To the casual fan, boxing may be at its peak, with huge names like Anthony Joshua drawing in thousands in attendance to see fights. With the return of Tyson Fury as well, boxing fans all over the world have reason to be excited.

The Heavyweight Division has been graced by many great boxers. If we go all the way back to the ‘golden age’ of boxing, we see fighters such as Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Larry Holmes and George Foreman all waging war in hopes of achieving the greatest title in all of sport: the World Heavyweight Championship. These weren’t the only great names though; the boxing ring has since been blessed by names like Mike Tyson, the Klitschko brothers, Tyson Fury, and Anthony Joshua (to name but a few).

However, delving further into the history of the division, it is clear to see that the giants commanding the ring today are nothing compared to the greats of old. Wladimir Klitschko’s 11-year reign as the king of the heavyweights, as emphatic as it was, was tainted by stale competition and failure to stand up to his hype. During Klitschko’s 24-win streak, which defined the modern heavyweight era until Tyson Fury out-classed ‘Dr. Steelhammer’, boxing fans became used to his ‘jab and grab’ style. He also faced dull opposition like Lamon Brewster, Kubrat Pulev, Francesco Pieneta and Alexander Povetkin (who constrained that no one even had a chance against him). At the same time, Klitschko shattered promises from fighters such as David Haye, who assured everyone that the ‘dated’ style of Klitschko was no match for his speed and precision.

Do you watch boxing? 🥊 #ko #boxing

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All-in-all, even an 11-year reign at the top is nothing compared to the great bouts we’s find if we went back in time. Fighters used to want to fight the best to become the best, even if it meant having to lose a few fights. Fighters today seem almost scared to lose their perfect records, almost like it will stop them being the best. Even the recognised ‘greatest of all time’ Muhammad Ali retired with losses on his record. He was never scared to step into the ring with the likes of Joe Frazier, Leon Spinks, George Foreman, or Larry Holmes, regardless of what it meant for his record.

Looking at 2014, we see Wladimir Klitschko making Tyson Fury jump through hoops, making him fight eliminator after eliminator until finally giving him a title shot. This did, in fact, see Fury become victorious, earning him his name as the new King. Moving into 2018, there was the Joshua-Wilder fiasco: after three months of negotiations, the fight was never made, with both parties blaming the other and boxing fans being left with nothing but disappointment and another great fight slipping away.

During this period, if we include Tyson Fury’s unfortunate collapse into mental health issues and drug abuse, it appears as though the Heavyweight Division was in a state of disarray – the greatest of the generation was out of action.

However, back in the present, hope has returned to the division since Fury conquered his personal issues and returned in emphatic fashion to seal a World Title shot with WBC champion Deontay Wilder last December. Upcomers such as Dillian Whyte, Hughie Fury and Joshua Parker are also breathing new life into the division and Anthony Joshua’s destructive rise to the top cannot be ignored. Perhaps heavyweight boxing has turned a corner and can finally stand up to the days of old.