Did the heavyweight division actually lose something after Ali retired..?

You lose the most charismatic athlete ever born of a woman, of course you lose something.

 

Ali comic book-ified the sport, getting by on farcical performances toward the end. It got back to being real with his exit.

 

I feel like this as well.

 

Yes I think so. A lot of attention in boxing was lost in the general public and much of what was left shifted to the lower divisions where you had Leonard, Hagler, Hearns and Duran . The other thing the heavyweight division lost was the rivalries

 

Good question,Fergy. Yes,a lot of glamour went out of the heavyweight division when Muhammad finally hung them up for good. He pulled in the housewives and other non-boxing fans who did n't know a left hook from a coat hook. Having said that,his last two fights were obscene to watch. As a massive fan of his it was really painful to see the great man being reduced to a punchbag (Holmes) and a creaking,rusty parody of what he once was (Berbick) Those two fights should not have been allowed.

 

Yes it did, not that it was due to Ali retiring.

The 70s was a golden era for the biggest potential fights being made, and after that it went south rapidly.

 

But post-Zaire, the heavyweight division was moribund and almost unwatchable. Ali's performances were often an affront to the sport. Holding the ring ropes, grabbing behind the head, clowning for the judges, acting like he wasn't getting hit while taking a shellacking, Coopman, Dunn, Evangelista, a completely washed up Frazier and a 6-0 Leon Spinks. He held the division hostage. Meanwhile half a decade passed and it was horrible.

 

As much thyroid medicine as he had in him from that quack Nation of Islam doctor against Holmes, it’s an abject miracle that he came out of the ring alive that night.

 

He defended his title vs legit contenders. Lyle was dangerous, thriller 3 vs Frazier was a great fight, Bugner was a good fighter, Shavers was dangerous and that was a great fight.

 

Ali won the title from a dangerous Foreman and defended it 11 times in less than 4 years. These included defenses vs dangerous punchers like Lyle and Shavers, good boxers like Bugner, an excellent top 30 all time heavyweight in Norton. Regardless of a few soft defences, he proved he was a worthy champion.

the same people liking posts criticizing Ali are praising the current champion who has defended his title 5 times in 4.5 years, refused to fight legit contenders in Parker, Wardley and Kabayel, and is now defending vs a 1-0 kick-boxer. Give me a break

 

Lyle is more than a tad bit overrated. He was extremely limited, not by his own fault, just for starting out so late in life. Was his best win against a Bonavena in his last high profile fight? Or against the equally limited Shavers? A serviceable opponent no great shakes. And Jimmy Young had just handled him better than Ali did.

Thrilla in Manilla was an entertaining fight because the fighters were equally matched, two shopworn guys fighting to see who was closer to being fully shot.

 

Well he’s one of the most famous boxers ever….famous athletes ever…..no, one of the most famous human beings ever. He was rare in both talent and charisma.

So of course the division and sport lost something.

He had been a shell of himself for years though.