Editing Boxing in the 1970s (section)

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{| class="infobox"
|- style="background:#f3f3f3;"
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Boxing in the 1960s|1960s]] <sup>.</sup> '''Boxing in the 1970s''' <sup>.</sup> [[Boxing in the 1980s|1980s]]
|-
|}
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During the 1970s, [[boxing]] was characterized by dominating champions and history-making rivalries. The decade had many superstars, who also had fierce rivals. [[Alexis Arg%C3%BCello|Alexis Argüello]], for example, who won the world Featherweight and Jr. Lightweight titles in the '70s, had to overcome [[Alfredo Escalera]] twice before the decade was over.

At least six divisions had world champions who could be considered dominant: The Bantamweights had [[Carlos Zárate Serna| Carlos Zárate]]; the Super Bantamweights, (a division created in 1976) had [[Wilfredo Gómez]] winning the title in 1977 and keeping it until he left it vacant in 1983; the Lightweights had [[Roberto Durán]], who won the title in 1972 and vacated it in 1979 to seek championships at other weights; the Jr. Welterweights had [[Antonio Cervantes]], who reigned twice; the Middleweights had [[Carlos Monzón]], sometimes referred to as ''King Carlos'' because of his seven-year reign as champion; the Light-Heavyweights had [[Bob Foster (boxer)|Bob Foster]]. The Heavyweights had [[Muhammad Ali]], who ruled twice between 1974 and 1979.<ref>{{cite web|author=Frank Keating |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2010/oct/27/muhammad-ali-jerry-quarry-october-1970 |title=The night Muhammad Ali's legend was reborn – and the party that followed|work=The Guardian |date= |accessdate=2016-03-26}}</ref>

Another aspect of '''boxing in the 1970s''' is that the decade is considered by a few to be the best ever for the Heavyweight division: Ali returned in 1970 from his forced retirement, and [[Joe Frazier]] was world champion when Ali returned.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/story/0,3604,434092,00.html |title=Boxing: Earnie Shavers; the baddest bouncer in Liverpool |website=Guardian.co.uk |date= |accessdate=2016-04-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/hope-for-the-heavyweights-1.1115212 |title=Hope for the heavyweights |website=Irishtimes.com |date=2000-11-11 |accessdate=2016-04-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://a.espncdn.com/boxing/columns/kellerman_max/1331288.html |title=ESPN.com: BOXING - As heavyweight eras go, this one is very good |website=A.espncdn.com |date= |accessdate=2016-04-28}}</ref> Former world champions [[Jimmy Ellis (boxer)|Jimmy Ellis]] and [[Floyd Patterson]] as well as [[George Foreman]], [[Oscar Bonavena]], [[Jerry Quarry]], [[Earnie Shavers]], [[Leon Spinks]], [[Ken Norton]], as well as [[Larry Holmes]], [[Ron Stander]], [[Chuck Wepner]], [[José Roman (boxer)|José Roman]], Light Heavyweight champ Foster, [[John Tate (boxer)|John Tate]], [[Jimmy Young (boxer)|Jimmy Young]], [[Ron Lyle]], [[Joe Bugner]], [[Scott LeDoux]] and many others added intrigue to the division. [[Don King (boxing promoter)|Don King]] surged as a leading boxing promoter, and champions Duran, Monzon and Ali had historic rivalries with [[Esteban De Jesús]], [[Rodrigo Valdez]] and Frazier, respectively.<ref>{{cite web|author=Briggs Seekins |url=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2219216-ranking-the-10-best-boxers-of-the-1970s |title=Ranking the 10 Best Boxers of the 1970s |publisher=[[Bleacher Report]] |date=2014-10-03 |accessdate=2016-04-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6gbQHxb_P0QC&q=1970s+is++best+ever+for+the+Heavyweight+division&pg=PA275 |title=Encyclopedia of African American History, 1896 to the Present: From the Age ... |page=275 |isbn=9780195167795 |accessdate=2016-04-28|last1=Finkelman |first1=Paul |year=2009 }}</ref>