1999 vs 2019

[overhand_right]

Was it more exciting to be a boxing fan in 1999? Or is it better in 2019?

Here was boxing 20 years ago today:

The heavyweight title is split between Lewis and Holyfield, who just laboured to a controversial draw. . . . Their rematch due later in the year isn't the most exciting proposition, given the dire quality of the first fight. . . . Mike Tyson, still the biggest name in boxing, is back in prison. . . . Michael Grant is being groomed for stardom by HBO. . . . Herbie Hide, the WBO clown world champion, having twice pulled out of fights with Orlin Norris now has one lined up with a big white Euro stiff called Vitali Klitschko. . . . Hide, the picture of professionalism, has turned down a full Goossen training camp in the states with Ross Purritty and Mount Whitaker as chief sparring partners, deciding instead that sparring in London with retired chinny 50 year old James Oyebola is all he needs to prepare for Vitali. Chill out Fwank, Herbie knows what he's doing! . . . . Pele Reid and Danny Williams both slipped up on the Julius Francis banana skin but never mind, the real buzz in the division is Ike Ibeabuchi, who just blasted out Chris Byrd in scary style. With Lewis, Holyfield and Tyson all looking old, the President might well be the future! Plus with Golota and Tua at large, it's a packed division full of names. . . .

Fabrice Tiozzo is ranked the no 1 cruiserweight. . . . enough said.

Roy Jones is coasting along, employing his dazzling talents versus opponents like Richard Frazier, seemingly content to fight a succession of alphabet soup mandatories and not pursue anything higher than that. . . . The middleweight belts are split between the talented but dull collective of Bernard Hopkins, William Joppy and Keith Holmes. Not much happening there. . . . Steve Collins was going to make a comeback, sharing a card with his successor Joe Calzaghe before taking him on later in the year. . . . But then Howard Eastman KOd him in sparring and he decided to remain retired. . . .

Welterweight king Oscar de la Hoya is one of the biggest stars in the sport, though coming off a tough win over Ike Quartey is having a routine fight with Oba Carr. . . . There may be a Mega Fight with Felix Trinidad later in the year. . . . Young Shane Mosley is looking the business in the lightweights, but there doesn't seem to be anyone there to fight. . . . Kostya Tszyu has a similar problem at light-welter. . . . Floyd Mayweather is a super-featherweight champion taking on tough opponents on de la Hoya undercards. . . . And people are beginning to wonder if Prince Naseem has been overrated, or is already in decline, after struggles with Wayne McCullough and Paul Ingle. . . . Overall an exciting scene full of names and talent. The Boxrec website is a pool of primordial goo baking in the ultraviolet rage brought about by the drag of your dial-up connection, but there's a wealth of brilliant mags to keep you abreast of things, with Glyn Leach and Graham Houston the heavyweight champs of boxing writing. . . . Sky broadcasts are dignified Paul Dempsey affairs, with quality pundits, Ian Darke providing perfect commentary - and only one PPV a year! Oh and virtually no one has tattoos.

I don't really need to go into the same detail with 2019, but in brief: We have Fury, Wilder and Joshua in the heavies, Usyk coming to gatecrash the party. . . . The cruisers are more interesting than they used to be. . . . the light heavyweights are without a star, super middles ditto. . . . We have an exciting undisputed middleweight champion in Canelo, with an exciting nemesis in monster punching GGG. . . . Lots of potentially interesting things in and around welterweight with Crawford, Brook, Pacman, Spence, Thurman. . . . But how many of them will actually fight each other in the end!? Khan is still an attraction in his mildly ironic way. . . And then of course we have the divine Loma. The internet has reduced magazine sales with a concomitant drop in the general standard of discourse. . . . Boxing broadcasts almost defy description - the change in culture is staggering to behold, with women who should be waving round cards now holding mikes, and men who should be pouring pints are actually in the commentary box - audiences are subjected to a never ending assault of noises and lights, all fighters are plastered in tattoos and all fights contested "in the pocket", whatever that means. Oh, and it's all PPV.

So what do you reckon, scum? Which era is better? I think there's more talent and excitement today than there has been in years, but it seems to be concentrated in only two or three spots. There was probably a greater spread of talent and names in 1999, but the frustrating way so many careers played out fills me more with disappointment than nostalgia. I do wish we could have the choice to view today's scene through 1999's TV presentation though.

[Ezzard]

Hate the music between rounds. Not keen on the over the top commentary. But I think for the most part 2019 is better.

I'd pick Lennox over AJ (for the moment at least) and Hopkins over Alvarez. But I think other than that 2019 has better fighters and is more of a laugh.

[Ezzard]

Also...ladies presenting and interviewing is much, much better.

[overhand_right]

Also...ladies presenting and interviewing is much, much better.

Really!? Do you mean in comparison to what's on offer today (I guess nothing could be worse) or just better in general, as in you prefer a lady interviewing a fighter to Dempsey or Darkie?

[Ezzard]

for me it adds to the occasion. makes it feel more of a night.

i’m often watching on a delay anyway and fast forward.

[TheLeprechaun]

Hopefully Adam Smith has f*cked off by 2029.

[Terminator666]

I miss Reg Gutteridge -

[skanksta]

Better now.
For British fans this is The Golden Age.

[overhand_right]

In 1999 Reg was releasing his autobiography, humorously titled Uppercuts and Dazes.

[rubberneck]

Was it more exciting to be a boxing fan in 1999? Or is it better in 2019?

Here was boxing 20 years ago today:

The heavyweight title is split between Lewis and Holyfield, who just laboured to a controversial draw. . . . Their rematch due later in the year isn't the most exciting proposition, given the dire quality of the first fight. . . . Mike Tyson, still the biggest name in boxing, is back in prison. . . . Michael Grant is being groomed for stardom by HBO. . . . Herbie Hide, the WBO clown world champion, having twice pulled out of fights with Orlin Norris now has one lined up with a big white Euro stiff called Vitali Klitschko. . . . Hide, the picture of professionalism, has turned down a full Goossen training camp in the states with Ross Purritty and Mount Whitaker as chief sparring partners, deciding instead that sparring in London with retired chinny 50 year old James Oyebola is all he needs to prepare for Vitali. Chill out Fwank, Herbie knows what he's doing! . . . . Pele Reid and Danny Williams both slipped up on the Julius Francis banana skin but never mind, the real buzz in the division is Ike Ibeabuchi, who just blasted out Chris Byrd in scary style. With Lewis, Holyfield and Tyson all looking old, the President might well be the future! Plus with Golota and Tua at large, it's a packed division full of names. . . .

Fabrice Tiozzo is ranked the no 1 cruiserweight. . . . enough said.

Roy Jones is coasting along, employing his dazzling talents versus opponents like Richard Frazier, seemingly content to fight a succession of alphabet soup mandatories and not pursue anything higher than that. . . . The middleweight belts are split between the talented but dull collective of Bernard Hopkins, William Joppy and Keith Holmes. Not much happening there. . . . Steve Collins was going to make a comeback, sharing a card with his successor Joe Calzaghe before taking him on later in the year. . . . But then Howard Eastman KOd him in sparring and he decided to remain retired. . . .

Welterweight king Oscar de la Hoya is one of the biggest stars in the sport, though coming off a tough win over Ike Quartey is having a routine fight with Oba Carr. . . . There may be a Mega Fight with Felix Trinidad later in the year. . . . Young Shane Mosley is looking the business in the lightweights, but there doesn't seem to be anyone there to fight. . . . Kostya Tszyu has a similar problem at light-welter. . . . Floyd Mayweather is a super-featherweight champion taking on tough opponents on de la Hoya undercards. . . . And people are beginning to wonder if Prince Naseem has been overrated, or is already in decline, after struggles with Wayne McCullough and Paul Ingle. . . . Overall an exciting scene full of names and talent. The Boxrec website is a pool of primordial goo baking in the ultraviolet rage brought about by the drag of your dial-up connection, but there's a wealth of brilliant mags to keep you abreast of things, with Glyn Leach and Graham Houston the heavyweight champs of boxing writing. . . . Sky broadcasts are dignified Paul Dempsey affairs, with quality pundits, Ian Darke providing perfect commentary - and only one PPV a year! Oh and virtually no one has tattoos.

I don't really need to go into the same detail with 2019, but in brief: We have Fury, Wilder and Joshua in the heavies, Usyk coming to gatecrash the party. . . . The cruisers are more interesting than they used to be. . . . the light heavyweights are without a star, super middles ditto. . . . We have an exciting undisputed middleweight champion in Canelo, with an exciting nemesis in monster punching GGG. . . . Lots of potentially interesting things in and around welterweight with Crawford, Brook, Pacman, Spence, Thurman. . . . But how many of them will actually fight each other in the end!? Khan is still an attraction in his mildly ironic way. . . And then of course we have the divine Loma. The internet has reduced magazine sales with a concomitant drop in the general standard of discourse. . . . Boxing broadcasts almost defy description - the change in culture is staggering to behold, with women who should be waving round cards now holding mikes, and men who should be pouring pints are actually in the commentary box - audiences are subjected to a never ending assault of noises and lights, all fighters are plastered in tattoos and all fights contested "in the pocket", whatever that means. Oh, and it's all PPV.

So what do you reckon, scum? Which era is better? I think there's more talent and excitement today than there has been in years, but it seems to be concentrated in only two or three spots. There was probably a greater spread of talent and names in 1999, but the frustrating way so many careers played out fills me more with disappointment than nostalgia. I do wish we could have the choice to view today's scene through 1999's TV presentation though.

I remember reading a preview of the hide/klitschko fight in Boxing Monthly. I think the prediction was an easy bout for Herbie, culminating in a stoppage by the 6th. How wrong they were
Hindsight is 20:20.
I preferred the late 90s (ODLH, JCC, Naz, Lewis, RJJ, Tzysu, Ricardo Lopez, Morales, Barrera....) but I was in my late teens then and everything seemed great then.

[Boxing Prospect]

Today. As boxing fans we've never had it so lucky. Technology had totally changed the game and what we have access to. Maybe (not saying is or isn't) talent was better back then, but having what we have now is better imo

[jamamb]

2019 because 1999 sucked for boxing forums and had no boxrec and the streaming game wasnt as strong and you didnt get results as quickly

[rubberneck]

2019 because 1999 sucked for boxing forums and had no boxrec and the streaming game wasnt as strong and you didnt get results as quickly

There was always ceefax!!!!

Good point. You had to wait until boxing news came out on a Friday to get the results from two weeks before!!! Somehow we managed to stay informed though.

[Delta Jay]

I’m a firm believer that there’s never a lack of talent. There always has and will be superstars and elite level fighters all over the shop, just not always at every weight.

I think Crawford Loma and Usyk are all competitive in any era at their natural weight class (just realised they’re all above their natural weight class now.)

1999 seems more like a transitionary period really doesn’t it? Before Pac and Floyd really blew up and before Tyson Lennox etc quite got gone. SBW and FW about to have an absolute golden era too.

The main difference is how easy to get and comprehensive the coverage is. The internet revolutionised it all, I can now watch every world title fight every week, including the Thais and Japanese fighters most people would never have heard of two decades ago.

I think I prefer being a fan in this age. I’d go so far as to say it’s easy to watch fights from 1999 now than it was in 1999.

I’m not implying Joshua beats Tyson or anything like that.

[jamamb]

agree, way better time to be a fan now, boxings far more accessible

[overhand_right]

I remember reading a preview of the hide/klitschko fight in Boxing Monthly. I think the prediction was an easy bout for Herbie, culminating in a stoppage by the 6th. How wrong they were
Hindsight is 20:20.
I preferred the late 90s (ODLH, JCC, Naz, Lewis, RJJ, Tzysu, Ricardo Lopez, Morales, Barrera....) but I was in my late teens then and everything seemed great then.

Can confirm that Glyn Leach predicated Hide to KO Vitali in 8!

[rubberneck]

Can confirm that Glyn Leach predicated Hide to KO Vitali in 8!