don’t think either era really failed. They both had their pluses and minuses. The 70s was great for the rivalries while the 90s was spectacular for the raw talent and variety of young ATG’s, older ATG’s and lot of good prospects

 

Yep.. led by Holyfield.. who would have knocked Verhoevens head right off of his ****ing shoulders. three times.. pillow fist ****ing Usyk

He can't rate with Holyfield because Holyfield wasn't pillow fisted

Holyfield > Usyk