How would the champions of today fare against the top fighters of twenty years ago? (Part One-Heavyweight to Middleweight)

By Steven Pink: It is the nature of the sporting enthusiast to look back to the halcyon days of his youth in search of greatness in his fistic heroes. In gazing into antiquity the dreamy afterglow cast by the great fighters of the more distant past presents us with an even more effulgent nimbus of immortality.

Yet in glorifying the past we often turn a blind eye to the relative virtues of today’s top performers. Put simply can we say with any great certainty whether or not the fighters of yesteryear are any better than the practitioners of today? More pertinently where does one start the elusive search for comparisons? Rather than delving into the dusty archives of the sport I propose to compare the champion generally accepted as the leading practitioner of today with their 1989 vintage. Where it becomes impossible to delineate the disputing claims of two or more rival claimants to the number one spot I will apply somewhat broader brushstrokes. Due to the upcoming unification battles which will settle dominance at Super-Middleweight and the fact the division was in its relative infancy in 1989 I will refrain from analysing this weight class. In an apocalyptic battle of two very distinct boxing eras who could be said to be the best? Only one thing is certain that the results, which are after all a subjective series of analytical judgments, will provoke agreement, controversy and consternation in equal measure.

Heavyweight

In October 1989 Mike Tyson stood alone and resplendent as the undisputed monarch of the Heavyweight division. Champion for almost three years “Iron” Mike had summarily dispatched all nine men who had attempted to relieve him of his titles. His record stood at 38-0 (34) and following his breathtaking annihilation of Michael Spinks the previous year he was already, at 23 years of age, being touted as a worthy addition to the storied ranks of the heavyweight greats. Though his later career was to become something of a train wreck, this should not blind us to the inarguable fact that Tyson, in 1989, was presiding over something of a reign of terror as far as the division was concerned. In unifying the titles he has rendered the claim of any rival to equal billing obsolete. Smith, Thomas, Tucker, Biggs, Holmes, Spinks, Tubbs, Bruno and Williams had all been found wanting. Of the premier heavyweights of the day, arguably only Tim Witherspoon did not receive the opportunity to annexe Tyson’s crown. Boxing sages and the common fan alike were united in heaping approbation on the young Brooklyn slugger. The division had been cleaned up and curiously enough everyone seemed to be happy about it.

Fast forward twenty years and two dominant champions sit on top of the Heavyweight pile. Yet the Klitchko brothers, for all their dominance, are dogged by controversy and often damned with faint praise. Wladimir, 53-3 (47), the WBO/IBF champion, despite having made seven defences is viewed by many as a paper champion. His most notable victories, over the likes of Sultan Ibragimov and Ruslan Chagaev are not accorded the respect Tyson’s greatest performances were given. Partly this is down to the respective styles of the two fighters. Tyson, a come forward pressure fighter, delighted in the white heat of combat. Possessed of blinding hand speed and crushing one punch power, Tyson was a fearsome prospect in the ring. Wladimir, at 6’6’’ and 245 pounds is a cautious stylist, though one whose 47 knockouts in 53 wins demand respect. The simple deciding factor in this battle would be Wladimir’s suspect chin. Having been stopped three times by luminaries such as Lamon Brewster, Corrie Sanders and Ross Purity it is doubtful whether the 1996 Olympic champions would have been able to withstand the buzz saw attack of a prime Tyson. The smart money here is on an early rounds stoppage for Tyson. Remember this is an unbeaten Tyson, who had never suffered the indignity of a cut or a knockdown. Though one must remember, this whole endeavour being something of an exercise in playing devil’s advocate, that Tyson, under prepared and mentally fragile, would go on to lose his next fight to Buster Douglas in February 1990-strangely enough against a tall, mobile fighter with the best jab in the division. Though it must be said that Douglas had to show reserves of courage and a level of fighting heart that Wladimir has hitherto never displayed. Wladimir often looks like a frightened rabbit when faced with the prospect of oncoming punches thrown with dangerous intent. It is hard to envisage him circumnavigating more than a couple of rounds before being reduced to impotent rubble when faced with the man who demolished Spinks and Holmes-both assured of their position in the history of the sport.

Even if Wladimir, through virtue of his lengthier reign and possession of two titles, is heralded as the current number one in the division, many consider his elder brother Vitali, 38-2 (37), to be the superior fighter. Where Wladimir is lambasted for his lack of punch resistance Vitali is viewed as almost invulnerable. Having taken the best shots of bombers such as Lennox Lewis and Corrie Sanders without wilting it is fair to say Vitali has shown his ability to absorb punishment. At 6’7’’ and with a similarly prodigious reach to his brother almost all his fights are contested at distance where his heavy, if somewhat ponderous, right hand almost always proves a fight-ending leveller. However, despite the stylistic improvement and increased mobility suggested by his most recent win over Chris Arreola, the giant Ukrainian is generally somewhat immobile and one-paced. Again it is hard to see Tyson being kept at bay for the full twelve rounds by his 37-year-old opponent. However, it is not impossible to envisage Vitali eventually timing Tyson’s rushes and landing enough right hands (much as Lennox Lewis did to a spent and ageing Tyson) to swing the contest his way, though we should remember that a prime Tyson shrugged off the best punches of notable hitters such as Smith, Tucker and Bruno in powering his way to victory, though he was shaken in each of the aforementioned contests. Vitali’s iron chin and prodigious advantages in both height and reach would surely allow him to be competitive; though ultimately I see the fight going the way of Tyson’s 1987 contest with the huge and imposing James “Bonecrusher” Smith and ending in a resounding, if somewhat messy points verdict in Tyson’s favour.

Cruiserweight

The Cruiserweight division presents us with a far easier time of it. Tomas Adamek, 38-1 (26) is a well-schooled and competent fighter. However, like his counterparts in 1989, Carlos de Leon and Glenn McCrory, following the abdication of the division’s greatest fighter Evander Holyfield the previous year, he leads a somewhat desultory field of pretenders. Adamek, who holds aspirations at heavyweight would probably have been able to fight his way to relatively easy verdicts over both his 1989 opponents. De Leon after countless tough fights and a 1988 mauling from Holyfield, was shop worn and well past his best; while McCrory, though game and possessed of sound boxing skills, was vulnerable. Indeed the Briton was to lose his title, by crushing third round knockout, to the unprepossessing Jeff Lampkin in his first defence.

Light-Heavyweight

Light Heavyweight presents the crystal ball gazer with a far tougher proposition. Virgil Hill, in October 1989, was a streaking world champion possessed of fast hands and quicksilver skills. He would go on to make an astonishing 21 successful defences of his WBA title, over two reigns, before finally losing to Germany’s Darius Michalcewski in 1997. Hill, who was 25-0 in October 1989, would be faced by a man who has made a career out of polarising the opinions of boxing scribes and fans alike, Bernard Hopkins, 49-5-1 (32). Some might argue that Hopkins, who does not presently hold an alphabet title, is no more deserving of the number one spot than Jean Pascal or Tavoris Cloud. However, after big wins over Antonio Tarver and Kelly Pavlik and the fact he ran Joe Calzaghe so close in their 2008 tussle, the old man of boxing clearly represents the consensus pick as the division’s number one.

The fight, while sure to be viewed by many as potentially the dullest of all these mooted hypothetical matchups, is not without its intrigue. Hill moved very well and was the consummate counter puncher, rarely if ever initiating attacks. In Hopkins he would be facing his mirror image, though one somewhat dulled by age and (in recent years) relative inactivity. While Hill’s jab would have been sure to pile up points he would have found it difficult to pin down the crafty Hopkins to do any lasting damage. Bernard has always been able to take a shot so a distance fight looks likely. Hopkins, it is probably fair to say, punches with greater authority (though Hill’s big wins over Leslie Stewart and Fabrice Tiozzo showed he could bang on occasion) and this might have proved the deciding factor. Thomas Hearns, in outpointing Virgil in 1991, kept the North Dakota native honest with the potential threat of his right hand. The sneaky straight right Bernard used to excellent effect against both Calzaghe and Pavlik (two streaking unbeaten champions) might have been the fight’s deciding factor. Virgil was dropped by Bobby Czyz in 1988 (his first trip to the canvas-even if it was not officially scored) and could be hurt. Indeed in assessing this contest my mind keeps returning to Virgil being folded up by Roy Jones with much the same type of body punch Hopkins used to stun Oscar De La Hoya. Hopkins certainly came up trumps in his biggest fights against Trinidad, De La Hoya and Pavlik and it is not inconceivable that at 44 years of age there might not be one big win left in him. An interesting side issue would be the destination of the fight itself. Hill enjoyed a great many of his biggest wins in the citadel like confines of his Bismark hometown. Though Bernard, as he showed against Trinidad, is not averse to entering the bear pit when necessity dictates. Anything is possible in this match up. One thing is certain: that at some point one of the committed counter punchers would have to disregard the hymn sheet and choose to press the action. At this stage in their respective careers and with a lifetime of experience behind him I am betting that Hopkins would not be the one to change his stripes.

Middleweight

Kelley Pavlik stands at something of a crossroads in his career. Having toiled in obscurity throughout most of his career, his crushing knockout of Jermaine Taylor in 2007 launched him into the boxing stratosphere. Subsequent wins against Taylor (in a catchweight rematch) and Gary Lockett led to him being mercilessly hyped by an American press desperate to finally crown a worthy successor to Marvin Hagler. However, a crushingly one sided decision loss to old fox Bernard Hopkins last year handed “The Ghost” his first loss and a chastening experience in boxing fundamentals. Pavlik, 35-1 (31), had been able to bulldoze through almost everyone set in front of him, without having to deviate markedly from the double jab-straight right hand dynamic established by his trainer Jack Loew. Subsequent injuries have further retarded Kelley’s progress to the point where many view his upcoming battle with rising welterweight Paul Williams as a pick-em fight. However, Pavlik remains the cream of the current Middleweight crop. He is a tall, rangy fighter, fundamentally sound if somewhat one-paced and the possessor of the division’s biggest right hand. He can hurt anyone he hits. However, the two best middleweights in the world in 1989, Michael Nunn and Mike McCallum, were neither of them easy to tag. Nunn (who was 33-0 in October of that year) in particular was a defensive genius and in the form of his life. McCallum despite being a superb fighter who contested championships in three divisions was certainly seen as the number two in the division in late 1989.

Having won the title in a punch perfect demolition of 1984 Olympic Champion Frank Tate, Nunn was coming off his biggest win against Sumbu Kalambay-a fight Ring Magazine heralded as the 1988 Knockout of the Year. Nunn, at 6’2’’ would have been a match for Pavlik in terms of size and far superior in terms of skill, speed and overall technique. If a 43-year-old Hopkins could bamboozle Pavlik then it is worrying to think of what Nunn might have accomplished. The Davenport stylist was able to toy with Tate and the heavy hitting Juan Roldan in title fights in addition to blowing away the normally resilient Kalambay with one dynamite left hand. Due to Pavlik’s ruggedness and showing the respect for boxing fundamentals and defence he displayed up until facing James Toney (the master boxer he was handily outscoring up until the shocking finish) Nunn would have piled up the points while punishing the current title holder. An easy points win or late round stoppage looks on the cards in this one; though Pavlik would have been dangerous for the entire duration of the fight. Though Nunn’s final fight of 1989, a disappointing majority decision win over the tall, rugged and purposeful Iran Barkley might have given Pavlik hope. Barkley was something of a poor man’s Pavlik, neither as hard hitting or technically sound. Though he did bring a gladiatorial intensity to the ring on his best nights. In their IBF title fight Barkley pressurised the strangely lacklustre Nunn and proved that the champion could be ruffled and thrown off his game plan. Pavlik would have to summon up a Herculean effort to do the same.

So there we have it-an appraisal of the relative merits of two generations of fighters ranging from Heavyweight to Middleweight. With the heavy men dealt with we can look forward in earnest to the arrival of Williams, Cotto, Pacquaio, Mayweather and Marquez and the prospect of mouth-watering battles between them and the likes of Simon Brown, Pernell Whittaker, Julian Jackson ,Julio Cesar Chavez and Meldrick Taylor. But that is another story.

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