1970's vs 1990's, The Heavyweights

[HomicideHenry]

1970's Elite:

Muhammad Ali
Joe Frazier
George Foreman

1970's First Tier:

Ken Norton
Floyd Patterson
Ron Lyle
Buster Mathis
Jimmy Ellis
Earnie Shavers
Leon Spinks
Jerry Quarry
Oscar Bonavena
Joe Bugner
Jimmy Young
George Chuvalo

1970's Second Tier:

Thad Spencer
Ron Stander
Richard Dunne
Chuck Wepner
Rudi Lubbers
Alfredo Evangelista
Gerrie Coetzee
John Tate

1970's Third Tier:

Duane Bobick
Mac Foster
Jeane Pierre Coopman
Scott LeDoux
Alfio Righetti


*Figures based mostly on heavyweight title challengers from 1970-1979



1990's Elite:

Evander Holyfield
Lennox Lewis
Mike Tyson


1990's First Tier:

Michael Moorer
Riddick Bowe
Andrew Golota
Razor Ruddock
Buster Douglas
Tony Tucker
Oliver McCall
Ray Mercer
Old George Foreman
Old Larry Holmes
Frank Bruno

1990's Second Tier:

Herbie Hide
Tommy Morrison
Fransisco Damaini
Axl Schulz
Alex Stewart
Carl Williams
Michael Dokes
Tim Witherspoon
Bruce Seldon
Francois Botha
Joe Hipp
Shannon Briggs

1990's Third Tier:

Buster Mathis, Jr
Peter McNeeley
Orlin Norris
Lou Savarese


*Figures based mainly on heavyweight title challengers/big heavyweight fights of 1990's

[TheOneIsHere2008]

1970's Elite:

Muhammad Ali
Joe Frazier
George Foreman

1970's First Tier:

Ken Norton
Floyd Patterson
Ron Lyle
Buster Mathis
Jimmy Ellis
Earnie Shavers
Leon Spinks
Jerry Quarry
Oscar Bonavena
Joe Bugner
Jimmy Young
George Chuvalo

1970's Second Tier:

Thad Spencer
Ron Stander
Richard Dunne
Chuck Wepner
Rudi Lubbers
Alfredo Evangelista
Gerrie Coetzee
John Tate

1970's Third Tier:

Duane Bobick
Mac Foster
Jeane Pierre Coopman
Scott LeDoux
Alfio Righetti


*Figures based mostly on heavyweight title challengers from 1970-1979



1990's Elite:

Evander Holyfield
Lennox Lewis
Mike Tyson


1990's First Tier:

Michael Moorer
Riddick Bowe
Andrew Golota
Razor Ruddock
Buster Douglas
Tony Tucker
Oliver McCall
Ray Mercer
Old George Foreman
Old Larry Holmes
Frank Bruno

1990's Second Tier:

Herbie Hide
Tommy Morrison
Fransisco Damaini
Axl Schulz
Alex Stewart
Carl Williams
Michael Dokes
Tim Witherspoon
Bruce Seldon
Francois Botha
Joe Hipp
Shannon Briggs

1990's Third Tier:

Buster Mathis, Jr
Peter McNeeley
Orlin Norris
Lou Savarese


*Figures based mainly on heavyweight title challengers/big heavyweight fights of 1990's

Some interesting match ups

Ali-Holyfield
Frazier- Lewis
Foreman-Tyson

I think Ali handily beats Holyfield in a unanimous decision....Tyson walks into one of Foreman's haymakers, a la Joe Frazier...Lewis and Frazier is intrigueing but Joe is giving way more size than he ever has against a really good boxer...


If you did 60's or 70's versus now I suspect the difference in talent would be more dramatic...

[cybox]

where is Tony Tubbs? He was a top ten fighter in the 90's. Ranked #6 in the WBC at one point in the mid 90's after wins over Seldon, Zolkin and Ferguson

[Ambling Alp]

Probably in line at a buffet table.

[dempseyfire]

The fact that Holmes and Foreman had so much success vs 1990s HWs in their 40s (combined, beating Moorer, Stewart, Mercer, Briggs, and both giving a prime Holyfield hell) says it all.

[Ambling Alp]

And Holmes almost beat McCall at the age of 45!

The 1970's were better at each level. ( I don't think Richard Dunne deserves top be in the the "2nd Tier, but everyone else seems about right. Might add Jessie Ferguson and Bert Cooper to the 3rd Tier for the 1970's. Get rid of McNeeley. Would add Larry Donald to 2nd Tier. Overall the "Tiers" seem about right.)

Still the heavyweight division in the 1990's was pretty good. The Top 3 is pretty good and there is some depth.
The biggest criticism I have is that the best didn't fight each other nearly enough.
Would have been great to see Bowe vs Tyson, Bowe vs Lewis, and Lewis vs Tyson and Holyfield sooner.
Even the "First Tier" guys rarely fought each other. It would have been great to see fights like Mercer vs Ruddock, Moorer vs Tucker etc.

[observer1]

Some names missing there. But over-all, 70's HW's > All other HW's.