Heavyweight Title Fights of the 1980s

Bookended by two all-time greats in Larry Holmes and Mike Tyson, the much-maligned 1980s were significant in heavyweight boxing. Holmes dominated the first half of the decade, but the "e;Easton Assassin"e; struggled to escape the shadow of Muhammad Ali. Holmes did establish a 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 "e;lost generation"e; 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.