Heavyweight Boxing in the 1970s - The Great Fighters and Rivalries

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Aldword

Heavyweight boxing in the 1970s is a historical study tracing the sport’s defining fighters and rivalries, built from extensive research across books, magazines, archival materials, and films. The author revisits the era that shaped his youth, developing an unbiased set of criteria to determine the true “golden age” of heavyweight boxing. The work spans major periods within the decades, comparing eras and focusing on competing heavyweight figures and their impact.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages324

Reading Time8 h 19 min

AccessFree to download

Contents

ONE. Comparing the Eras

Two. The 1960s

THREE. 1970

FoUR. 1971

FIVE. 1972

SIX. 1973

SEVEN. 1974

EIGHT. 1975

NINE. 1976

TEN. 1977

ELEVEN. 1978

TWELVE. 1979 and Beyond

Chapter Notes

Bibliography

Index

HEAVYWEIGHTBOXING INTME 1970SThe Great Fighters and RivalriesJOE RYAN Heavyweight Boxingin the 1970s https://archive.org/details/heavyweightboxin0000ryan Heavyweight Boxingin the 1970s The Great Fighters and Rivalries JOE RYAN To my father James and my brother Michael,two real fighters who set the bar very highfor those of us who must follow # LIBRARY OF CoNGRESS CATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Ryan,Joe,1963- Heavyweight boxing in the 1970s:the greatfighters and rivalries /Joe Ryan. P. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-7864-7074-7 softcover :acid free paper× 1.Boxing-History-20th century.I.Title.GV1121.R932013796.8309-dc232012050319 # BRITISH LIBRARY CATALOGUING DATA ARE AVAILABLE ◎2013 Joe Ryan.All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any formor by any means,electronic or mechanical,including photocopyingor recording,or by any information storage and retrieval system,without permission in writing from the publisher. On the cover:Boxer Muhammad Ali(right),against Ken Nortonin 1973(Photofest);background image ◎2013 Shutterstock Manufactured in the United States of America McFarland ó Company,Inc.,PublishersBox 61l,Jefferson,North Carolina 28640www.mcfarlandpub.com Contents Acknowledgments vi Preface 1 ONE.Comparing the Eras …………………………3 Two. The 1960s……………………………………………23 THREE.1970……………………………………………………42 FoUR.1971……… …………………………………………64 FIVE.1972.. ……………………………91 ……………………………110 SIX.1973……… SEVEN.1974 …………………………142 …………………………………176 EIGHT.1975. …………………………………………198 NINE.1976…… TEN.1977…………………………………………………………229 ELEVEN.1978 …………………………………………………249 TWELVE.1979 and Beyond………………………275 Chapter Notes 295 Bibliography 301 Index 307 # Acknowledgments There are so many people I would like to thank in making the com-pletion of this book possible.First of all my wife Tracey,who has beensupportive from the start,and my wonderful children,Meaghan,Joshuaand Zachary,for putting up with the day-to-day lunacy it took to completea project of this size.A special thanks to my youngest,Zachary,who,onlytwelve,has been my on-hand technical support man,and kept me fromgoing crazy. Thanks to my loving mother Mary,who has always made me feelthat I could accomplish anything.To my big sister Cathy,my greatest exam-ple,constant supporter and lifelong friend. A special thank you goes out to my good friend Charles R.Saunders,who has been my editor,advisor and source of material and encouragementthroughout this endeavor.To Dave Somerton,who provided me throughthe years with the video needed to revisit these great fights.To my sister-in-law Tina Taylor,for all of her help.And to my new friend Clay Moyle,a fantastic author who has gone above and beyond in his assistance to me. # Preface When I set out to write this book,my motivation was to revisit a periodthat gripped me throughout my youth.Muhammad Ali was the man whoinitially piqued my interest in boxing,as he did for many kids who grew upin the sixties and seventies.My interest eventually expanded to all of the erasand divisions in the sport.I would devour every book and magazine I couldget my hands on.Combing old bookstores and tracking down movies of theold legends,I became an accomplished boxing historian.Seniors would regaleme with tales of the old-timers,and I would listen intently.In time I couldhold my own in conversations with fans fifty and sixty years my senior. My university studies led me to a career in history,and a love of historicalresearch.Summer employment at the National Museum of Man in Ottawa,Ontario,Canada,and provincial archives enhanced my knowledge of anddesire for research.New avenues of research were opened to me and I beganto utilize those skills to delve into my first love,boxing. At this stage,I decided to write an in-depth study on the sport thatintrigued me so much.With the age-old questions in mind as to who wasthe greates

FAQs

What motivated the author to write this book?

The author wanted to revisit a period that gripped him throughout his youth, sparked initially by Muhammad Ali’s impact on boxing fans in the sixties and seventies.

How does the author approach evaluating the “golden age” of heavyweight boxing?

He formulates a set of criteria and uses a fair, standard formula to scrutinize every era from Jack Johnson through the modern reign of the Klitschko brothers.

Which time period does the author ultimately emphasize?

After applying his criteria, the conclusion returns to the very period and characters that first captivated him: the heavyweights of the seventies.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Aldword