Greatest Boxers of the 1970s
Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. (January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer, activist, entertainer, poet, and philanthropist. Nicknamed The Greatest, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated sporting figures of the 20th century, and... read more No doubt about it, the greatest in the 1960s did it again in the 1970s. How he did it is the stuff of legend. After his successful defense against Joe Frazier in The Thrilla in Manila, his boxing skills began to fade. It made it hard to keep the title against hand-picked boxers like Jimmy Young and Alfredo Evangelista.
This soon caught up to him as he lost his heavyweight title to Leon Spinks on February 15, 1978. But Ali went back to training harder than he had in five years. Though his skills were fast fading, he had one last great moment in the ring in front of 63,350 at New Orleans Superdome on September 15, 1978.
Ali beat Spinks by unanimous decision to become boxing's first three-time heavyweight champion, securing a pure place in boxing history.
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Joseph William Frazier, nicknamed "Smokin' Joe", was an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981. He reigned as the undisputed heavyweight champion from 1970 to 1973, and as an amateur won a gold medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics. Yes, Joey, it was true. But how he set up that epic victory was truly important. On February 16, 1970, he faced Jimmy Ellis for the undisputed Heavyweight Championship at Madison Square Garden. In round 4, after three action-packed rounds, Frazier knocked down Ellis twice.
After the second knockdown, as the bell rang, Ellis got up, but Ellis' trainer Angelo Dundee wanted no more punishment. Frazier's decisive win over Ellis was a frightening display of power and tenacity.
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He cemented his place as a legend by beating Muhammad Ali in 1971 to become the true undisputed heavyweight champion.
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George Edward Foreman is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1969 to 1977, and from 1987 to 1997. Nicknamed "Big George", he is a two-time world heavyweight champion and an Olympic gold medalist. Boxing's ultimate killer in the 1970s. Here are some parts of his Hall of Fame plaque from 2003. He turned pro in 1969 and wasted little time meeting and defeating top opposition, including George Chuvalo and Gregorio Peralta.
The hard-punching Foreman met Heavyweight king Joe Frazier on January 22, 1973, and dispatched the champion in two rounds. He defended his title successfully twice against Jose "King" Roman (KO1) and Ken Norton (TKO2).
Foreman kept piling up wins all the way into the 1990s. Truly, Big George.
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Marvelous Marvin Hagler vs. Thomas Hearns, was a world middleweight championship boxing match between undisputed champion Marvin Hagler and challenger Thomas Hearns, the then reigning world's junior middleweight champion, who had gone up in weight for the bout. Before Hagler made a name for himself in the 1980s as a dominant middleweight champion, he was a fearless middleweight. According to his 1993 Boxing Hall of Fame Plaque, some of his memorable pre-title competition came in Philadelphia.
There, he met fighters like Bobby Watts, Willie "The Worm" Monroe, Cyclone Hart, and Bennie Briscoe. Hagler was finally given a title shot by champion Vito Antuofermo in 1979, but the two combatants fought to a draw. I watched that match and, in my book, Hagler won.
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Ray Charles Leonard, best known as "Sugar" Ray Leonard, is an American former professional boxer, motivational speaker, and occasional actor.The Easton Assassin began his pro boxing career in 1973 and worked his way up the heavyweight ladder. Holmes was a powerful fighter who kept piling up wins from everywhere, including beating Tom Prater onboard the USS Lexington on January 16, 1977.
In 1978, he fought Earnie Shavers in a 12-round bout and won by unanimous decision as Holmes got ready for his first shot at Ken Norton's WBC Heavyweight Crown. On June 9, 1978, before a worldwide television audience, both boxers fought a tough, competitive fight.
In Round 15, it was a war as Holmes won that round, which turned out to be the difference. Holmes won the WBC Heavyweight Championship, marking the start of the legend of Larry Holmes.
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Dale campeón, which in English means go champ, best described Carlos Monzon's amazing boxing career. During this decade, he made nine successful title defenses as the undisputed middleweight champion of the world.
Here are some amazing highlights: On September 24, 1971, he became the second man in boxing history to stop Emile Griffith. He TKO'd him in round 14. The only time he defended his middleweight title in America happened on June 30, 1975, in New York City, where he knocked Tony Licata out in round 10 of a 15-round contest.
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Norton was a fast-rising heavyweight in 1973, but boxing fans still didn't know who he was, not even Muhammad Ali. The two would meet in San Diego on March 31, 1973, on ABC's Wide World of Sports. At the time of this fight, Norton was the number six contender for George Foreman's Heavyweight crown, while Ali was a 5-1 favorite to beat Norton.
What happened was one of boxing's greatest upsets of the 1970s and, in my book, the upset of 1973, as Norton broke Ali's jaw in round 11 of a 12-round bout. When the decision was made, it was Norton over Ali by split decision.
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He was one of boxing's forgotten warriors, but back in the 1970s, he was one of the very best. His shining moment came on March 17, 1977. ABC's Wide World of Sports was there to cover a great matchup involving Young and George Foreman, who was trying to get back in the heavyweight title picture.
During the bout, Young used his somewhat unorthodox boxing skills and good defense to stay out of harm's way. Then in round 12, it happened. Young knocked down Foreman, which became important as Young went on to win the bout.
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