Bunce Diary: Looking back on the last five years that ended with a four

By Steve Bunce

THERE is a buzz concerning the new 12 months, however simply how good will 2024 be and the way will it examine with 1974, 1984, 1994, 2004 and 2014?

In 1974, John Conteh received a world title at Wembley when he beat Jorge Ahumada for the vacant WBC light-heavyweight crown. And it was a crown again then; John was the primary British world champion since Ken Buchanan misplaced to Roberto Duran in 1972.

Conteh had a fridge behind his Toyota, filled with one bottle of champagne to rejoice. Conteh skilled with the grasp, George Francis, in north London and took a frosty dip within the ponds at Parliament Hill every day.

Proper now, as a distinction, Tyson Fury has a Bedouin coaching palace below building in Saudi Arabia for his struggle in February; they could simply share the identical historical Toyota. Conteh was simply 23 that evening and there are these within the Conteh enterprise who say he was by no means the identical once more. He was a boxing God that evening.

Muhammad Ali beat George Foreman within the Rumble, Foreman had destroyed Ken Norton in Caracas. That’s an untouchable double. At the top of the 12 months, Conteh, Ali, Carlos Monzon, Duran, Jose Napoles, Antonio Cervantes and simply 13 others held world titles.

In 1984, Frank Bruno was simply 22 when he was stopped by Bonecrusher Smith at Wembley. Bruno was unbeaten in 21, Bonecrsuher had not misplaced in 13; Bruno was miles in entrance within the tenth and final spherical when he was caught, harm, froze and dropped. He was attempting to rise up when the depend reached 10. It’s a forgotten struggle in some ways – Bruno was courageous that evening.

“The Bruno story is nearly over,” introduced Harry Carpenter, which is harsh.

Lennox Lewis fought in Britain for the primary time when he stopped Bobby Wells in Bletchley within the England v Canada match.

The heavyweight scene was deep in the midst of the Misplaced Era, and it’s too simple to overlook how uninspiring it was. They have been good fighters, however they have been, as Tim Witherspoon mentioned, simply ‘misplaced.’  Pinklon Thomas beat Spoon, Web page misplaced to Spoon and Web page beat Gerrie Coetzee in Solar Metropolis. All 4, with the correct heads on, can be an issue in any decade.

Chris Eubank defended his WBO super-middleweight title six instances in 1994. Steve Robinson stored profitable, Nicky Piper and Floyd Havard suffered shattering losses in world title fights, Chris Pyatt misplaced his WBO middleweight title to Steve Collins at a leisure centre in Sheffield. On the identical invoice, Naseem Hamed delivered his first masterclass to win the European bantamweight title in opposition to Vincenzo Belcastro. It was beautiful and it was dismissed due to a little bit of showboating. “Sugar Ray Leonard does it and he’s a genius, the Naz fella does it and he’s a flash bastard,” mentioned Brendan Ingle. “Don’t name us, we’ll name you,” mentioned Reg Gutteridge on ITV that evening.

The heavyweight world championship was all over and that’s being variety: Foreman knocked out Michael Moorer, Herbie Conceal beat Michael Bentt, Lewis beat Phil Jackson and was then stopped by Oliver McCall. On the evening that McCall beat Lewis, Frank Maloney, now referred to as Kellie, was screaming for justice. That may be a enjoyable set of fights, however chaotic on the similar time. The Lewis end was actually a shock.

In 2004, the heavyweight scene remained a really combined place. Lewis formally retired, Vitali Klitschko stopped Corrie Sanders and Danny Williams. Chris Byrd beat Jameel McCline on a break up and drew with Andrew Golota for the IBF bauble. And Large Audley Harrison received the WBF heavyweight title when he beat Dutchman, Sugar Richel Hersisia within the fourth spherical.

There may be extra mayhem: Lamon Brewster received a break up over Kali Meehan, however, stopped Wladimir Klitschko in WBO title fights; John Ruiz beat Andrew Golota and Fres Oquendo in WBA defences. Martin Bakole, Daniel Dubois and Large Francis Ngannou would match proper in.

Within the very actual boxing world, a 17-year-old Amir Khan received a silver on the Athens Olympics. It was additionally the 12 months that Danny Williams beat Mike Tyson in in all probability the heavyweight struggle and occasion of the 12 months.

A decade in the past, there have been quite a lot of loopy storylines and never all of them have been good. Some have been unbelievable. Kellie Maloney appeared, Kell Brook survived a machete assault, Jamie Moore survived being shot and Ant Crolla survived having a concrete slab dropped on his head.

A child referred to as Terence Crawford beat Ricky Burns in Glasgow for the WBO light-weight title, Billy Joe Saunders beat Chris Eubank Jr and Tyson Fury stopped Dereck Chisora. “No extra, it’s over,” Don Charles instructed Del Boy on the finish of the tenth. That message was, sadly, just for the evening.

At Wembley Stadium, 80,000 watched Carl Froch beat George Groves; it was the beginning of our run of British super-fights in outside venues.

The heavyweights have been, as soon as once more, a combined providing. Wladimir Klitschko defended three belts in opposition to Alex Leapai and Kubrat Pulev and Bermane Stiverne beat Chris Arreola. I’m undecided all of these fights would have made the intense a part of the Day of Reckoning.

The record of world champions in 1974 will presumably by no means be higher. The opposite details and figures, shocks, highlights and poor fights can all be improved in 2024. I’ll carry the picture of a bottle of Moet in a fridge behind Conteh’s Toyota for a very long time. The excesses of our fashionable, billion-dollar enterprise make that little act look like it occurred in 1904. What a enterprise.