The Heavyweight Division from the early 2000's until 2015

Evander Holyfield had experienced three consecutive losses to Chris Byrd (2002), James Toney (2003) and Larry Donald (2004) and continued to try and pursue a Heavyweight Title against Nikolai Valuev (2008) After the retirment of Lennox Lewis in Febuary in 2004 after his TKO victory over Vitali Klitscko (2003) and Mike Tyson directly after his fight with Kevin McBride (2005) it felt like the end of an era with the retirment of the three most dominant heavyweights of the last two previous decades.

The division felt confusing with the titles fragmentated and dominated by two Ukrainian brothers who understandably wouldn't fight each other. The remenants of 1990s heavyweights Ray Mercer, Shannon Briggs and Hashim Rahman carried on. What and who held the divison up? Viatli fought Corrie Sanders for the vacant WBC and Ring Magazine titles in 2003 and Wladmimir later became the de facto Lineal Champion after beating Ruslan Chagaev in 2009.

With fights like Wladimir Klitsckho Vs Alexandr Povetkin (2013) which should have been exciting failed to live up to the boxing publics expectations. It wouldn't seem like until Deontay Wilder beat Bermane Stiverne for the vacant WBC title in January 2015 and Tyson Fury beating Wladimir Kltischko in November 2015 for the other half on the Heavyweight title did things feel like they were changing Then Fury was subsquently stripped off his titles and the IBF being assigned to Charles Martin and WBO to Joseph Parker and vacated the WBA belt. While Fury went into hiatus he would remain the Lineal and Ring Magazine Heavyweight Champion and Anthony Joshua would collect the the IBF, WBO and WBA titles.

After Lewis, Tyson and Holyfield does anyone have any memories from this time before the emergence of Wilder, Fury and Joshua. Any outstanding fights or hopes for Heavyweight boxing at the time? I seem to remember it was a complicated and convoluted time to be following the Heavyweights.

 

I remember when the recognised Heavyweight Champion Lewis retired it just looked like a mess and wasn't clear who was the real Champion?

In the UK Heavyweight scene initailly there was optimism around Danny Williams and emerging Commonwealth and Olympic Gold Medalist Audley Harrison and then later Commonwealth Gold and Olympic Bronze Medalist David Price who couldn't quite crack the top level of Heavyweight boxing as well as Crusierweight Champion David Haye moving up in weight.

I can't comment for the US Heayweights then who were touted as potential threats to the Klitschko Brothers aside from the aforementioned vestiges of Ray Mercer, Shannon Briggs, Ray Mercer and Olympic Middleweight Silver Medalist Chris Byrd who beat Vitali but who twice lost to Wlad who also wanted to fight Lewis after his fight with Vitali.


Best picks from that time period?

Lamon Brewster Vs Wladimir Klitschko (2004)
Corrie Sanders Vs Vitali Klitschko (2004)
Danny Williams Vs Mike Tyson (2004)
Danny Williams Vs Vitali Klitschko (2004)
Chris Byrd Vs Wladimir Kiltschko (2006)

Any other fights that were notable during that time?

 

I feel like we are spoilt for choice now mate if the right fights can get made?

After Muhammad Ali's retirement in 1978 the Heavyweight Division becomes less and less linear and more fragmented.

1980s - Holmes/Spinks/Tyson with lots of talented boxers but too many titles and alot of substance abuse.

1990s- Tyson/Douglas/Holyfield/Bowe/Holyfield/Moorer/Foreman/Briggs/Lewis arguably the best and most competitive era.

2000s- Lewis/Rahman/Lewis and then the entailing mess after Lewis's retirement with too many titles and The Klitschkos.

2010s- Wlad's reign Fury dethroning him and more fragmentation an exciting and talented divison with the top guys not fighting each other.

2020s - Uysk cleans up beats both Joshua and Fury. Needs to clean out the remaining contenders Kabayel, Wardley, Itauma.

 

I remember in 2002 Lennox Lewis after the Mike Tyson fight doing the Police Could you? recruitment adverts and then having a while off before the Klitschko fight in 2003 and then retiring in February 2004. Mike Tyson at that time was also supposed to have a cross over fight with MMA fighter Bob Sapp and was still fighting to pay off his outstanding debts. Evander Holyfield was on a three fight losing streak. The heavyweight divison was about to totally change when Lewis retired. Ushering in the Klitschko Brothers reign. Where there were multiple champions and titlists and two of the main champions shared the same name!

The British public intially supported Danny Williams and Audley Harrison in Lewis's absence but they weren't quite good enough. I can't say I ever took to David Haye he certainly hyped up and sold that fight with Klitschko back in 2011 however I remember watching it live and seeing Wlad with all his belts and thinking " you aren't taking those!". I also was also in a small minority watching the first Haye Vs Bellew fight and saying that Bellew was going to win. If Haye and Fury had actually both been able to fight each other I also thought Fury likely would have won too in my opinion.