When Did The Heavyweight Division Last Look Great?

I vacationed through the Vladimir Klitschko years. What little I saw of him was profoundly boring. He was the heavyweight boxing equivalent of Soviet architecture.

 

When Fury beat Wilder and AJ beat Ruiz, and we had hope everyone would face each other.

 

Another HW PPV this weekend. Then a welter one next week.

 

But who is going to pay to view Usyk Vs Dubois?

It's a mandatory so I won't knock him, but Joyce showed Dubois what it takes at the top level. Lerena showed Dubois up at the level below that.

It's a huge mismatch. And the other belt holder is fighting NGannou ffs.

AJ acting like he's gonna save the division but you know he's going to pretend to be the A side against everyone else and demand a bigger split :-(

Wilder is one ko away from being irrelevant.

Only fight I'm looking forward to us Zhang Vs Joyce 2.

 

There wasn't any PPVs in the decade post Lewis.

 

Good I hate the ppv concept anyway.

How is Usyk and Dubois a PPV? Or Fury and NGannou?

 

Neither should be. But in a premium division with names regular fights can be sold on PPV.

 

I'll be honest, I don't really know what's going on here with this conversation.

 

Even the best eras usually only have a strong top 5 on any given year. One of the reasons people think the 70s or 90s were so strong is they usually rattle off a top 10 for the ENTIRE decade but if you examine the best individual year there's usually several fringe guys in the top 10.

 

@kiwi_boxer

 

I think the list of top heavyweights is above average right now. Unfortunately, the match ups are way below average.

Fury and Usyk are (hopefully) about to settle who's number one.

Deontay Wilder, Jarrell Miller, Joe Joyce, Otto Wallin and the head twitcher from the Caucasus have fallen by the wayside, and Jared Anderson has serious legal issues.

But Anthony Joshua, Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker are on the up. Hrgovic, Bakole, Zhang, Abayel and Sanchez could all have big fights in 2024. Fringe contenders like Hughie Fury and Fabio Wardley might have a good year, although in Hughie's case it all depends on his health issues. Johnny Fisher might announce himself on the world scene.

There haven't been many years when there is such strength in depth.