Who were the Top 10 pound for pound boxers in the 1970s?
Welcome to Part 9 of 13 from the newest Boxing Survey Series, which will survey volunteers in an effort to determine the best pound for pound boxers from each decade. For this particular survey which focuses attention on boxers from the 1970s, a total of 35 volunteers participated. Each volunteer provided a chronological list of between 10 and 25 names to cast their votes for the best boxers in the 1970s.
The 1970s was a wonderful time in boxing history when many terrific boxers competed, particularly in the heavyweight division. Indeed, the 1970s is widely viewed as the Golden Era in heavyweight history, highlighted by the Big 3 – Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, and George Foreman. Ali and Frazier had an epic trilogy, Foreman and Frazier fought twice, and Muhammad Alie and George Foreman fought in another classic encounter in 1974.
But outside of the heavyweight division, there were many great boxers as well, including Roberto Duran, Alexis Arguello, and Bob Foster. In the 1970s, Duran was a long reigning lightweight champion in the 70s (where he could go on to accomplish much more in the following decade), Arguello was a 2 division champion in the 70s (and he would also go on to become a 3 division champion in the following decade), and Foster was a long time champion in the light heavyweight division, where he became champion in 1968 and the bulk of his reign happened during the 70s.
So who were the Top 10 pound for pound boxers during the 1970s? And where do Muhammad Ali, Roberto Duran, Alexis Arguello, Bob Foster, Joe Frazier, and George Foreman all fit in?
This edition of Rummy’s Corner will attempt to answer that question based on the results from part 9 in this Survey focusing on the 1970s, which included 35 volunteers. Please watch and enjoy the video. This is Rummy’s Corner (produced and narrated by Geoffrey Ciani).
