Sports fans are delighted to see heavyweight boxing is back in good health, with several champions and contenders creating a competitive list. England's Tyson Fury dominates the top category, with Ukranian Oleksander Usyk the main danger. The pair will meet in a unification fight this year, and fans can't wait to have one universally recognized champion. Who wins, Fury or Usyk? You can make predictions and place bets on that fight at the best boxing betting sites with the most generous odds.

How would the likes of Fury, Usyk, Anthony Joshua, and Deontay Wilder get on in the 1970s against the best in class, including Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali, Ken Norton, and George Foreman? Some believe the legends of the sport existed during the golden era of the 1970s, and today's champions wouldn't stand a chance. Other boxing lovers think the increase in sports science and natural progression in fitness and strength means today's best would beat the best from the 1970s.

The 70s were a memorable time for boxing and its millions of fans worldwide. That decade gave us the most famous and best-loved contests of all time, and we recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of an eternal classic, Joe Frazier v George Foreman. If you're old enough to remember the fight, you'll know why it's popular today, but if Frazier v Foreman is news, you're in for a treat.

Join us as we stroll down memory lane and look back at the world heavyweight title fight of 1973 that left a mark on the history books.

It was no surprise the Frazier v Foreman fight was a piece of boxing history, and fans knew it at the time. They knew they were witnessing something special as the two most-feared fighters went toe-to-toe over the world championship. Both men were gladiators and remain Hall of Fame legends, but there was room for only one champion. Both had strong claims to the title and enjoyed support in the stands and worldwide. Which man would live up to expectations and leave with the belts in their possession?

The contest was fought overseas, with the National Stadium in Kingson, Jamaica, providing the backdrop. The exact date of the fight was the 22nd of January 1973 , meaning fans had to wait just over three weeks for their fight of the year. The WBC and WBA titles were up for grabs, with Smokin' Joe Frazier making the fifth defense of his belts. Frazier was the pre-fight favorite, with most industry experts picking him to win by wearing down his opponent in a bloodbath.

With two huge hitters in the ring, few expected Frazier v Foreman to go the distance and test the scoring judges sat at ringside. Still, the officials at the apron and the referee inside the ring had an important role to play in the proceedings. Arthur Mercante was the referee, while Nick Spano and Jack Minott scored the contest. The fight had been announced in November 1972, meaning Joe and George ended a lengthy wait when finally ducking between the ropes.

The stats from that evening's classic showed Frazier weighed 214lbs while Foreman tipped the scales at 218lbs. The official attendance at the National Stadium was 36,000, with a gate receipt of over $400,00, which is around $2.5 million in today's money. Those in attendance joined the millions worldwide watching the fight live on television. Frazier's guaranteed purse was $850k, while his opponent was guaranteed $375k.

Joe Frazier was the pre-fight betting favorite with the bookies from Las Vegas to London and entered the ring with both versions of the world heavyweight title. He had won and defended the belts four times previously, with his fifth defense expected to be his most iconic win. Victory for Joe would secure his place as the sport's major attraction, leaving the likes of Ali, Norton, and Frazier in his shadows.

Professional boxing rarely follows a script, and heavyweight boxing in the 1970s never followed a script. It was chaos, with surprise wins, upsets, controversy, and more. Fight fans knew to expect the unexpected when following the golden era of the heavyweights, but did they envisage George Foreman's simply stunning win over Joe Frazier in the early rounds? A convincing and fast knockout victory for the challenger was deemed unlikely and attracted little support in the betting ring.

But Team Foreman always believed, and they got their rewards. Despite pairing an all-conquering champion with a champion with little hope of winning, the fight lasted less than two rounds, with Foreman scoring one of the most famous knockouts in history. There was genuine bad blood and needle in this contest, with Foreman going on the attack early. He would press the champion in the early rounds.

Still, most boxing writers believed Frazier would weather the early storm and catch his opponent coming forward, scoring a knockout win in the middle to late rounds.

Foreman didn't give Frazier a chance to settle, exploding out of the blocks and dropping the champion in the early exchanges of the opening round. Visibly shocked and startled, Frazier was knocked to the canvas three times in the first round, but his warrior spirit and experience helped him get through the opening exchange. He made it back to his stool for a brief break before heading into round two.

Boxing fans loyal to the champion hoped their man would steady the ship and use the second round to get back into the contest, but the true damage was in the first three minutes. Felled three times in the first round, Frazier was decked another three times in the second round as Foreman kept his foot on the gas. The champion received too much punishment in less than six minutes of boxing and was stopped at 2.26 of round two.

Heavyweight professional boxing had a new champion, George Foreman, the star of the show. That classic is the 1973 Ring Magazine Fight of the Year and was celebrated on its 50th birthday.