Anyone miss heavyweight boxing?

[Dawgpound_Hank]

I grew up on boxing - dad boxed in military, uncles boxed, I boxed. I remember as a kid watching fights with my dad on Wide World of Sports. Ali, Frazier, Norton, Foreman, Shavers, Lyle. But my point is I miss the hell out of heavyweight boxing in later years. WTF how is it possible to have such a lonnngggg ass dead spell in the heavyweight division? I miss the days of racing home from work on 3-11 shift to catch that good fight on HBO or PPV. I miss having friends over to all pitch in the $50 PPV fee to see Tyson K.O someone in rd 1 so we can all bitch and complain afterwards that we wasted our money. All to do it again 3 months later haha.

I miss the 90's crew of heavyweights - Holyfield, Bowe, Mercer, Morrison, Foreman, Moorer, Lewis, Tua. Holyfield/Bowe had some wars. I remember like yesterday when Foreman, after getting his ass beat for 9 rds, came out and KO'ed Moorer in the 10th, and my freinds and I hit the ceiling! I remember being so hype that we had a potential Great White Hope (no racism snowflakes) in Golota when he fought Bowe and schooled him, only to keep throwing low blows to get DQ'ed. And did the same in the rematch. Dude was a mental case. He went on Latenight and Letterman kept humiliating him and yet he looked so clueless to that fact.lol

I wish Cus could have lived another 10 years to see how Tyson at his best would have fared against the likes of the fighters listed above. Would he have beaten the Rocks' record, or would Holyfield still have beat him? Tough call - it's apparent that after prison he wasn't the same fighter. Minimal head/body movement, and didn't go to the body like before.

I miss them days.

[liftsiron]

I miss the glory days of boxing and the names you mentioned.

[Dakota]

Not just the heavyweights, Hagler, Hearns, oh and Mr. pattycakes Ray Leonard. Never appreciated his style, save it for Golden Gloves.

[Big B]

I miss the glory days of boxing and the names you mentioned.

Same here. Most will disagree but I like it much better those days than MMA, especially today. Back in Kimbrel days was fun but today, like a soap opera...

[MR. BMJ]

I was not around in the Ali days, but I was in the Tyson days and forward. I miss the Tyson fights. He was never the same after losing Cus and going to jail. That said, I thjink he would have beat Holyfield in that 3rd fight if he had not lost his cool and bit his ear off

All I know is that the Tyson/Douglas fight was a joke, that wasn't even Tyson out there. Sadly, after he went to jail shortly after, we only seen glimpses of the past fighter from that time on. He's admitted to not training seriously at all for the last parts of his career, even the Lewis fight. He seemed to have lost his fire and was only going for the paycheck, unfortunately.

[MR. BMJ]

Not just the heavyweights, Hagler, Hearns, oh and Mr. pattycakes Ray Leonard. Never appreciated his style, save it for Golden Gloves.

Yea, those were the fights I remember, and were damn good.

[Dawgpound_Hank]

Not just the heavyweights, Hagler, Hearns, oh and Mr. pattycakes Ray Leonard. Never appreciated his style, save it for Golden Gloves.

Oh for sure man - those Hagler/ Hearns/Duran years were epic. But what I'm saying is since the 90's era of boxing, we haven't had dick in the hvwt div outside of Klitchko (sp?). Tyson Fury?lol You kidding me. But we HAVE had many very good/great fighters in other divisions since then ie, Sweet Pea, Chavez, De LaHoya, Roy, Hopkins, Mosely, Trinidad, Pac, Floyd, etc. It's insane how long the hvwt divsionhas been dead I mean wtf, how can that be explained? Can't really say UFC took the crop bcoz being honest, most the good hvwts were black, and that just isn't the case in hvwt UFC. Any ideas?

I'm ready to go into training. Since it's so dead, I figure I can use my charismatic personality & talent for talking smack to get a big fight after beating a few 0-60 tomato cans. I will be Dawgpound Hank - I will piss a top contender off so bad that they must fight me or live in shame. I'll get my ass beat in 1 rd, pocket 300 grand, and walk away smiling to buy some real Humatropes and invest the rest. I need some big personality shit talkers to be in my entourage - who's in?

[Dawgpound_Hank]

I was not around in the Ali days, but I was in the Tyson days and forward. I miss the Tyson fights. He was never the same after losing Cus and going to jail. That said, I thjink he would have beat Holyfield in that 3rd fight if he had not lost his cool and bit his ear off

All I know is that the Tyson/Douglas fight was a joke, that wasn't even Tyson out there. Sadly, after he went to jail shortly after, we only seen glimpses of the past fighter from that time on. He's admitted to not training seriously at all for the last parts of his career, even the Lewis fight. He seemed to have lost his fire and was only going for the paycheck, unfortunately.

Hey man don't be doggin' my boy Buster from the Buckeye state!

Dude for real you are sooo right. Once Cus passed, and he got rid of Rooney, that was all she wrote. Don King was the worst thing that happened to him. Did you ever see that interview with Tyson about leading up to that fight? He didn't train at all, he was partying every night drinking, smoking weed, doing coke, banging 3 girls a night. Gotta give Buster props for getting it done after his mom just passed away, but if that woulda been the REAL Mike, that shit woulda lasted 1-3 rds. Btw Buster was a 42-1 dog in that fight - by odds it's still the biggest upset in sports history.

[Dawgpound_Hank]

This thread is gonna be 40 pages long.lol Sorry guys to bore you but I could talk boxing all day every day haha. Just a warning.

Holyfield did an interview about the Foreman fight. He said after one rd - forget atm which rd - that he asked his corner if he had any teeth missing. He said George hit so hard, that he could feel his teeth rattle when he got hit in the face.

I really wanted to see the Tyson/Foreman fight happen. It didn't bcoz of prison. Before Foreman's performance against Holyfield, most thought him fighting Tyson would be a complete massacre. I personally think it could have been an interesting fight and maybe a surprise. George had his way against shorter fighters. He bullied Frazier around the ring like a rag doll, knocking him down 6x in 2 rds and knocking some of Joes teeth out too. Of any fighter, Joe's style resembled Tyson the most. And while he was much older, he still had that power of his youth. He never relied on speed at any point in his career, so losing speed is a moot point with him. One thing with George is all it takes is one punch. Woulda loved to see that fight.

[chicken_hawk]

DH, I miss those days as well. How, do you explain the drop off of larger boxers.

Hawk

[Dawgpound_Hank]

1994 Foreman vs Moorer - Rd 10. Teddy Atlas had told Moorer between rds "You have this fight - just stay way from him". He didn't listen....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTFx9FG69HA

[Dawgpound_Hank]

1992 Holyfield vs Bowe 1 - Rd 10. One of the best rounds in heavyweight boxing. Holyfield had heart that's fosho!...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GngvYoqQj4

[Dakota]

Hopkins was the man. He did SO much so late in his career. I had huge respect for him. I just watched the Foreman Moorer fight recently. How heavy are that man's hand that he could knock people out stone cold with punches that don't look like they are fast or wound up. 12 inches of boom! I had a former employee tell me he saw Foreman break a heavy bag. Hard to imagine but if anyone could it would be foreman.

Don't forget about Norton, Shavers, Jimmy Young, Quarry and poor "I can't get no respect" Holmes, Ron Lyle. All great fights. Maybe not so great but not forgetable Duane Bobick, remember him? Add Alexis Arguello to the list of non heavyweights, Pryor, Nunn. One of my closest friends was Nunn's training partner for south paw work.

Side story: My friend is 50 now and tempered steel and still lighting fast, a total bad ass. 6'1" 200 lean pounds. 4 guys gave him shit for wearing his MAGA hat into "their" bar last year. BAD decision. Two of the left in ambulances. Cops came and he still had his MAGA hat on. Without really investigating the Cops said, "looks like self defense, you can go" When you are built like that, have sic genes and can box at a pro level you don't want to screw with him. As a wrestler, Judo player and a GG boxer there are few people I back down from. He is definitely one I would offer to buy cocktails instead of throw down. I am too pretty and want to stay that way. Some folks are just at a different level. Oh yeah, he was a Major league pitcher for a couple years out of college too. Athlete.

[Dawgpound_Hank]

IKR! Tyson LOOKED devastating and scary AF bcoz of his perfect body dynamics when throwing a power punch. He got so much torque into his punch by uncoiling his hips and body into it. And here ya got Big George - just a slow shoulder & arm punch that looks like nothing but feels like a friggin' brick. That's what they call having "heavy hands".

Ali said Earnie "The Acorn" Shavers hit harder than anybody.