My unofficial rating of the heavyweights in 1991

10 pretty solid names there for 1991. If I was making a top 10 list for that year, I would list Evander as champion and add Michael Moorer into the top 9 you already have, making 10 contenders.

 

That is one impressive list when you stand back and look at it. And here so many claim it was a "weak era".

'91 seems to pop up a lot in hypotheticals. Tyson-Holyfield '91 is truly one of the big missed events in heavyweight history. Tyson was no longer as technically sound, but he was motivated to try to resurrect his career. I like a '91 Tyson better than a '90.

 

Very nice list.

 

He said the list was in no particular order, but I agree with you about Foreman and Coetzer. There were other fighters who could have realistically kept them from even being listed. There were a lot of good heavyweight fighters around at that time. Boxing was way more enjoyable for me back then than it is now!

 

That is your opinion because of your age, I also had that opinion of the 50's 60's and 70's because of my age. I realize that there were good fighters compacted at a given time in every era. a bit of the old, the new and the in- between...there were no weak era's, the best of there times emerged..the cream rises

 

Don't forget Crack Smokin Bert Cooper!

 

My list for the end of the year 1991:

Champion: Evander Holyfield

1: Mike Tyson
2: Donovan Ruddock
3: Ray Mercer
4: Riddick Bowe
5: Tony Tucker
6: Frank Bruno
7: Lennox Lewis
8: Pierre Coetzer
9: Tim Witherspoon
10: Tony Tubbs

 

You can add Morrison to the list too

 

Depends when. As by the end of the year, he was coming off that awful Mercer defeat.

My list was done without hindsight, hence no Foreman (who had just started another comeback, after going back on calling it a day, post Holyfield) and Moorer (who was unproven after the shaky Stewart fight).

 

I wonder how Pierre Coetzer became ranked so high in 1991? I mean, right before he fought Bowe, he was rated number two I believe or thereabouts. The guy was durable, but he didn't seem to be the most skilled boxer, and he didn't have a lot of power. But I'm sure that's the reason why Bowe chose to fight Coetzer instead of Ruddock, as Ruddock was obviously a more dangerous opponent. I always soured a little on Bowe for refusing to fight Ruddock and taking the Coetzer fight to "earn" his fight against HOlyfield...Smarter business move but a chickenish way to go about things....

 

Bowe had little choice but to fight Coetzer, he had to satisfy his alphabet masters.

As for Coetzer's ranking, well if you are being charitable, he was being consistent. He fought and beat easily, a lot of respected journeymen, and faded contenders from 89 to the Bowe fight. He moved up by not losing when others did, and gave you no reason to lower his ranking.

 

35-0 Mason deserves a mention and Bruno was making his comeback. You may want to make it a top15/20