Outside of the top 3 HW's, does this era have the best ever HW's outside the elite?

Outside of the Klit brothers and Haye I see a damn strong list of HW's below those compared to previous years, I'm not saying the top 3 is the best ever but I find it hard to believe that ever in boxing that the HW gatekeepers have been so strong.

I would honestly like to see anybody make a case for why the current gatekeepers are worse than any other era?

Adamek, Chagaev, Povetkin, Valuev, Thompson
Chambers, Peter, Arreola, Helenius, Sosnowski, Carlos Gomez ,Ustinov, Platov, Johnson, Guinn, Pulev, Pajkic, Sexton, Mormeck ,Dimitrenko, Chisora, Boytsov , Austin, EstradaSolis, Pianeta Ibragimov and a host of verterns and other up and comers.

If anybody tries to say a scrawny bum like Henry Cooper is any better than the above then they really should consider why they are actually on a boxing fans forum.

 

Agree with Flatnose that you really have already made your mind up. Your OP shouldn't contain any question marks if you're just making a statement.

On the other hand I agree that there are a string of contenders, has beens and up and comers when you tally them all up as you did.

The argument is that we forget just how good some guys in the top 30 were in the 50's, 60's, 70's and even the 80's.

For example we may know of certain contenders right now, but in 20 years time they won't be remembered. So from that pov, how do you know you're not grossly over-rating the current crop?

 

Probably, why not? To be honest i'm using Cooper as an example, he would struggle at crusierweight now, was he ever heavier than 14 stone in his prime? His record says he lost 14 times yet he fought the greatest twice, compare his record to the elite heavier HW contenders about now and he doesn't look great.

 

How did you work that out? Cooper is a nobody who lost 14 times, was barely a Cruiserweight but even today he is known around the boxing world even today as somehow a HW great.

Yet now we have to put up with pay per view/subscription where a lot of top boxers don't get the hype they deserve.
In my mind Cooper if a fighter today would be a domestic fighter at crusierweight and nothing more.

 

Go on then, lets see your list of previous era's that were better. I would love to see it with a proper argument, I really would. Don't forget I have left out the veteran name fighters that could easily be used to make up my list and erm "cough" Audley Harrison.

 

Adamek, 42-1 (27 KO's) He is the former WBC world Light heavyweight champion and the former IBF , IBO and the Ring magazine cruiserweight champion. 42-1 (27 KO's)

Chagaev, 26-1-1 (17KO's)

Povetkin,19-0-0 (14 KO's) Gold olympic champion.
Valuev, 50-2-0 ( 34 KO's)
Thompson 34-2-0 (KO's 22)
Chambers, 35-2-0 (KO's 18)
Peter, 34-4-0 (27 KO's)
Arreola,29-2-0 (KO's 25)
Helenius, 13-0-0 (ko's 8)
Sosnowski, 46-3-1 (KO's 28)
Carlos Gomez , 47-2-0 ( KO's36)
Ustinov, 21-0-0 Ko's 16


I'm not going through the rest of the contenders but you get the point, these guys in the top 30 are no mugs.

Platov, Johnson, Guinn, Pulev, Pajkic, Sexton, Mormeck ,Dimitrenko, Chisora, Boytsov , Austin, EstradaSolis, Pianeta Ibragimov