Though a much-maligned period in heavyweight boxing history, the 1980s remains a decade well worth revisiting. It was bookended by two all-time greats in Larry Holmes and Mike Tyson. Holmes dominated the first half of the decade, but the “Easton Assassin” struggled to escape the shadow of Muhammad Ali. Holmes did go on to create his own historic legacy of greatness despite stumbling in his attempt to surpass Rocky Marciano’s unbeaten record of 49-0. The second half of the decade saw the meteoric rise of Mike Tyson, who cleaned out and unified a fractured heavyweight division through the HBO unification tournament.
The 80s was also the decade of fighters collectively known as the “lost generation” of heavyweights. That included the likes of Greg Page, Tony Tubbs, Tim Witherspoon, and Michael Dokes, who, for various reasons, couldn’t sustain a period at the top of the game. However, they still deserve to be remembered for more than their failings. This book presents a thorough history of a stunning decade in heavyweight boxing, covering all 46 world title fights in detail.

Steve Hunt works for a charity supporting families impacted by substance misuse. He has written about boxing history for Boxing News and various websites. He lives in Northampton, England.

Steve Hunt
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages:
Bibliographic Info: notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2024
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9698-0
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5459-1
Imprint: McFarland