I don't mean a short stretch as lighter guys moved up and through but a real stretch like 3-4 years where there was 4 or 5 true middleweights that were talented and going to war?
Edit-I should be more specific I am not counting super MW, just MW
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I don't mean a short stretch as lighter guys moved up and through but a real stretch like 3-4 years where there was 4 or 5 true middleweights that were talented and going to war?
Edit-I should be more specific I am not counting super MW, just MW
90s..
Early 90s:
Roy Jones
Gerald McClellan
Julian Jackson
James Toney
Bernard Hopkins
Mike McCallum
John David Jackson
Thomas Tate
Michael Nunn
Murderers row right there..Quote:
Originally Posted by bradlee180
When were 4 or 5 of them fighting at Middleweight for 3/4 years at the same time all fighting each other? For instance, when Roy + Hop were there Toney was gone. Jackson didn't fight Hop or Roy right? I mean Roy was at middle for like 5 minutes. What that list looks like to me is best middleweights of the 90s. I'm trying to figure out when there was a large group all at the same time for a stretch of time.
Appreciate the thought by the way.
Yeah, some fights between these guys happened at super-middle or even at light-heavy.
Middleweight in early 90s did have:
Mike McCallum vs Steve Collins 1990
Iran Barkley vs Nigel Benn 1990
James Toney vs Michael Nunn 1991
Jame Toney vs Mike McCallum 1991 and again in 1992
James Toney vs Merqui Sosa 1991
Gerald McClellan vs John The Beast Mugabi 1991
Julian Jackson vs Thomas Tate 1992
Julian Jackson vs Gerald McClellan 1993 and again in 1994
Roy Jones vs Bernard Hopkins 1993
Roy Jones vs Thomas Tate 1994
_______________________________
Other fights in other weight-classes:
Roy Jones vs James Toney, 168 in 1994
Roy Jones vs Mike McCallum, 175 in 1996
Gerald McClellan vs Nigel Benn, 168 in 1995
James Toney vs Iran Barkley, 168 in 1993
Roy Jones vs Vinnie Pazienza, 168 in 1995
Roy Jones vs Merqui Sosa, 175 in 1996
Julian Jackson vs Terry Norris, 154 in 1989
Michael Nunn vs Merqui Sosa, 168 in 1993
Michael Nunn vs Donald Curry, 160 in 1990
Iran Barkley vs Thomas Hearns rematch, 175 in 1992
All told, there were some pretty doggone good matches took place there in the early 1990s. A few potential matches that were talked about and hyped up too but never materialized.
Hmmm 3 to 4 years eh. Well thats a little narrow but based on that premise I'd say 1919 to the 1923 time frame.
The division is hard enough to pinpoint as welters always seem to figure prominently in most great middle weight eras. I mean I suppose 1945 to 1955 give or take a year either way would be in the running if the era was a 10 year glimpse.
I think the better mid divisions were generally found pre weight class expansion.
You missed the Brits of Benn and Eubanks -also WatsonQuote:
Originally Posted by bradlee180
Good thread and good post. How many great middleweight eras would you say there have been in boxing's history? If there have only been a few than I would say in the late fifties to the early sixties was the last great era. There were:Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron Swanson
Robinson, Fullmer, Basillio, Pender, Downes, Tiger, Giardello, Humez, Tiger Jones, Spider Benton, Archer, and more.
The 80's for me Marvin Hagler one of the finest middleweights of all time, really good contenders
punchers boxers he beat the lot, bar loosing a dubious decision to SLR.
After Hagler lost the title the belts went to Tate, Hearns and Barclay. Tate lost to Nunn who lost to James Toney. Jones beat Hopkins to win a version of the belt.
Lots of great thoughts that make me think my idea of a great era needs to change. The early 90s didn't have a group of greats all fighting each other but there were so many greats who each fought some. By my new definition that's a great era.
I had gone through the history of the division in my head and come to the conclusion the respect the division carries out matched the quality it carried. It seems the failing was in the strict definition rather than in the weight class.