Top 5 boxers from the 70's and 80's versus top 5 post 2000

'70s and '80s, not 70's and 80's.

Duran

Hagler

Hearnes

Leonard

Holmes

lmb wrote:

Duran

Hagler

Hearnes

Leonard

Holmes

Can't argue with that.

I assume your list is just Heavyweights because at least in the 2000s, there were other top boxers (pound for pound) who didn't make your list.

Top 5 overall 70-80s:

1 Duran

2 Monzon

3 Leonard (he beat Hagler)

4 Hagler

5 Ali

Heavyweights only:

1 Ali

2 Foreman (would have knocked out the others).

3 Frazier

4 Holmes (I think Frazier in his prime beats Holmes)

5 Tyson -would have been higher if he hadn't fizzled.

This 5-some destroys the top 5 since 2000. Boxing does not get the athletes it used to, they play football or power forward.

Glad to see a boxing thread. Perhaps someone can answer this for me...

Why are most major titles held by guys who are relatively old? Mayweather is 37, De La Hoya was 34 when he lost the title to Mayweather.

Klitschko is 38, Bernard Hopkins is 49, Pacquiao is 35

What gives? Should the young guys be dominating the older, slower guys like they do in most professional sports?

Primarily an extension of what I say above, less and less skilled athletes take that course as time marches on. Remember boxing was in the Big 3 with baseball and horse racing the first half of the 20th century. That's what little boys wanted to be when they grew up. I boxed as a kid. There are other factors of course, for instance athletes take better care of themselves than they used to hence have longer careers.

WWRD wrote:

Top 5 overall 70-80s:

1 Duran

2 Monzon

3 Leonard (he beat Hagler)

4 Hagler

5 Ali

Heavyweights only:

1 Ali

2 Foreman (would have knocked out the others).

3 Frazier

4 Holmes (I think Frazier in his prime beats Holmes)

5 Tyson -would have been higher if he hadn't fizzled.

This 5-some destroys the top 5 since 2000. Boxing does not get the athletes it used to, they play football or power forward.

Leonard also DESTROYED Duran once after losing a tough, fairly even fight to him once. Leonard > Duran.

Boxing's best are NOT lost to the power forward position in the NBA. Those folks are 6' 10" - not exactly typical heavyweight dimensions.

Tyson was the best heavyweIght puncher of all time. What he did at such a young age is unheard of. When you talk about fear and boxing two names come to mind Tyson and early Foreman. Those two beat guys before the bell even rang.

Ali is the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time.

Alan

runningart2004 wrote:

Tyson was the best heavyweIght puncher of all time. What he did at such a young age is unheard of. When you talk about fear and boxing two names come to mind Tyson and early Foreman. Those two beat guys before the bell even rang.

Ali is the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time.

Alan

Hey gramps, I'm sure you thought some of those guys were awesome "back in the day", but they're nothing compared to the real heavyweights now.

Tyson Fury would beat both Mike Tyson and Ali into a pulp at the same time!

2000s wrote:

Hey gramps, I'm sure you thought some of those guys were awesome "back in the day", but they're nothing compared to the real heavyweights now.

Tyson Fury would beat both Mike Tyson and Ali into a pulp at the same time!

Hey infant, I'm sure that you think that the world began on your 16th birthday and extends to about a mile past your crib site. Hate to break it to you but that actually isn't the case.

C'mon guys

Hagler is the king of the 80s middleweights

He was the real deal

YES and I should have been clearer in the subject line.No fans of Holyfield or Frazier?

Curiosity wrote:

I assume your list is just Heavyweights because at least in the 2000s, there were other top boxers (pound for pound) who didn't make your list.

2000s wrote:

runningart2004 wrote:

Tyson was the best heavyweIght puncher of all time. What he did at such a young age is unheard of. When you talk about fear and boxing two names come to mind Tyson and early Foreman. Those two beat guys before the bell even rang.

Ali is the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time.

Alan

Hey gramps, I'm sure you thought some of those guys were awesome "back in the day", but they're nothing compared to the real heavyweights now.

Tyson Fury would beat both Mike Tyson and Ali into a pulp at the same time!

lol!

calling runningart gramps

Butt Man wrote:

WWRD wrote:

Top 5 overall 70-80s:

1 Duran

2 Monzon

3 Leonard (he beat Hagler)

4 Hagler

5 Ali

Heavyweights only:

1 Ali

2 Foreman (would have knocked out the others).

3 Frazier

4 Holmes (I think Frazier in his prime beats Holmes)

5 Tyson -would have been higher if he hadn't fizzled.

This 5-some destroys the top 5 since 2000. Boxing does not get the athletes it used to, they play football or power forward.

Leonard also DESTROYED Duran once after losing a tough, fairly even fight to him once. Leonard > Duran.

Boxing's best are NOT lost to the power forward position in the NBA. Those folks are 6' 10" - not exactly typical heavyweight dimensions.

No way is Leonard greater than Duran in pound for pound terms or in total career accomplishments. Before Leonard and Duran fought Roberto had reign at lightweight that places him at the top of that division in all time terms. He them jumped two weight divisions to beat Leonard.

Duran is on any list of the ten greatest boxers ever. Leonard is high as well, but more of a top 20-30 guy.

What are you smoking?

Roberto "No mas" Duran was beaten by the big three, speaking of, here they are in the Top 3 (for 70s/80s)

Hagler

Leonard

Hearns

Tyson

Holmes

Hanes

Jockey

Fruit of the Loom

Calvin Klein

Who cares anyway?

Ok lets have a serious look at the matchups. Keep in mind its hard to compare different era's. Usually the old time athletes don't match up well. The 1972 undefeated Dolphins would do well against the 2014 Seattle. Michael Jordan bulls would not do well against Lebron's Heat team. Not that different with heavy weight boxers.W Kiltschko and Lennox Lewis would not have difficulty with any of the 5. Ali might get some points early and would be hard to hit but he wouldn't be able to hurt either fighter and would eventually lose. Ali might be even with the the bigger but slightly less skilled A Kiltschko.Hayes has a record of 26 - 2 with 24 knockouts. He's 6' 3" (the size of "the big Foreman")but with the agility of a smaller fighter.Valuev is 7 ft tall and weighs 320 lbs. The big strong fighters like Foreman and Holmes would be killed by Valuev.Tyson might actually have a chance if he could knock him out in the first round.

BillyJack wrote:

Criterion: they have had to have held the boxing championship at some point during that period:

(TOP 5 IN ORDER)

Post 2000

(1) W Kiltschko

(2) L Lewis

(3) A Kiltschko

(4) David Hayes

(5) Valuev (maybe but included for interests sake)

70's & 80's

(1) Ali

(2) Holmes

(3) Norton

(4) Tyson

(5) Foreman

dfjdsfdskfkj wrote:

Butt Man wrote:

Leonard also DESTROYED Duran once after losing a tough, fairly even fight to him once. Leonard > Duran.

Boxing's best are NOT lost to the power forward position in the NBA. Those folks are 6' 10" - not exactly typical heavyweight dimensions.

No way is Leonard greater than Duran in pound for pound terms or in total career accomplishments. Before Leonard and Duran fought Roberto had reign at lightweight that places him at the top of that division in all time terms. He them jumped two weight divisions to beat Leonard.

Duran is on any list of the ten greatest boxers ever. Leonard is high as well, but more of a top 20-30 guy.

No way Duran greater than Leonard in pound for pound terms or in sheer greatness. Anyone who ever saw Leonard and knew anything at all about boxing recognized genius - a man who operated on a level that Duran could not even conceive of. Leonard DESTROYED Duran. EMBARRASSED him into retirement.

Leonard is on ANY list of the ten greatest boxers ever. Duran was an expensive punching bag by comparison.