It is often observed that many of the top heavyweights of the 80s were inconsistent. This got me wondering how the following fighters might have done in that era: David Tua Hasim Ramhan Andrew Golotta Michael Moorer Bert Cooper
About the same as they did in the 90s, Holmes and Tyson would have whupped everyone of these guys. These guys were just as inconsistant as the 80s heavys. In fact a prime Pinklon THomas or Witherspoon beats all these guys too.
I think Moorer might have done better because of the size factor. Moorer was a small heavyweight with a suspect chin, but good power and boxing ability, so I think he would have benefited the most. The rest about the same or worse, specifically guys like Tua and Cooper, who could be easily outboxed. Besides Moorer, Golota probably had the best technical skills along with serious size, but the question would be his mental issues, and some of the guys of the 80's could bring a little fight to the fight which always spelled trouble for the foul pole. Rahman never anything real special. In shape he was a decent fighter, but small speedy guys always bothered him, and the guys of the 80's were quicker and more mobile.
The 80's were weakish and they would have all done well...Cooper was not championship materiel. Rahman Tua,Moorer may have been Golota had the talent but would he have allowed himself the victory...
The 90s heavyweights were clearly bigger and stronger. They were from the same generation of 'superior' athletes as Mark Mcgwire and Barry Bonds. If we took them in a time machine back to the 80s they could have done well. It's silly to be too romantic about this.
Agree w/ Moorer. A sharpshooter southpaw is going to be formidable. Especially the version that kept his weight down and used his legs. Disagree w/ Golata. Personally, I was never that high on the guy. That defense is a big handicap and the punchers just wing away and go right thru it. And he does not have a bag of tricks to go to once things go downhill & is far far better as an on top fighter. I just don't picture him and that defense being on top of a stern diet of ranked and talented heavies. I'd probably go with the Tuaman instead. He had the whiskers to hang in there and kept his power throughout the fight. That alone would make him dangerous against a lot of those 80's heavies since very few carried their power late.
It depends... Them dudes above in their primes against a minus aged 35 Holmes and a 20 year old Tyson would NOT be champions............ BUT!!! Some of them dudes could probably get passed Michael Spinks of '86 and '87......... MR.BILL:bbb:deal
Well a young Cooper lost a big crossroads fight to Carl Williams, Rachman would beat very few of the top 89's guys. Moorer would win and lose a lot, Tua would lose often but be feared with a few great victories, Golota would be' as in the 90's, be erratic IMO.
I think these 80s heavys would have definitly got the better of the 90s fighters that were mentioned Tua over Weaver Dokes over Rahman Cooney over Golota Page and Moorer pretty evenly matched Witherspoon over Cooper thats 3-1-1 for the 80s
Once again, we mostly agree. I think Moorer's southpaw stance would also pay big dividends, given how many jab-orientated boxers there were in the 1980s. Tua and Rahman would do well if they faced unfocused boxers with dentable chins and there was hardly a drought of that kind of opponent in the 1980s. I can see either of them winning a title, but neither has the style or ability to be a long-reigning champion.
Amen. Actually, I don't think either guy is going to be successful facing top 10 guys for any extended amount of time. Just playing the numbers game, neither is going 9-0 or 13-1 or something over a course of 5 years fighting top fighters from that era. And both of them are going to show up with flat efforts anyway. I sure do think a sharpshooter like Moorer is a big problem though. He's by far the most accurate heavy I've seen. That guy that weighed 212 just didn't miss and those guys around at the time weren't slippery enough to deal with a southpaw like that. Actually, I think a southpaw like Corrie Sanders does real well too, because he's a tall southpaw with that straight as an arrow left that got there real fast and not telegraphed. I have no idea who these guys would've used as sparring partners back then for Moorer or Sanders. The only heavyweight southpaw with any sort of success that comes to mind is/was Bennie Knoetze and that's a quantum leap in comparison.