Top 5 Heavyweight Champions in the 1990s | A Brief Chronology of the 1990s Heavyweight Championship
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- A brief chronology of the 1990s world heavyweight boxing championship.
Who were the Top 5 world heavyweight boxing champions during the 1990s?
In the 1990s there were 11 men who held claim to at least a portion of a major heavyweight championship between January 1, 1990 and December 31, 1999. For the purposes of this video, we are specifically comparing championship reigns and championship bouts during this period, as we explore a brief chronology of the 1990s heavyweight championship landscape.
The video will also provide an opinion of the Top 5 heavyweight champions in the 1990s, from all 11 major world champions, including: Mike Tyson, Buster Douglas, Evander Holyfield, Riddick Bowe, Lennox Lewis, Oliver McCall, Michael Moorer, George Foreman, Shannon Briggs, Frank Bruno, and Bruce Seldon.
So who were the Top 5 heavyweight champions during the 1990s?
This video documentary will attempt to answer that question.
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This episode of Rummy's Corner was written, narrated, and produced by Geoffrey Ciani (aka - Rummy).
Ranking the Top 5 Heavyweight Champions in the 1990s | A Brief Chronology of the 1990s Heavyweight Championship
#Boxing #1990sBoxing #LennoxLewis #MikeTyson #1990s
Riddick Bowe had so much potential man. Could've been one of the greats if he took it more seriously.
couldve
He is top 10
@@Ehrle6969 yeah even what we got was pretty dominate
at his best he causes most anyone in history a hard night for sure
Yeah if he had better training habits he might have finished first on this list. I sure wish we'd seen a fight between him and Lewis.
@@Ehrle6969of all time? Nahh man, not even close.
I always find it scary to think what foreman would be like if you could get the mind of old George in young George’s body old George fought smarter but young George was just a weapon but the brains and fitness combined in either era he was in would be in contention for greatest ever I think
I mean that’s spot on. Foreman’s rage was knee buckling, in his youth just the stare down sends shivers down the spine. and i think that’s why he didn’t fight with tactic or at least that sort of fighting style. his rage consumed all in his youth.
I think that anyway. Ali was, is, and always will be the greatest. But I believe history would look very different if he'd rematched Big George....
@@XVlTrey Foreman DID fight with tactics, and a good breakdown is on the channel, The Modern Martial Artist.
I agree! George Foreman is still the most underrated fighter of all time and it's because he lost to Ali in his prime but Ali is one of the greatest fighters if not the greatest fighter of all time. I feel like George always gets a bad rapl because of that loss no matter what they always bring up Ali
Ali would still beat him due to superior speed, footwork and upper body mobility. It was always going to be a bad stylistic matchup for Foreman, even if you give him the mindset of old Foreman. Ali wasn't even in his prime and he made Foreman look like a fool.
Evander fought everyone. What a fighter!
That’s because everyone dodged Lennox 😂(foreman, tyson, bowe)
He ducked razor
@@Ehrle6969 who holyfield .... April 2 2023..
But Evan Fields fought no one
@@Ehrle6969he didn't, Razor fought Mike for the contender spot.
I completely agree with your ranking here. The 90s were such an incredible decade of heavyweight history.
Crazy how Holyfield beat the number 3, 4 5, and 6 in your list
Multiple wins. And two fights vs the #2
And his performance against prime Lewis in the rematch considering he was shot… So so great.
and 7 & 8 Holmes and buster Douglas
Lewis won all better boxer of the 90 decade.
Foreman incredible. Won titles in the 70s and 90s... 2 of the most competitive decades of hw history. Sure he picked his 90s opponents carefully but it's also true that he was avoided by plenty young talent. When some did meet him they were forced to fight off the back foot for the first time in their careers.
Wow. Never thought of that . The 2 deepest decades for HW contender!
Was that due to his power or chin?
@@seetsamolapo5600 probably both
@@seetsamolapo5600 Yes George had a cement block for a chin, but his success was due to so much more. He was incredibly smart, had one of the best jabs, and despite being slow knew how to disguise his shots so that he seldom struggled to land. Add to this, along with perhaps Shavers and Liston, no one ever hit harder. George was certainly beatable, as Ali and Young demonstrated, but no one ever came at him and prospered. I personally don't think anyone in history could have beaten Foreman by attacking him head on, not even Tyson. If you couldn't fight off the back foot you were dead. In this way I think George is unique. A human tank.
@@StuartTheunissen Not just his power. His "comeback-version" had the knowledge too.
Basically everyone who you placed in your Top 5, I would put in my 5 for the greatest heavyweights in the 1990s. I would personally place Lennox Lewis ahead of Holyfield on my list, but that's my personal preference in rankings. I love your channel for the insight and detail you give to the sport of boxing, I really enjoy your videos and I'm looking forward to your up-coming videos!
Thank you very much, Armon! Appreciate your kind words and support. Cheers!
How is Lewis even close to Holyfield in the 90s. Lewis was average at best before Steward and that was in 1995 they started working together, couldn’t put away a shot Holyfield in 1999 and was lucky to get the decision in the rematch. Plus Holyfield clearly had better performances in the big fights and beat better fighters!!!
@@jakeedwards2020 probably because Lewis f'ed Holyfield up twice
@sam peters fair point, but why does Golota get mentioned on anyone's resume? He's a bonafide quitter.
@sam peters lennox beat people past their prime.
It is a shame
Riddick Bowe vs Lennox Lewis
fight didn't happen.😂😢
Agreed. I also think they're both so mercurial that it would probably have taken a trilogy of great fights to settle that one.
I also regret not seeing Tyson vs Tua
That needed to be mandated by the sanctioning bodies.
Bowe didn’t want that smoke.
Lewis would’ve left the ring as a dead body if he fought Bowe in 93
What a time to be alive!!!
Not just for heavyweight boxing. The lower weights was lit with more talent.
rummy is top 1 youtuber of history
And still undefeated
Facts!!!
Nothing but love and respect for the 'Real Deal'. What a man!
I suppose it becomes a categorical difficulty if the idea is to make he chronological calendar decade from Jan1st to Dec30 but when I see this I'm really amazed at just how massive the 90s era really was for HW boxing. Even the many Top 10 guys, though never winning a title were really interesting, the Joe Hipps, the Tuas, the Polish guy who kept crotch-rocketing opponents. Great era!
Ike ibeabuchi vs riddick bowe would be a very good boxing match.🔥💯🥊💪💥
Very well put together. Can't really disagree, especially for what they achieved. Bless up bro 👊
can’t imagine how much thinking went into this video
Excellent video. I had a different lineup in my mind initially, Tyson was definitely in the mix. But, when you put your spin on it and gave the reasons for the rankings, it definitely makes sense. Now for your next great video, can you do a 70s vs 90s heavyweights round robin tournament? Maybe we can see Big George vs Big George?
Ray mercer vs David tua would be fireworks.🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Larry Holmes vs George Foreman would be interesting.💯🥊💯🥊
No it wouldn’t there was a reason George never fought Holmes he didn’t want to get embarrassed
@@bitcoinethereum9702 I don't know about that. Larry Holmes was a sparring partner for Ali during the Rumble in the Jungle, meanwhile Foreman is already the Champ. I think it depends on which era you are talking about. I think Holmes could beat Foreman if the year is between '78 and '89. Any time before or after, Big George would win.
Holmes would beat foreman in a comfortable decision imho, the boxer in most cases always beats the puncher. Plus Holmes can take a punch and has better stamina
@Bitcoin Ethereum Holmes ducked George before his first retirement, and Foreman chose to fight Jimmy Young as a result. Foreman wanted Holmes as he was Ali's sparring partner, and the win against Holmes could result in a rematch with Ali. Holmes knew he wouldn't be able to withstand George, so he didn't want the fight.
One of my all time dream fights!
Rummy, it is so sad that Lewis was our last undisputed HW Champion... I have been watching boxing since 2003, and the corrupt nature of the sport makes it hard to be fan sometimes. I wish they made fights when they make sense. Ngl I love boxing and always will.
On another note been watching you for years, my first comment to say your content is awesome. I love how you try to be as balanced and reliable as possible. Keep up the great work! From a UK fan
Love this series
Rummy is back great commentary like always
Rummy! Love the content!
This is masterful work Geoff. Cannot fault your knowledge or reasoning.
👏👏👏
The Last golden age for heavyweight boxing. Another objective analysis for your collection, thanks for share Rummy.
Rummy. Been following for a years now. Your video and presentation gives that golden 80’s and 90’ era vibe. Like a HBO fight vibe. Superb job man. Keep this up
Thank you very much, Liam. Greatly appreciated. Cheers!
Agreed on The Real Deal! Another great video and history lesson. Thx Rummy!
I was waiting for this one, my personal favorite decade in heavyweight history.
Great video, looking forward to your 2000s & 2010s.
All your videos are truly incredible! So informative and enjoyable ! Love seeing all the history. Hope you keep these coming. Thanks so much for your efforts!
Finally!!!! Thank you so much for this video!!!!
a true boxing channel by a true boxing fan for true boxing fans, thanks Rummy
Holyfield really was the "Real Deal" that decade!
😴😴😴
@@zansportsnewstv473 Idiot.
These videos are AMAZING! Thank you Rummy!
Damn. ALWAYS learning so much from your channel! I always have Lewis as #1 but can totally see him bring edged out by Holyfield. No matter. What it reminds everyone of right now is that these dudes wanted to fight everyone. Great era, last great heavyweight era by far.
The list was awesome, and so was the pecking order. Evander was the man in the 1990's!
Great vid and as always an instant watch for me
Brilliant analysis... especially as regards how you rated Mike Tyson in the 1990s. Most boxing fans tend to rate him higher than the position you've placed him mainly due to his performance in the 1980s and also his popularity. Although Lewis has a strong case to be number 1 during the 1990s. Holyfield is number 1 mainly because when Bowe was undisputed champion in 1992 he avoided Lewis and instead rematched Holyfield thinking he(Bowe) would easily win. In 1996 Holyfield would become a 3 time champion because Tyson acted the same way as Bowe in 1992..... that is avoiding Lewis and thinking Holyfield would be an easy victory for them. On both occasions (1992 and 1996) Lewis was the number 1 challenger. Even when he (Lewis) lost to Mccall he made efforts towards getting a rematch but Don King blocked his efforts. Don King also used his influence to ensure a returning Mike Tyson after 2 comeback-fights jumped ahead of Lewis in the que for Frank Bruno's WBC title defense. In short boxing politics prevented Lewis from being number 1 heavyweight of the 1990s.
Great upload
I agree with Rummy, Lennox was out of the picture for too long and became Undisputed at the end of 99.
Not really.
He started the 90s with less than 10 fights.
By 1991, he was ranked in the top 10 (just 2 years after his debut) and had wins over solid competition like gary mason and tyrell biggs.
In 1992, he demolished ruddock in 2 rounds, something Tyson needed, what, 17 rounds,3 judges and a dodgy ref stoppage to beat.
After the McCall loss, he had 2 fights against meh opposition, before immediately fighting Morrison and Mercer, two former champs and holders of the WBO (although a minor belt, its still a belt)
All in all, Lennox spent less than a year after his loss before he was fighting top contenders again.
Tyson ducked Lennox twice in 96, choosing to fight Evander instead, so Lennox fought the likes of Golata and Briggs, destroying the former (whod in his last fights "beaten" bowe and sent him into retirement) in a minuite.
Over 97 and 98, Evander and Lennox were agreeing on terms for their fight.
When the fights did happen, Lennox dominated them, winning 19-5 IMO, with the first fight only one round going to Evander.
The only time Evander was fighting better opposition was 1990 and most of 91, and his fights with Bowe and Tyson.
The first one of those was due to the fact Lennox was just beginning his career, and both Bowe and Tyson ducked Lennox, which is the only reason why Evander fought Bowe (a second time) and Tyson before they fought Lennox.
I disagree, everyone ducked Lewis for years. Bowe was even stripped of a title as he fought and lost to Lewis in the amateurs and wanted no part of Lewis as a pro.
@@hepwo91222 Lewis would’ve fought Bowe if McCall didn’t knock him out behave yourself. Lewis also ducked Holmes in the early 90s
@@dylanburston7453 Lewis fought a shot Holyfield and still got outboxed in the second one. Fought none of the top 90s contenders anywhere close to their primes bar Mercer and got a lucky decision there. Tua Golota good performances but not championship material. Ruddock signature win🤦♂️
@@jakeedwards2020 Don't forget Lennox sold off his IBF belt to Don King for a Million dollars & a RangRover.
An for you simps that think I'm bullshitting go do some research and look it up. Wasn't hidden.
Oh and if anyone doesn't like the fight stylings of one John Ruiz they have Lennox to thank for that too. Instead of knocking out the dead weight he handed it a title. Resulting in the WBA mess of the 2000's. Context is king
Great video. It would be great if you would make "TOP 5 HW Pretenders in the '90's"
Great video. Close calls for the Spots 1 and 2 as well as 5 and 6. I look forward to the analysis of the next two decades!
Get em Rummy🔥. Can we get a video on best lightweights
*Awesome Video 📹!*
For me id say
1. Lewis
2. Holyfield
3. Moorer
4. Tyson
5. Bowe
Remove Tyson add Foreman. Tyson ducked everyone in the 90s other than Evander.
Great content. Thank you
Very good chronology Rummy.
I remember Holyfield moving up to heavyweight and some boxing pundits saying what a terrible time to do so with Tyson rulling the roost.
Must admit I agreed at the time.
And shows that I also know sh*t about boxing.
I'd agree with that list. Michael Moorer, in my opinion is underrated. Foreman in the top 5 may be strange to some, but for me he is a legit top 5 champion of the 90s. Riddick Bowe, in my opinion, was the most gifted heavyweight of his era. The guy was fast and could fight well on the inside also (which has been quite rare for big guys), and as great as the numbers on his boxing record were, his lack of discipline and how badly he had faded in his final fights makes him number 3 for me. I scored Lewis and Holyfield one fight apiece. Overall though, Holyfield is my number one pick for the reason stated in the video. He fought them all.
A truly underrated channel
Thanks for the analysis of the last golden era,where everyone could win from everyone.
Lenox is great champion,but Holyfield's legacy in the 1990s is a greater.
*LENNOX
Hey, hope you’re good. Could you please do a video on how todays top 5 would do up against the top 5 from the 90’s.
Each person vs the other 1-5. Not champions, I mean just ranked top 5 Would be an amazing video. Thank you. ❤
Usyk and Fury would be tough matchups in any era, but I think AJ, Wilder, and say Ruiz would have a lot of trouble with anyone on that 90's list.
@@hepwo91222 to be honest, AJ would never have snuck into the top 5 if he were in any other decade...
Excellent ranking 👏
If excluding the WBO world title - then these are the ranked line of world heavyweight champions of the 90's decade;
1. Lennox Lewis - 2-times world heavyweight champion in the decade and had most title fights + unified the crown in 1999.
2. Evander Holyfield - 3-times world heavyweight champion in the decade, had a equal impressive resume and had several memberale fights. Still lost to Lewis (¤ twice).
3. George Foreman - Became 2-time world champion after 20 years (1974-1994), was a major fan favourite of all ages and was involved in 7 title fights!
4. Michael Moorer - with the WBO, won a world title 3 times in the 90's and became the first ever southpaw HW champion and was involved in several top fights.
5. Riddick Bowe - with the WBO included, he won 2 world titles. Bowe started his 90's career but burned away fast. And finnished his career at a sour note.
6. Mike Tyson - Even if he was a 2-time champion and a huge fan favourite and was involved in high billed fights, Tyson was more hyped then credit was worth and had a short 2nd
reign where he was stripped off the WBC title and got stoped by Holyfield for his WBA title.
7. Oliver McCall - McCall was a tough opponent who had a lot of potentials along with a granite made chin, but beside 4 world title fights (2-2), McCall never managed to live up to
his potentials beyond winning the WBC title in a major upset over Lewis who had major overlooked McCall in favour of a unification match with Michael Moorer or getting Bowe!
8. Bruce Seldon - The "paper" champion who in many's opinions got his WBA world title for free with-out having to win against a legit top opponent. Won a TKO contest on cuts
over aging Tony Tucker and then a mediocre title defense over Joe Hipp before getting flattend by Tyson in 1 short round. Seldon had a razor sharp jab that easily could rival any
of the greats and had am impressive athletic physique, but beyond these claims there was a lot to desire.
9. Tommy Morrison
10. Ray Mercer.
Lewis should be #1 on your list.
no he shouldnt
Nice Video Rummy and good analysis I totally agree with your rankings Taiwo watching from Nigeria 🇳🇬👍🏿.
Great analysis; I fully agree with this.
Great video
I love your videos. Thank you. Sending love and blessings to you all god bless and keep the faith gra mhor.x
Beautiful History of my Era! 1990's Heavyweights is definitely a Golden era. Of course Ali & Foreman era was Golden" as well
Great era of boxing, wish we could get those quality of fights and opponents in this era, no one in this era will be remembered like the past greats, can't even get 1 undisputed heavyweight fight in this era.
My List:
1.Lewis
2.Holyfield
3.Bowe
4.Tyson
5. Moorer
Nobody is disrespectful in their opinions here.
That’s testimony to Rummy’s standing in the boxing community.
Great video.👍👊
Heavyweights in the 90s was f'ing nuts
You are a ledged Rummy. I always enjoy your views on the squared circle.
It's tough not having Tyson in the top 5. I remember watching the McCall v Lewis II fight. So strange.
'I hope you enjoyed'. Yes I did, very much so, like the rest of your videos. Thanks for all of them.
Excellent video
Fantastic video but I gave the top spot to Lennox...although it was razor thin. I miss the heavyweights of the 90s. We didn't realise we had it so good 🥊
Great stuff
Well done. Such an exciting decade in heavyweight boxing (got me started) and NOT AN EASY GROUP TO JUDGE!
I am glad you didn't mentioned Tyson in a top 5 discussion, this can be insulting for boxing fans who actually followed the sport. A good list, I think Lennox is better than Holyfied, but I agree on everything else
Great video Rummy, but I have to say the table at the end tells the story: swap your 1 and 2 😉
The first fight I ever got to see when I was a kid was Evander Holyfield vs George Forman for the heavyweight championship, and I was hooked ever since!
Great Video🎉🎉🎉
Yes rummy, perfect Sunday morning watch whilst cooking breakfast. Cheers!
Great decade of boxing……great video
Great breakdown
Quality content 👌
Thank you for going with integrity and facts over popularity in your ranks and keeping Mike Tyson a distance number 6 where he belongs.
Great vid as always! As a Brit hard to disagree with you with Holyfield being over Lewis but at the same time very valid and much respected points from you as always!
In all time rankings Lewis is better than Holyfield sadly (speaking as a Big Holyfield Fan), but just restricting it to this decade alone, Holyfield had the tougher competition and I can't give to to Lewis in the 90's when he was the lineal/undisputed champ for about 6 months compared to several years with Holyfield.
Great content and very insightful. One thing I always thought Mike tyson in his prime before and upto the Michael spinks fight 1988. How would Lewis holyfield bowe cope. Was before their time interesting debate though.
They'd smash "prime" mike.
Mike had to scrape decisions against tillis (who'd lost 4/5 of is last fights) and tucker.
Out of 7 shared opponents, Lennox beat 6 faster/by a wider margin/ at all, than mike.
And Lewis was beating beaten to the punch and losing every round to Bruno, until Bruno's stamina let him down yet again. It was the same Bruno Tyson woukd blow away in a few years rounds the following year.
@@Midnight65883 mike wasnt done stop it. he spent 4 years behind bars by the time he came back his body lost the speedy he had pre-prison and on top of that he did not have a good coach
Mike in his prime beats them all.
Lewis beat Holyfield, and could beat anyone on this list? What a load of rubbish.
Please be reasonable
At that level they all could beat any of each other on any given day. This list is based on overall resume and results of the 90's not head to head results only. Fact is Lewis didn't have the longevity at the championship level during the 90's to match holyfield.
Holyfield and Lewis are definitly in the Top 5 best Heavyweights of all time
Lewis yes. Holy wasn't top 5
@@DB-er-Handle2019 I agree Hard time putting over Joe Lewis ,Ali ,Foreman ,Lennox, Holmes, maybe Marciano Dempsey Jack Johnson and Floyd Patterson probably leaving some one out
However Cruiserweights probably a different story
Lewis, yes. Holyfield... not so much
@@tupacalypse88 Yep, you can argue Holyfield is not even top 10, even less so top 5
Lennox Lewis
Evander Holyfield
Riddick bowe
Michael Moorer
Mike Tyson
Fail...
I agree George Foreman lost to Holyfield, Lost to Tommy Morrison. Should have lost to Axel Schulz.
Holyfield's 90's resume is INSANE. The man literally fought every other top heavyweight in one of the deepest eras ever.
Started out as a cruiserweight & eventually went toe to toe with the best heavyweights. He’s one of my favorites!
I love how you explain your methodology. Nothing’s a slam dunk.
1. Lennox Lewis
2. Evander Holyfield
3. George Foreman
4. Riddick Bowe
5. Mike Tyson
Remove Tyson. He ducked everyone in the 90s accept Evander
Nailed it!
Lennox Lewis Undisputed. No guy test.🔥🔥🔥
Another great one! I used to pride myself that I could name EVERY single Heavyweight Champion from Sullivan to Moorer. After that it became extremely difficult for me to name them. I forgot about most of these fights, and I STILL dont really count the WBO. Sorry but I remember when the IBF wasnt taken seriously now the WBO too? Some great fighters have owned the WBO but three belts was already too many.
Before watching I'll guess rn:
1. Lennox
2. Holyfield
3. Tyson
4. Foreman
5. Bowe
EDIT: Wow I was so close! I have the same dilemma picking between Evander and Lewis but figured you would edge Lewis because of the undisputed achievement, and weigh that over Holyfield's resume.I didn't wanna include Mike but figured he went in undisputed and won a portion of the crown. I was really guessing where you'd go with it Rummy. We both saw George at #4 and with that I can rest peacefully. Bowe will go to the bottom of any list, even ones he deserves to be on, simply for throwing the belt in the trash. Can't unsee that. Imagine if Draymond threw away his championship ring and sat out the finals?
Off topic but I was curious if you had an opinion on Canelo vs Benavidez!
I'd prefer that fight over Bivol-Canelo II at this point, Abraham. Hope we get to see it, I think it would be a terrific match up. Cheers!
Imma go ahead and agree with you with Evander over Lennox. It would be interesting...take out the champion aspect and just rank the five best heavyweights, is the list different?
Yes, I think it very well could be, and in retrospect I wish I had stressed that point a little more along the way. For example, in the 1950s, if we just limit the scope to championship fights (which is the objective here), then someone like Sonny Liston is excluded entirely, despite him doing some excellent work in the late 50s. And perhaps more relevant, I see that many people have taken issue with me ranking Leon Spinks ahead of Ken Norton in the 1970s. If we remove the championship aspect, I would certainly have Norton ahead of Spinks. But at the end of the day, Norton never officially won a championship bout in that decade, whereas Leon did.
I'm not sure if it would necessarily alter my 1990s ranking here, as I think Lennox (like Holmes, Ali, and Patterson) was one of those guys whose prime spread across multiple decades. And when we examine the entirety of a heavyweight career, to repeat what I mentioned in the video, I would definitely rank Lennox ahead of Evander.
Video suggestion: Top 10 fighters who almost became champion, but fell short due to controversial decisions.
I would have liked to see some graphics that include the belts themselves as icons and how they changed hands. I'd agree with your list. 90s was a great era for boxing.
Tony Tucker had class.
I believe Lennox is the #1 heavyweight of all time. He was the best in the most competitive era of heavyweights & I think he is a really tough matchup against any heavyweight boxer throughout history. Fury, Klitchkos, Ali would all have a tough time. Extremely well rounded fighter with technique & power & defense. Not a granite chin but a good chin
Hey Rummy, how about covering the fight of the century for each of the weight classes. Heavyweight, i have the first fight between Ali and Frazier .
Do The Top 5 Heavyweight Champions Of the 2000s and 2010s
I will. And then once I finish the 2010s, I plan to do 2 more longer videos on the same theme.
I’m probably bias but I agree bar Lennox and Holyfield.. but I may be bias like I said as I love Lennox
So I have a question, if Lennox Lewis ranks higher on your all-time heavyweights list but Evander Holyfield is higher when it comes to 90s, what makes Lewis higher in an all time sense in your mind? Not trying to get on you but i agree that the top two are hard to rank but im just curious