Can we now stop dismissing the heavyweight division

Discussion in 'World Boxing Forum' started by catchwtboxing, Dec 20, 2015.


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  1. catchwtboxing

    catchwtboxing Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Klitschko's loss is opening things up in a fashion very similar to Tyson's loss to Douglas. Add to that the emergence of some very good contenders and prospects, and I believe that it can be said that the division is now clearly better than it has been in years, with entertaining fights being made and more on the horizon.

    Excluding the fatties, washed ups, fringe guys and blown up crusiers, I think you can cull a very deep and impressive list from the top 100 guys:


    Tyson Fury
    Wladmir Klitsckho (for at least one more fight)
    Povetkin
    Wilder
    Pulev
    Glazkov
    Ortiz
    Scott
    Teper
    Parker
    Takam
    Chagaev
    Joshua
    Szpilka
    Fedozov
    Jennings
    Helenius
    Martin
    Granat
    Hugh Fury
    Kuzman
    Wallin
    Wallisch


    Add to that whatever fringe guys you think are going to emerge or re-emerge:
    Stiverne
    Solis
    Briggs
    Whyte
    Chisora
    Tarver
    Ustinov
    Adamek
    Cunningham
    Thompson
    Lewison
    Dinu
    Schwartz
    Browne
    Gjergjai
    Perez
    Price
    Mansour
    Breazeale
    Washington
    Chambers

    and potential heavies
    Usyk
    Breidis
    Huck
    Kudryashov
    Gassiev

    and I think the division is actually better than it has been since the Lewis era.

    Thoughts?
     
    catchwtboxing, Dec 20, 2015
    catchwtboxing, Dec 20, 2015
    #1
  2. Pugilist_Spec

    Pugilist_Spec Hands Of Stone Full Member

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    Agreed. The division is rocking at the moment. Ortiz, Parker, Joshua, Usyk, Povetkin 2.0, hell, even Wilder maybe - all of them relatively unproven quantities that may turn out to be much better than expected.
     
    Pugilist_Spec, Dec 20, 2015
    Pugilist_Spec, Dec 20, 2015
    #2
  3. RememberingC.S.

    RememberingC.S. Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    The heavyweight division is on fire at the moment- and it's way better than the lame one it was in the 80s
     
    RememberingC.S., Dec 20, 2015
    RememberingC.S., Dec 20, 2015
    #3
  4. catchwtboxing

    catchwtboxing Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    The 80's was the worst ever. A bunch of fat twinkie eating drug addicts, and Larry Holmes, who was afraid to fight a couple of them, Pinklon Thomas and Greg Page by name.
     
    catchwtboxing, Dec 20, 2015
    catchwtboxing, Dec 20, 2015
    #4
  5. Pugilist_Spec

    Pugilist_Spec Hands Of Stone Full Member

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    80s heavyweight division was as solid as any, 2 dominant champions splitting the decade and Don Kings politics killed a lot of excitement though.
     
    Pugilist_Spec, Dec 20, 2015
    Pugilist_Spec, Dec 20, 2015
    #5
  6. SmackDaBum

    SmackDaBum TKO7 banned Full Member

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    This is the best heavyweight era of all time. People that says otherwise are desperate nostalgia criers.

    For an example: Yesterday we had two upgraded George Foreman performances... Just think about it.
     
    SmackDaBum, Dec 20, 2015
    SmackDaBum, Dec 20, 2015
    #6
  7. Pugilist_Spec

    Pugilist_Spec Hands Of Stone Full Member

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    90s were significantly better. The heavyweights were not only big, but athletic as well. Guys like Ruddock, Bruno, Golota, Lewis, Bowe that were 240-250 pounds and in very good shape.

    A lot of super-heavyweights of today are essentially fat guys. But yeah, this is a good time.

    And neither guy yesterday was as good as George.
     
    Pugilist_Spec, Dec 20, 2015
    Pugilist_Spec, Dec 20, 2015
    #7
  8. Inspector

    Inspector Well-Known Member Full Member

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    Oh come on the 60's/70's were much better. You had so many future all time great hw's from those 2 decades. We have a lot of talented, young fighters now but, aside from A-Force Audley Harrison, will any of them be an Ali, Frazier or Foreman? I doubt it.
     
    Inspector, Dec 20, 2015
    Inspector, Dec 20, 2015
    #8
  9. SmackDaBum

    SmackDaBum TKO7 banned Full Member

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    Lewis and Wladimir is just about the same class. I personally take Wladimir. But I also respect others opinion as well.

    Fury is just as good or better than both.

    Vitali's slightly worse than Wlad and Lewis.

    Then you have a number of good to great fighters.

    Joshua, Wilder, Parker, Ortiz, Teper, Haye, Wythe, Povetkin.

    Bruno, Tua, Tyson, Ruddock. Ibeabuchi, Holyfield, Bowe.

    10's tops 90's for me. But 90's tops 00's which in turn tops everything else.
     
    SmackDaBum, Dec 20, 2015
    SmackDaBum, Dec 20, 2015
    #9
  10. catchwtboxing

    catchwtboxing Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Agree on all of this, but I think the division is catching up. Just as Tyson's topplng opened things up for a lot of guys to get in or get back in, so the disappearing of the Klits are causing big fights to be made and guys to develop.

    After the Olympics, we might have some combination of Medhzidov, Dychko, Omarov, and Hrgovic turning pro, and then forget about it.
     
    catchwtboxing, Dec 20, 2015
    catchwtboxing, Dec 20, 2015
    #10
  11. Pugilist_Spec

    Pugilist_Spec Hands Of Stone Full Member

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    Come on, both the 70s and 80s were MUCH better than the 00s. Not even up for the discussion. The 00s post Lewis up to 2010 were terrible. A fat, shot, middleweight James Toney was a top contender. It had some of the worst title holders ever in Maskaev, Lyakovich and shot Briggs. It was just an awful time for the division. You had a ten million year old Holyfield competitive in title fights.

    A guy like Tony Tucker would clean up that division, if the Klitschkos weren't around.
     
    Pugilist_Spec, Dec 20, 2015
    Pugilist_Spec, Dec 20, 2015
    #11
  12. Pugilist_Spec

    Pugilist_Spec Hands Of Stone Full Member

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    Yeah this division definitely has potential. We'll see how things play out.
     
    Pugilist_Spec, Dec 20, 2015
    Pugilist_Spec, Dec 20, 2015
    #12
  13. Hotsauce

    Hotsauce Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    It's heating up
     
    Hotsauce, Dec 20, 2015
    Hotsauce, Dec 20, 2015
    #13
  14. Ripper

    Ripper Member Full Member

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    The division is only hated because there are no world class yanks.

    Compare the division today to any other era and talentwise it's the same... if not better since the cruiserweights of yesteryear wouldn't cope in todays bigger division.
     
    Ripper, Dec 20, 2015
    Ripper, Dec 20, 2015
    #14
  15. dinovelvet

    dinovelvet Antifanboi Full Member

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    Ortiz was Wlads mandatory for years. The powers at be had him banned to protect the ex Champ.
     
    dinovelvet, Dec 20, 2015
    dinovelvet, Dec 20, 2015
    #15
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