Boxing History - What eras and divisions are you most reflective on and why?

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by Rumsfeld, Feb 21, 2013.

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  1. Rumsfeld

    Rumsfeld Moderator Staff Member

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    Curious to hear some feedback.

    For me, by default, it's 90s heavyweight 'history', as that was what ultimately drove me from being a casual fan and making the transformation into more of a die-hard boxing fanatic.

    Beyond that, I have a soft spot for SRL-Duran-Hagler-Hearns from the 80s, mostly due to the fact that Hagler-Hearns was the first fight I saw as a kid and Hagler was my first favorite in the sport (and I was probably influenced by the old man then). Looking back on those various contests now is a bit nostalgic (even though some of them predated me being a viewer, having been alive and probably around adults who had watched some of those).

    Getting older starts to make you think of things in different terms (ie-'historical'). Having lived through moments just grants you a perspective unique from anything that predated it.

    Of course, for something does predate my 'experiencing' of history, it would be the Golden Era of heavyweight history, leading up to the Fight of the Century in beyond, largely because of the amount of available fight and documentary archives readily available. (It helps to be a political junkie in this regard to some degree).

    I know these anwsers may be a bit cliche, but I'm curious to hear picks and reasons.
     
    Rumsfeld, Feb 21, 2013
    #1
  2. Flea Man

    Flea Man มวยสากล Full Member

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    I follow the little guys the most, from Jimmy Wilde to the present day. But really, I try and learn about every aspect of pugilism from gloves onwards, and even some stuff before that.
     
    Flea Man, Feb 21, 2013
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  3. McGrain

    McGrain Diamond Dog Staff Member

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    The lightweights before and after the turn of the first boxing century is the historical division that has most hypnotised me. Contenders like Jimmy Carroll and Jem Carney that came off the cobbles to try to rip the future out of Jack McAullife's newly scientific hands are two of my favourite stories in the sport. Then the crazy round robin between Gans, McFadden, Lavigne and Erne at the turn of the century. Then the total carnage era, Wolgast, Battling Nelson bosses like Jimmy Britt kicking about. Somehow from that is born a truly refined era with maybe the best pair of Britishers ever active together, Welsh and Driscoll and then ****ing Benny Leonard is king. It just piled madness upon madness upon genius for about thirty years that division.
     
    McGrain, Feb 21, 2013
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  4. Flea Man

    Flea Man มวยสากล Full Member

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    I am blown away by 60s bantamweight though. That's my equivalent of McGrain's divisional era above.
     
    Flea Man, Feb 21, 2013
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  5. turbotime

    turbotime Hall Of Famer Full Member

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    LWs to MWs. All my fave fighters came from there and I feel they are the most talented and rich in history.
     
    turbotime, Feb 22, 2013
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  6. lufcrazy

    lufcrazy requiescat in pace Full Member

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    Hw is what grabbed my attention, Bruno, Tyson, holy, Lewis, McCall all trading leather.

    I had marginal interest in Eubank, Benn and Hamed but I didnt care so much for the lower weights until Hatton mania kicked in.

    I didnt care for boxing history until I saw mayweather batter Hatton, watched his career set then de la hoyas and was in amazement as to why these weren't two of the best ever in consensus opinion.

    Then it was the fab 4 and then a brutal slog through decades of boxing history with the mindset of understanding the past to appreciate the present.

    So it's not really been so much about divisions for me as it has iconic figures, why they were appreciated and how today's crop compare.
     
    lufcrazy, Feb 22, 2013
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  7. FIN

    FIN Well-Known Member Full Member

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    Always like the Featherweight division cause of Barry Mc Guigan and Naz..
     
    FIN, Feb 22, 2013
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  8. thistle1

    thistle1 Boxing Addict Full Member

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    30s to 50s middleweights...

    an almost endless list of Top Greats, world wide too, not only the greatest era in Boxing History but the greatest era for middleweights period. and the middleweight division is arguably the greatest division in boxing.

    as I have always described it " Lean & Fast enough to fight like weemen, Big & Strong enough to fight heavyweights! "

    and the Best in the division did just that - fight UP out of their weight. never see the like again, especially nowadays it's the reverse, fight 'below' your natural weight.

    Greats, GONE, Gone, gone...
     
    thistle1, Feb 22, 2013
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  9. Nagabilly

    Nagabilly Member Full Member

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    This era.

    I'm a new fan
     
    Nagabilly, Feb 22, 2013
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  10. Hattons Hook

    Hattons Hook Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Late 80's - early 90's for me. I was well into the Tyson era heavyweight division as a kid but i got well into the MW-SMW British golden age Starting off with Nigel Benn's early career on saturday afternoons then he was joined by Eubank and Mike Watson. You also had back up in British fighters like Wharton, Piper and Stretch and the seasoned campaigner Herol Graham.then obviously you had the likes of Macallum, Barkley, Jones, Toney and Mclellan from overseas.

    It was just a great time to be growing up and those lads really caught the imagination.
     
    Hattons Hook, Feb 22, 2013
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  11. salsanchezfan

    salsanchezfan Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    No particular fascination with any weight class, though I lean toward featherweight, I suppose. 80's is what interests me most. Except heavyweights. **** them.
     
    salsanchezfan, Feb 22, 2013
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  12. the cobra

    the cobra Awesomeizationism! Full Member

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    :yep
     
    the cobra, Feb 22, 2013
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  13. El Bujia

    El Bujia Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    60's to the 80's. Flyweight to Light Heavyweight. Stacked out the ass all over.
     
    El Bujia, Feb 22, 2013
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  14. turbotime

    turbotime Hall Of Famer Full Member

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    Fixed. :thumbsup
     
    turbotime, Feb 22, 2013
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  15. the_bigunit

    the_bigunit Well-Known Member Full Member

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    I kind of despise anything above 154lbs. Middleweights on exceptions though.

    And Pre-1940ish. That's the shizet.
     
    the_bigunit, Feb 22, 2013
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