80's heavyweights was NOT a weak era

I guess you weren't around. Check boxrec. I don't have to list all the fights they had with each other.

 

80s had plenty of talent and was a fun era. A lot of the reason a lot of the fighters aren't thought of higher was the fact that they exchanged loses amongst each other and they fell off later in their careers. Holmes and Tyson were both great and dominate during the 80's but guys like Witherspoon, Thomas, Douglas, and Dokes were all very good and exchanged wins amongst each other along with a few other good heavyweights. Tucker was very talented as well but only had the one big win over Douglas. Head to head I think the guys mentioned above were every bit as good as Lyle, Quarry and even Norton.

 

Two ATGs in Holmes and Tyson.Good solid,skilled if not spectacular fighters with the likes of Witherspoon, Thomas, Dokes, Page, Tubbs, etc. Plus the emergence towards the end of the decade of Holyfield, Lewis and Bowe in the division.

Also we had Rocky 3 and 4 in the 80s.

 

I agree, they fought each other regularly. Myriads of matches between the top 10 guys.

 

Funny but, when I think of the '90s and what a great heavyweight era it made up, I also remember the term "Step-aside Money."

Fortunately, the period was rich enough with talent for there to be solid match-ups made, throughout.

In the '80s, there were plenty of matches made, between the top-10-to-15 fighters, too.

 

80s was very talented decade. The sport was booming in the 1970s with heavies, so I'm sure lot of people were taking up sport and that led to a good crop of guys hitting the scene in the 80s.

The crack/cocaine epidemic is what destroyed the next generation from reaching the heights of the 70s not the lack of talent. That and Don King.

So many guys had massive drug problems, Cooney, Tucker, Dokes, just to name 3 talented guys that could of been so much more.

Even without them you had Holmes and Tyson.

Good decade talent wise just lot of guys threw away their careers.

 

Well then lack of discipline is a weakness in their game. It certainly would not be a strength. DKP was a big problem alright but it wasn't as if Arum was doing much himself. What really hurt was Ross Smith leaving--he was the guy putting together top shelf matchups.

 

Very true. Sort of like the middleweights of the same time frame.

 

Good era, which is why I thought Tyson had a decent bunch of wins in 87-90.. All or most of those guys were former champs I think and solid fighters.