Top 5 Heavyweight Champions in the 1980s | A Brief Chronology of the 1980s Heavyweight Championship

A brief chronology of the 1980s world heavyweight boxing championship.
Who were the Top 5 world heavyweight boxing champions during the 1980s?
In the 1980s there were 15 men who held claim to at least a portion of the heavyweight championship between January 1, 1980 and December 31, 1989. 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 1980s heavyweight championship landscape.
The video will also provide an opinion of the Top 5 heavyweight champions in the 1980s, from all 15 champions, including: Larry Holmes, John Tate, Mike Weaver, Muhammad Ali, Michael Dokes, Gerrie Coetzee, Greg Page, Tony Tubbs, Tim Witherspoon, Pinklon Thomas, James Smith, Michael Spinks, Trevor Berbick, Tony Tucker, and Iron Mike Tyson.
So who were the Top 5 heavyweight champions during the 1980s?
This video documentary will attempt to answer that question.
www.boxingnews24.com/
This episode of Rummy's Corner was written, narrated, and produced by Geoffrey Ciani (aka - Rummy).
Ranking the Top 5 Heavyweight Boxing Champions in the 1980s | A Brief Chronology of the 1980s Heavyweight Championship
#Boxing #1980sBoxing #MikeTyson #LarryHolmes

[@MrSnowflake]

Such a great channel

[@grahamgreene779]

indeed!

[@saulstephen4743]

You nailed it!

[@ZBOXINGTALK]

The 80s was filled with a great fighters who unfortunately didn’t reach their full potential, they had excellent skills and a lot of talent but unfortunately most of the guys had too much addictions that ruined them.

[@RummysCorner]

There really were a lot of talented heavyweights throughout the 80s, and because many of them (as you mentioned) did not fullfill their potential, I think the talent level in the decade tends to get underrated by many.

[@demarcusmac2813]

@@RummysCorner severely underated

[@SPIDERM0OSE]

1980s was the start of Mega money being invested into the sport & all of a sudden smaller guys like Sugar Ray Leonard & Roberto Duran were living rock star lifestyles, no longer fighting for a pat on the back from the fans, a shiny belt & 3 mortgage payments up front. Now take a big guy without much education in a ghetto, who first got into boxing to keep himself outa gangs & outa prison. Now hes a pro, talented & he has promoters offering him big signing on fees up front. Maybe more cash than 3 generations of that guys family has seen. Rockstar lifestyle welcoming you, sex drugs n rock n roll. You need to think of the 80s guys as soldiers, they were the first to experience the mega bucks, they went from zero to hero in terms of wealth. From being a hated downtrodden element of society to being able to buy all of what they & their friends every wanted day to day & that change happened over night for them. Some made it through that minefield by retaining their discipline, some didn't n fell by the way side. The pros of today are pros because boxing men have learned lessons from the likes of Dokes, Biggs & others.

[@SPIDERM0OSE]

@@RummysCorner The talent is always there, the potential is always there. They World Championships is every 2 years & the Olympics happen every 4 years, same as always. People are people, men are men. How the sport is managed & promoted is what chops & changes. Promote low level shit, then yer gonna get more low level shit. Promote quality, yer gonna get more quality.

[@lastexittobrooklyn1416]

@@RummysCorner If I was to rank the 80s HW's on pure talent, potential alone.... 1. Larry Holmes 2. Mike Tyson 3. Tim Witherspoon 4. Greg Page 5. Pinklon Thomas 6. Michael Dokes 7. Tony Tucker 8. Michael Spinks 9. Mike Weaver 10. Gerrie Coetzee

[@villekyyny]

Holmes is the most underrated heavyweight champion of all time.

[@armyofninjas9055]

*laughs in Lennox Lewis

[@mikelomez9313]

@@armyofninjas9055 I'd say that Lewis isn't underrated but I truly believe that while he was training with Stewart he might have been the greatest heavyweight ever. Guy was unstoppable

[@tylerrobbins8311]

Marciano is simply because he is not given credit as the goat despite being the goat. Louis and Walcott are both criminally underrated as well.

[@Hello_combat_sports_fans]

He isn’t underrated anymore some stupid people’s are ranking him above Tyson in 80s

[@douglasborgaro6801]

@Hello_combat What’s amazing to me is that Marciano didn’t win for the same reasons as Ali or Joe Louis. Rocky won because he was stronger and in better shape than his opponents. He could outlast everyone and get stronger with every round. He wasn’t deterred by pain. He was relentless and determined. Of course he was a super hard hitter! Rocky wasn’t a scientifically skilled boxer. But with what Rocky was and what he could do he was too much for most all opponents. That’s kind of the simplest of concepts, but how do you beat that? Ali said in later years that based on his style he was still much prettier than Marciano, but he would have had trouble with Marciano if he would’ve faced him. I actually think he may have been right.

[@JD.78]

Can't disagree with Tyson being the No.1. He beat the best, won every title, and was the undisputed Heavyweight Champion. Watching his rise to the the top was a pleasure to behold, i'm glad i got to see it.

[@shahed-1367]

Rummy your channel is such a breath of fresh air from the toxic boxing discourse on social media. This era of boxing in particular is always subject to derision on social media. Everyone is always dismissing Holmes' and Tyson's accolades. It's annoying. Thanks for making these great videos.

[@MarkyCannoli]

Can’t wait for the 90s. What a decade of fighting that was!! Holyfield or Lewis is the question. But you also had Tyson, Bowe, Moorer, Foreman, Morrison and the list goes on.

[@JP-rl4bc]

Agreed. I may lean towards Lennox for the 90s since he beat Holyfield convincingly, Ko'd Tyson and had Bowe throw his belt away to avoid fighting Lewis..

[@jtaco4101]

@@JP-rl4bc it's Lennox for sure.

[@thediaz07]

Tyson win was in mid 2002... So you can't include that win in the 90s Lewis.

[@active.7universal]

Lennox Lewis at his peak most likely would take em all in a trilogy

[@samueldowney2806]

Big George without a doubt! :)

[@RobbieCalifornia69]

I know it's going to be a good week when Rummy's Corner drops a video on Monday :) That aside ... I think you pretty much nailed it with that list. I totally agree that Mike is the Number One guy of the 80s ...without hesitation. Just plain awesome power. What a whacky decade in the HW landscape.

[@kiowhatta1]

Kudos to you - someone finally recognising not just Witherspoon but other top HW’s of the sometimes erroneously referred to ‘weak’ decade of the 80’s.

[@carson21211]

Started watching boxing with my Dad and his friends around 1995 when I was around 11yrs old. Tyson was such an unbelieveable guy to my young eyes. His technique and ferocity is still amazing to watch even now as an adult. I couldn't imagine with 100 years of training ever being able to fight that guy. A true all-time great. Interesting to see who is the the 90's best HW. That is gonna be a tough one to list.

[@electrofunk5442]

I love how you solved the Holmes vs Tyson conundrum.

[@t.c.9978]

Rummy tends to hold a special place in his heart for the Easton Assassin, so the fact that Holmes didn't take first shows he's really being disciplined in this decade by decade process.

[@mrbrooklynny]

Here's the decade I was waiting for! Are you going to do the 90s to?

[@RummysCorner]

Yes. May take me a few months to get through them all, but I intend to do the 90s, 00s, and 10s, and then 2 follow-up episodes based on the decades I cover (50s-10s).

[@mrbrooklynny]

@@RummysCorner sweet man.

[@miabueloesamunikeymipadrel4878]

@@RummysCorner Hype in 3,2,1, hahahah

[@slidecounter5813]

The 90's Era was very great as well

[@fiucik1]

The 80's were a huge mess, but the 90's are really interesting. With 2 reigns of Holyfield and Lewis, with Big George Foreman regaining his title after 20 years, with Bowe, Tyson, Moorer and others in the mix. Can't wait. Thanks for another great episode Rummy.

[@mohammedaesmaoui312]

Thank you for dropping us boxing fans these gems rummy.we appreciate the time,quality, and effort you put into your videos.

[@redauerbach2753]

Great video. Really enjoy your stuff. 👍🏼👍🏼

[@ukraine_tbic]

This is just what I needed! You’re 1990’s heavyweight summary video is my favourite

[@lennoxpeters7792]

I love this channel. Very good content, I was born in the early 80’s so it’s great to catch up on fights era’s and reigns I wouldn’t have been aware of at the time.

[@peterswarpeterson3493]

What a great channel 👍 always look forward to your videos 🥊🥊 many thanks

[@larrydynamiteiii]

Thank you for being consistent in your criteria.

[@BigBrainLynx]

Great video

[@Rock33b]

Great job

[@olufemiakeredolu5235]

Brilliant Analysis

[@alexroyster182]

I was lucky to see Holmes beat Norton as a young kid and see Tyson move up the ranks and unify the title. The whole HBO tournament was so cool. I remember loving watching the whole thing unfold and Tyson stood at the top when it was all said and done. I remember watching Tyson take apart Holmes and my dad said, you know the way he beat Holmes I don't think there is anyone around ready for Tyson. I myself thought Tyson would never be a beaten after that fight when I was 13. At school on Monday that's all us guys at the lunch table talked about. Today's average 13 year old kid probably has no idea who is champion of any weight class 😆 they probably talk about Jake Paul before knowing about any top boxer. Sad but probably true.

[@richardmorris7063]

Probably don't even talk sports, bury their heads in their cell phone's.

[@active.7universal]

Holmes 38 with 2 years rust lasted longer than Tyson first 18 opponents who were all young and active//

[@Priceluked]

That's mostly Alphabet bodies' fault, no one gives a shit for however many champions there are.

[@AFMMarcelD]

Since society in general has been in a steep decline since then, no kids now care to read a good book or memorize anything, social media is making people dumber in bundles.

[@miabueloesamunikeymipadrel4878]

The 80s for me have been a time that was behind the shadows, of the great golden decade that was the 70s. Another great video to complement our knowledge of this, our beloved sport. Thank you Rummy for bringing us the good yeyo dose. Greetings from Canary Island.

[@danient8734]

I agree with the 1980's ranking, great channel!

[@federicostorms1541]

Thank you very much to you for that high quality works.

[@Pleaver]

Hey bro. You’re content is the best. Thanks. Super luxe.

[@shawndellbailey4032]

Great video

[@blazeblackk]

Great video.

[@glynhannaford7332]

Great research, knowledge and analysis Geoff. 👏

[@BigSwervyy]

Rummy We Really Appreciate You ! I promise!

[@wraithstrongopark]

word! all love for the man.

[@truckcampertraveler7369]

Thanks entertaining as always

[@AirTime14]

Absolutely love this video and appreciate your work. Would like to see this for the 90s, 00s and 10s

[@deanostanley8530]

Enjoying this series Rummy. Keep em coming mate

[@DanBamber8]

Always excellence with Rummy’s videos. Well reasoned arguments here too.

[@surgicalboxing1551]

Just wanted to tell you that I’m a huge fan of yours Rummy. You were one of the main channels that inspired me to start my channel 🙏

[@J0HNJ0RDAN]

I love this frickin channel.

[@Blackson187]

Hell yes; I've been waiting for this one!

[@aaronbrown0417]

You make the best videos on boxing hands down..I been waiting for this

[@Leggoeljefeblu]

Love this channel thank you for the great vids as always

[@stephenh9483]

Wow I never knew so much of this stuff, awesome

[@markmmcaulay]

👍 Great job! Mike Weaver is a tough omission. I can't help but look at how rough he is career started and then winning against John Tate coming from behind in a start and behind in the fight.

[@Krezo200]

Love your channel since many years

[@farid444]

Great stuff as always! .. looking forward to the 90s with a lot of great fights and champions as well as the addition of a new sanctioning body .. the WBO.

[@Me3stR]

I was looking forward to when you'd get to this decade. Good Job!

[@wmurra1]

Excellent video. Following you from Cartagena Colombia.

[@kaic-m2865]

great video as always rummy

[@thebiglebisto9066]

❤❤❤ this channel!!!

[@steelmillsboxing2505]

Luv this channel

[@michaelteret4763]

Good list, no complaints.

[@donovanchilton5817]

I mean yeah, I’d have to agree. Context is important and the truth is Holmes fought Tyson at 37/38 after two years of inactivity.

[@daveday6728]

For me Holmes ranks much higher than Tyson in the all time list

[@sj4448]

Larry was just after the bag by then. Prime Larry's movement and jab would have dealt with Mike.

[@SincerelySagacious]

The Holmes Tyson fought was much better than the Ali that Holmes fought.

[@smileykid18]

But Holmes was still a formidable opponent.

[@kennykross3306]

@@daveday6728 mike is better than larry holmes

[@kchoodsta]

You have the best boxing channel in all the interwebs rummy

[@MarkyCannoli]

Spot on!

[@andrew3xuk346]

Another good call. Difficult to dispute the raw data from Jan 1 1980 to Dec 31st 1989. A period of great confusion for the Heavyweights until Tyson cleaned it all up! 💪🏻 Great Work

[@RummysCorner]

Thank you very much!

[@MisterWessells]

thank god ur back

[@simsj2763]

Another good one! Love your vids! Being from London I would love you to do a video on Ranking all-time British Heavyweights if you haven't already?

[@devonfields]

Way to get my morning good 👍🏾

[@luckmanali187]

Top video

[@darealgodzilla]

Completely agree. Tyson united the belts and Larry was mostly whining about being wronged.

[@Romans8-9]

@@RatatRatR Tbh, I think Rummy is a little biased towards Holmes here. There is just no way Larry is that close to being the no.1 of the 80s. He lost 2 of his biggest fights to Spinks, who was demolished by Tyson in 1 round before eventually losing to Tyson himself. Tyson on the other hand never lost a fight in the 80s. Larry is the clear no.2

[@andreitiberiovicgazdovici]

Saluti dall' Italia amico mio, gran bel video, come sempre d' altronde. Se passi da queste parti sei sempre il benvenuto

[@alias2175]

When Rummy makes the 90s video you know it's going to be a looooong one, can't wait to watch it.

[@amv7m]

Great breakdown and conclusion. I think the results are on the money.

[@jahkarl7376]

Jesus bless you, sweet memories of my youth watching this division.

[@TheGhost0312]

Excellent series this one, are you planning on doing a top 5 or 10 heavyweights of all time taking in consideration the top 3 or 5 of each decade when you finish this series? That would be great indeed.

[@ThePinkMan]

The Mike Weaver KO of Big John Tate was insane. Tate dominated the fight for 15 rounds before Weaver knocked him out cold with less than a minute to go. Weaver was only considered cannon-fodder for Tate, who was supposed to be the next big thing in the heavyweight division. And yet, Weaver went on to have several successful title defenses for his WBA belt, while Tate's career went absolutely nowhere after that.

[@MrAowens1]

i agree. good video. I did not know much about the guys Tyson was knocking out in the 80s besides Holmes so very informative. Gives credence to the quality of victory Tyson had in his prime

[@jamiepike6909]

Been waiting for this one🎉❤

[@RAZVANJUSTIN1]

Amazing

[@langleyh8243]

I love that this channel often highlights Larry Holmes. Always felt like if his prime took place in either the previous or future decade (the '70s or '90s) his talent would've been much more appreciated by the general public

[@samueldowney2806]

Great fun video Rummy. I agree on all counts. Really, really hard to separate The Eastern Assassin and Iron Mike; what if Larry had got the decision he deserved in the rematch vs Spinks? But even discounting the incredible spectacle and phenomenon of Iron Mike's rise, I think Mike still clinches it. I can't remember a greater sense of excitement in any sport compared to those fights when Mike climbed into the ring glowering around like the baddest man on the planet and then gave endearing toothy lisping interviews afterwards claiming to just be a kid having fun, while being the youngest Heavyweight Champion ever. Truly legendary.

[@josephphoenix1376]

Excellent Episode 👍

[@smv9338]

I love this series, thank you. Will you be turning to middleweights once you've completed the heavies?

[@KingWilder87]

Just absolutely amazing. As a real boxing fan “we” enjoy tf out of your videos

[@Gambitfan]

God the 90s are going to be a bit of a mess too, aren't they? Wonderful vid Rummy! Pretty much in agreement with your rankings.

[@jamesoshaughnessy9168]

I do enjoy your clear admiration for Holmes Rummy. You can't say his name twice without slowing your delivery & stating "The Easton Assassin". I enjoy it every time!

[@jessearias2863]

Thanks rummy!!! Love the 80s Love Tyson great job.

[@dexocube]

Great work Rummy

[@gaddaitherage8204]

Tyson was a force of nature. Great video!

[@bxing602]

Hey Rumsfeld great video! Can you do a top 35 after you’ve finished the 2010s? P.S can’t wait for the 90s video! I’d say that was the greatest decade of HW history next to the 70s.

[@TreyParker318]

Love the recent uploads Rummy

[@stephen313]

The results same as mine. I remember following the rise of iron mike a phenomenon a force of nature he was. Great content as always sending love and blessings from ireland

[@duncaninglis5407]

Great video Rummy thank you for recognising the absolute brilliance of the Eastern Assassin inside the ring he was unparalleled in his prime and he fought Tyson arguably out of his prime he Is sometimes forgotten because of the way Iron Mike came up through the HW absolutely destroying opponents boxing fans were mouth wide open at Tyson.

[@CampsitePyro]

Rummy-this is pretty kick ass. Can you do a 1980s chronology like the 1990s one you did ? THANKS!!!

[@RAZVANJUSTIN1]

The 90' should be packed with champions again Morrison,Foreman,Holyfield,Moorer,Tyson,Ruiz,Klitsko,Bowe,Lewis,Mercer,

[@briharrisWarhmmer40kfan]

I got the same results as you rummy and yes my American brother I also loved through the rise of iron Mike and it's just impossible to fully explain to people who weren't born at that time just how amazing and exciting it was.i was 6 yes old in 86 when Mike won the first title and he was just everything to me and the reason I fell in love with our incredible sport 👊❤️👊 respect and God bless as always mate 🙏

[@MrNickreedjr]

Perfect!!!

[@samuelmahmud1909]

Great video coverage Rummy the belts changed hands monthly!🥊🥊💯 I would've loved to see Tyson and Holmes in Holmes' prime!

[@richardmorris7063]

Would have been interesting. I'm not sure Mike would have beaten him.

[@Ehrle6969]

Mike win first round ko

[@danpettitt7012]

In his Prime Holmes has too much for Prime Tyson in my opinion

[@danpettitt7012]

​@@Ehrle6969😂😂😂😂

[@MichaelVLang]

Larry's jab/cross was just absolutely lethal. Like a 50cal sniper rifle going off, backed up by 105mm howitzer.

[@bryanv4081]

Nice job again, Rummy.

[@breezecardenas3941]

Thanks for clearing up the "Alphabet soup of the 1980's", Rummy! As I commented on your previous video, I was always curious about the heavyweight division in the 1980's. Thank so much, and keep up the great work! 👍🏽

[@billybob9961]

It looks good glad to see Tim in your top 5

[@swampthing94]

That trademark Holmes piston jab is a thing of beauty

[@twoheadeddatascientist3289]

Hello Rummy. Love you video and your reasoning behind your ranking. May I kindly ask would you ever get into MMA analysis? Thank you.

[@johnconnor7131]

You can trouble me for a glass of shut the hell up

[@nicholaslacovara2381]

I agree with you 100 percent.

[@yk8304]

You should do a video about the best old school boxers with the best replay value when it comes to fights

[@markmmcaulay]

I was trying to say how rough of a start he had to his career and him being behind in the fight with Big John Tate. Weaver just had a way of coming back!

[@fasasitaiwo5782]

I totally agree with your rankings Rummy, nice video as always and good analysis. Taiwo watching from Nigeria 🇳🇬👍🏿.

[@dodge1724]

Thanks rummy that was a perfect reminder to how things use to be instead of the ridiculous landscape we have in boxing currently also illustrates that Teddy Atlas was completely wrong with his analysis of Tyson. Tyson cleared up the whole division and left no ambiguity all by the age of 23

[@jasonellis9777]

Was there ever any try to have Tyson vs Witherspoon that you know of? Tim could have given Tyson if he was having a good night. Dokes also could have been a good fight as well. Thanks for another good video!

[@RummysCorner]

It would have happed (and was expected to happen) in March 1987, but it was derailed when Bonecrusher Smith stopped Witherspoon in round 1 in December '86.

[@donovanwilliams9006]

I still think Tim would've given Mike all types of problems had he got past Smith.

[@bigboris5774]

@@donovanwilliams9006 100%. I think has that fight happened the legend surrounding “Prime Tyson” would be a lot different now. Witherspoon was really similar to Douglas, same height, almost identical weight, etc. Tyson definitely would’ve won but Witherspoon would’ve given him a close fight especially in the latter rounds and could’ve very well knocked him down.

[@thediaz07]

@@bigboris5774 maybe...but Tony Tubbs was phenomenal too...Tony Tubbs beat Witherspoon IMO and beat Riddick Bowe .. Tokyo Douglas was honestly in his bag and would've given ANY champ a run for their money.

[@thewhitebeltboxer172]

Can you do Top Welterweights after pls

[@latos0235]

My god, the 90s list will be a tough one to make