What is the 4 best decades for boxing?

[Takes Two To Tango]

I used this for reference.

The Top Ranked Boxers by Decade

Boxer Ranking Explanations

1880s

John L. Sullivan
Peter Jackson
Pat Killen
Joe McAuliffe
Jake Kilrain
George Geoffrey
Billy Wilson
Nonpareil Jack Dempsey
Denver Ed Smith
Dominick McCaffrey
Charley Mitchell
Bill Chesterfield Goode
Jim Pettengell
Jake Burke
Harry Laing
Jake McAuliffe
Dick Matthews
Professor Charles Hadley
Harris Martin
Mervin Thompson
Patsy Cardiff
Frank Paddy Slavin
Billy Myer
Peter J. Nolan
Charles Dunn
Ben Seth
Bill Bradburn
Jack Hall
Sam Baxter
Billy Baker

1890s

Bob Fitzsimmons
Tommy Ryan
Kid Lavigne
Charles Kid McCoy
Dan Creedon
George Dixon
Peter Maher
Frank Erne
Joe Choynski
Mysterious Billy Smith
Jim Barron
Paddy Slavin
Joe Goddard
Young Griffo
Joe Walcott
Jim Hall
Peter Jackson
Tom Duggan
Pedlar Palmer
Terry McGovern
Tommy Williams
Joe Butler
James J. Jeffries
Joe Gans
Solly Smith
Tommy Sharkey
Tommy West
Henry Baker
Charles McKeever
George Green

1900s

Joe Gans
Jack Johnson
Terry McGovern
Battling Nelson
Jimmy Britt
Tommy Ryan
Young Corbett II
Philadelphia Jack O'Brien
Mike Twin Sullivan
Stanley Ketchel
Abe Attell
Jack Root
Tommy Burns
Jimmy Gardner
Bob Fitzsimmons
Joe Walcott
George Gardner
Harry Lewis
Jim Driscoll
James J. Jeffries
Al Kaufman
Joe Bowker
Owen Moran
Billy Papke
Jack Blackburn
Willie Lewis
Marvin Hart
Matty Matthews
Harry Forbes
Sam Langford

1910s

Jack Johnson
Harry Greb
Tommy Gibbons
Mike Gibbons
Jack Dillon
Harry Willis
Packey McFarland
Battling Levinsky
Sam Langford
Johnny Kilbane
Benny Leonard
Johnny Dundee
Ted Kid Lewis
Jack Britton
Mike O'Dowd
Sammy McVea
Bob Moha
Freddie Welsh
Lew Tendler
Kid Williams
Dave Smith
Leo Houck
Pete Herman
George KO Chaney
Jimmy Clabby
Ad Wolgast
Jimmy Wilde
Lockport Jimmy Duffy
George Chip
Willie Ritchie

1920s

Gene Tunney
Tommy Loughran
Harry Greb
Benny Leonard
Mickey Walker
Tommy Gibbons
Jack Dempsey
Harry Wills
Pancho Villa
Fidel Labarba
Jack Sharkie
Jackie Fields
Louis Kaplan
Frankie Genaro
Young Stribling
Pete Latzo
Sammy Mandell
Lew Tendler
Paul Berlenbach
Rocky Kansas
Dave Shade
Benny Bass
Jimmy McLarnin
Tony Canzoneri
Mike McTigue
Maxie Rosenbloom
Bud Taylor
George Carpentier
Jack Delaney II
Eugene Criqui

1930s

Joe Louis
Benny Lynch
Tony Canzoneri
Jimmy McLarnin
Young Corbett III
John Henry Lewis
Barney Ross
Max Schmeling
Panam Al Brown
Henry Armstrong
Jackie Brown
Max Baer
Marcel Thil
Freddy Miller
Petey Sarron
Peter Kane
Jack Sharkey
Primo Carnera
Maxie Rosenbloom
Lou Ambers
Freddie Steele
Fred Apostoli
Midget Wolgast
Lou Brouillard
Len Harvey
Teddy Yarosz
Al Hostak
Joe Knight
Billy Petrolle
Tiger Jack Fox

1940s

Willie Pep
Sugar Ray Robinson
Ezzard Charles
Joe Louis
Ike Williams
Rush Dalma
Manuel Ortiz
Beau Jack
Sandy Saddler
Bob Montgomery
Jackie Paterson
Rinty Monaghan
Archie Moore
Freddie Mills
Gus Lesnevich
Jimmy Bivins
Sal Bartolo
Sammy Angott
Charley Burley
Tony Zale
Jake Lamotta
Anton Christoforidis
Tippy Larkin
Melio Bettina
Peter Kane
Henry Armstrong
Benny Goldberg
Marcel Cerdan
Lloyd Marshall
Juan Zurita

1950s

Rocky Marciano
Archie Moore
Sugar Ray Robinson
Pasquel Perez
Jimmy Carruthers
Floyd Patterson
Carmen Basilio
Joey Maxim
John Sneyers
Mario D'Agata
Vic Toweel
Bobby Olsen
Yoshio Shirai
Kid Bassey
Harold Johnson
Robert Cohen
Gene Fullmer
Peter Keenan
Joe Brown
Bud Smith
Percy Bassett
Kid Gavilan
Sandy Saddler
Charles Humez
Ray Famechon
Ingemar Johansson
Ezzard Charles
Yolande Pompey
Davey Moore
Randy Turpin

1960s

Muhammad Ali
Vicente Saldivar
Sonny Liston
Carlos Ortiz
Dick Tiger
Eder Jofre
Jose Torres
Chartchai Chionoi
Hiroyuki Ebihara
Horacio Accavallo
Salvatore Burruni
Emile Griffith
Jose Napoles
Sugar Ramos
Pone Kingpetch
Bob Foster
Fighting Harada
Efren Torres
Luis Manuel Rodriguez
Harold Johnson
Floyd Patterson
Curtis Cokes
Joe Frazier
Nino Benvenuti
Howard Winstone
Joey Giardello
Nicolino Locche
Lionel Rosse
Ismael Laguna
Chucko Castilla

1970s

Muhammad Ali
Carlos Monzon
Joe Frazier
Carlos Zarate
Danny Lopez
Roberto Duran
Jose Napoles
Bob Foster
Masao Oba
Victor Galindez
George Foreman
Miguel Canto
Rodolfo Martinez
Rodrigo Valdez
Venice Borkhorsor
Ken Norton
John Conteh
Alexis Arguello
Erbito Salavarria
Ernesto Marcel
Alfonso Zamora
Rafael Herrera
Ruben Olivares
Betulio Gonzalez
Antonio Cervantes
Bruno Arcari
Samuel Serrano
Kuniaki Shibata
Marvin Johnson
Esteban De Jesus

1980s

Marvin Hagler
Sugar Ray Leonard
Mike Tyson
Dwight Muhammad Qawi
Tommy Hearns
Evander Holyfield
Michael Spinks
Larry Holmes
Azumah Nelson
Salvador Sanchez
Julio Cesar Chavez
Aaron Pryor
Wilfredo Gomez
Jeff Chandler
Donald Curry
Lloyd Honeyghan
Bernardo Pinango
Santos Laciar
Mike McCallum
Roberto Duran
Gilberto Roman
Jeff Fenech
Alexis Arguello
Eddie Mustafa Muhammad
Henry Camacho
Jung-Koo Chang
Virgil Hill
Carlos De Leon
Sot Chitalada
Jiro Watanabe

1990s

Pernell Whitaker
Roy Jones Jr.
Julio Cesar Chavez
Oscar De La Hoya
Evander Holyfield
Felix Trinidad
Ricardo Lopez
Terry Norris
Orlando Canizales
Riddick Bowe
Mark Johnson
James Toney
Junior Jones
Buddy McGirt
Yuri Arbachakov
Kostya Tszyu
Meldrick Taylor
Naseem Hamed
Michael Nunn
Sung-Kil Moon
Steve Collins
Dariusz Michalczewski
Johnny Tapia
Michael McCallum
Erick Morales
Miguel Angel Gonzalez
Frankie Randall
Azumah Nelson
Lennox Lewis
Nigel Benn

2000s

Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Manny Pacquiao
Bernard Hopkins
Shane Mosley
Roy Jones Jr.
Juan Manuel Marquez
Marco Antonio Barrera
Winky Wright
Oscar De La Hoya
Kostya Tszyu
Felix Trinidad
Eric Morales
Joe Calzaghe
Ricky Hatton
Rafael Marquez
Miguel Cotto
Israel Vasquez
Lennox Lewis
Antonio Tarver
Nonito Donaire
Vernon Forrest
Jermain Taylor
Wladimir Klitschko
Joey Luis Castillo
Vic Darchinyan
Cory Spinks
Zab Judah
Pongsaklek Wonjongkam
Diego Corrales
Celestino Caballero

2010s

Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Andre Ward
Manny Pacquiao
Vasyl Lomachenko
Gennady Golovkin
Terence Crawford
Roman Gonzalez
Sergio Martinez
Canelo Alvarez
Juan Manuel Marquez
Sergey Kovalev
Wladimir Klitschko
Nonito Donaire
Timothy Bradley
Guillermo Rigondeaux
Naoya Inoue
Mikey Garcia
Errol Spence
Oleksandr Usyk
Adrien Broner
Leo Santa Cruz
Donnie Nietes
Bernard Hopkins
Miguel Berchelt
Keith Thurman
Juan Francisco Estrada
Carl Froch
Shinsuke Yamanaka
Danny Garcia
Adonis Stevenson

2020s

Canelo Alvarez
Naoya Inoue
Terence Crawford
Oleksandr Usyk
Errol Spence
Josh Taylor
Juan Francisco Estrada
Vasyl Lomachenko
Tyson Fury
Anthony Joshua
Gennady Golovkin
Alexander Povetkin
Trevor Bryan
Dmitry Bivol
Artur Beterbiev
Deontay Wilder
Yordenis Ugas
Shawn Porter
Jermell Charlo
Andy Cruz
Julio Cesar La Cruz
Adam Deines
Aidos Yerbossynuly
Alentax Fox
Apinan Khongsong
Aran Dipaen
Arlen Lopez
Arthur Mann
Bakhodir Jalolov
Damien Vasquez

 

[Kung Fu Kowboy]

Recent Bias..

70's , 80's , 90's , 00's

 

[tank666]

I'm probably biased too but the 80s were amazing

 

[treelo]

the 80's and 90's just produced so many top class fighters and fights, i would be hard pushed with some of the other decades, especially the early ones as you are picking purely based on what you have read, and not seen

 

[MC Paul Barman]

The join dates on these commenters. Pillars of the community. Cornerstones of the structure. Mainstays of the geriatric lounge.

 

[Spam On Rye]

60s
70s
80s
90s

 

[treelo]

The join dates on these commenters. Pillars of the community. Cornerstones of the structure. Mainstays of the geriatric lounge.

translated: old bastards

 

[HHJ]

Some of you werent here in the 1890s and it shows.

Poser tuf gnubs

 

[Takes Two To Tango]

Thanks for voting so far.

 

[Hagler]

The join dates on these commenters. Pillars of the community. Cornerstones of the structure. Mainstays of the geriatric lounge.

Humbug.

 

[JC615]

40s
50s
80s
90s

 

[Seano]

For me, 70, 80s, 90's and 00's. Its what I watched, its what I enjoyed the most.

 

[mozfonky]

probably 40's 50's 70's and 80's which excludes the 60's which had Peak Ali, Carlos Ortiz and Emile Griffith, bob foster (candidates for atg's)so that might be unfair. The 40's and 50's were when boxing was really one of America's sports.

When I think about it, the color line might have skewed the 40's a bit, yes we had Louis but we also had a lot of great black fighters who couldn't really get a break and Archie Moore had to endure a prolonged, bitter wait where he didn't even want to celebrate when he finally won the title.

 

[TheGreatA]

Can't really go wrong with any decade from the 1930's to 2000's. Pretty amazing really how great the sport was for such a long time.

Early 1900's in my opinion still had remnants of the old bareknuckle boxing style which is why the fights weren't quite as exciting. Post-2010 it has mostly been a cashgrab.

 

[Stormtrooper85]

1880s to 1910 when boxing was untelevised, unphotographed and not broadcast on radio.

That was proper boxing, lads. The time of Pierce Egan was also fairly proper

 

[TeenageMutantLesnarTurtle]

I feel like I havent really watched enough pre 70s boxing to be able to fairly judge it. I guess its the relative lack of decent footage of fights compared to the 70s onwards. Plus I grew up in the 90s so thats where my nostalgia lies, even the 00s to some extent.

So yeah, 70s through 00s imo. I can see a solid case for the 80s being the best overall.