Background
With the ending of the Golden Age of Boxing came a decline to the heavyweight division. Almost all of the Golden Age fighters retired, or were fighting pass their primes. The Heavyweight division was eclipsed by the lower weight classes and there was chaos in the heavyweight division Post-Ali.
The Superstars of this Era
This era is defined by the lost talents, hence the name “Lost Generation.” The shadow left by Ali and the Golden Era loomed over the division. The champion Larry “The Easton Assassin” Holmes began his career in 1973; however, the lost generation was his era. He fought many contenders such as Gerry Cooney, Trevor Berbick, Tim Witherspoon, Ernie Shavers, Ken Norton and Marvis Frazier. This era would carry with it tons of lost or undeveloped talent; however, it would see the rise of Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Riddick Bowe, and Lennox Lewis. We would also see the return of “Big” George Foreman in 1987, after his retirement in 1977.
This era would be full of corruption, the continuing problem of multiple titles, the hot potato of the heavyweight titles, and the looming shadow of the Golden Age and the upcoming Silver Age. The Lost Generation has the issue of drugs destroying future stars, the lower weight classes having spectacular fights (i.e. The Four Kings), and being in-between the two most popular eras of the division. The decline of Ali, who is one of the most popular athletes, during this generation didn’t help the popularity.
Conclusion
This era would become the shortest era of Heavyweight Boxing, with it beginning in 1978 and ending in 1988. This end would come by the hand of “Iron” Mike Tyson who defeated Michael Spink to become the unified heavyweight boxing champion. This would lead into the Silver Age of Boxing.