Rating: 
Summary: really cool
Review: this is a Must Collection that truly pays due to Some of the Greatest Champions in any Sport period.it's so cool to See clips&hear these Cats talk about how they got to where they did.it's a Very Special Collection for me.this is Prime Time Heavyweights.
Rating: 
Summary: great overall
Review: This is basically the tale of the five - Ali, Frazier, Norton, Foreman, Holmes - dominant heavyweights during the 70's, generally regarded the golden age of the division. Of course, Ali and Frazier began their careers in the 60's, but it was in the 70's that all 5 of them occupied the galaxy at the same time and had to inevitably fight one another.This DVD differs only slightly from the Laserdisc version, but it is the extra interview that makes the difference. It is interesting to hear at least three (or four) of the five wonder how they would have against Jack Johnson. Of course, Johnson was the first black heavyweight champion, but more than that, he was a mold breaker in terms of his defense and in his ability to fight the "mental" game. He knew how to stoke the public and press, literally he was ahead of his time, he was Ali before there was Ali. (And there are not a few computer simulated fights by magazines that would have Johnson beating Ali.) In the interviews, we also share the sadness that Larry Holmes felt while he was champion, where most of the time he was considered an Ali clone and never really on his own merits. Then, before he even got his due, Mike Tyson eclipsed him. Larry Holmes may have been "technically the best" of the five, and in the interview, he illustrates this clearly; when they still sparred, not only can he block Ali's jab, but he can return it stiffer and sharper. They're about the same in size and reach, and it was not until he was 38 that Holmes was knocked out, so they may have been equal in the density of their chins. Although they're not exactly similar stylistically, Holmes had Ali's 1960's athleticism. Holmes edge? The jab, and the power in both hands overall is just a tad greater. In the end, that is about my only complaint about this movie. It's that the four other fighters merely serve as a footnote to the great career of Ali. Even that segment where we see Joe Frazier in his brutal duel with Jerry Quarry and his victory over Jimmy Ellis, all we hear is the voice of Ali (while he toured the college circuit) asking students "Who's the champion of the world?!" It's too contrived and in my opinion, bad taste. Even the footages of the political events during the 1960's-early 70's were no doubt there to illustrate Ali's social consciousness and the sacrifice he made for his political position. Ali was indeed a great fighter, definitely the greatest heavyweight, but his greatness was fulfilled by his duels with the fighters who shared the billing with him in the movie. An even presentation would have been welcome, after all, Ali does not need any help in the promotion department anymore. Overall, this is a good DVD. However, as a boxing fan, you cannot help but wonder, after watching them in action, how the following matchups, which never happened, would have gone: -Norton vs. Frazier (they were basically stablemates under Eddie Futch, which probably explains why they never met in a formal match) -Foreman vs. Holmes anytime around 1974-78. This one, I would have paid to see. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: great overall
Review: This is basically the tale of the five - Ali, Frazier, Norton, Foreman, Holmes - dominant heavyweights during the 70's, generally regarded the golden age of the division. Of course, Ali and Frazier began their careers in the 60's, but it was in the 70's that all 5 of them occupied the galaxy at the same time and had to inevitably fight one another. This DVD differs only slightly from the Laserdisc version, but it is the extra interview that makes the difference. It is interesting to hear at least three (or four) of the five wonder how they would have against Jack Johnson. Of course, Johnson was the first black heavyweight champion, but more than that, he was a mold breaker in terms of his defense and in his ability to fight the "mental" game. He knew how to stoke the public and press, literally he was ahead of his time, he was Ali before there was Ali. (And there are not a few computer simulated fights by magazines that would have Johnson beating Ali.) In the interviews, we also share the sadness that Larry Holmes felt while he was champion, where most of the time he was considered an Ali clone and never really on his own merits. Then, before he even got his due, Mike Tyson eclipsed him. Larry Holmes may have been "technically the best" of the five, and in the interview, he illustrates this clearly; when they still sparred, not only can he block Ali's jab, but he can return it stiffer and sharper. They're about the same in size and reach, and it was not until he was 38 that Holmes was knocked out, so they may have been equal in the density of their chins. Although they're not exactly similar stylistically, Holmes had Ali's 1960's athleticism. Holmes edge? The jab, and the power in both hands overall is just a tad greater. In the end, that is about my only complaint about this movie. It's that the four other fighters merely serve as a footnote to the great career of Ali. Even that segment where we see Joe Frazier in his brutal duel with Jerry Quarry and his victory over Jimmy Ellis, all we hear is the voice of Ali (while he toured the college circuit) asking students "Who's the champion of the world?!" It's too contrived and in my opinion, bad taste. Even the footages of the political events during the 1960's-early 70's were no doubt there to illustrate Ali's social consciousness and the sacrifice he made for his political position. Ali was indeed a great fighter, definitely the greatest heavyweight, but his greatness was fulfilled by his duels with the fighters who shared the billing with him in the movie. An even presentation would have been welcome, after all, Ali does not need any help in the promotion department anymore. Overall, this is a good DVD. However, as a boxing fan, you cannot help but wonder, after watching them in action, how the following matchups, which never happened, would have gone: -Norton vs. Frazier (they were basically stablemates under Eddie Futch, which probably explains why they never met in a formal match) -Foreman vs. Holmes anytime around 1974-78. This one, I would have paid to see. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Champions Forever: World Heavyweight Champs
Review: To see Alexis Arguello of Nicaragua and Roberto Duran of Panama in their home towns, showing the rundown gyms their dreams developed in, is to understand the greatness of the game. The poverty is more brutal than an honest fight, and hearts can prevail in boxing. Fantastic boxing footage is combined with the human story and witnessing greatness rise from shacks becomes humbling to any viewer. The only tragic figure is the incredible featherweight Salvadore Sanchez, who died in a car crash at the age of 22. This film is as much about human spirit as it is boxing.
Rating: 
Summary: Punch drunks
Review: Was CHAMPIONS FOREVER made for cable TV? Home video? Movie theatres? It would appear the filmmakers were hit with a Joe Frazier left hook when they made this choppy, often amateurish documentary that often puts the viewer on Queer Street. I would be embarrassed to say I produced it. But thanks to the fighters, CHAMPIONS FOREVER wins you back every time with the film clips of then and their comments of now. ("Now" being 1989, when this was produced.) No need to sell the old clips of Ali-Frazier, Frazier-Foreman or Foreman-Ali. And as for the present-day interviews, George Foreman proves most articulate. The fighters interviewed are former heavyweight boxing champions: Muhammad Ali, the greatest. Joe Frazier, Smokin' Joe. George Foreman, who first stunned the world by knocking out Frazier and then by being KO'd by Ali. Ken Norton, the Gerald Ford of heavyweight champs - Norton was appointed champion, similar to Ford becoming President without anyone voting for him. And Larry Holmes, the Easton Assassin. It is interesting to note that Holmes doesn't appear much until the end of CHAMPIONS FOREVER. Just as during his seven-year reign as heavyweight boxing champion, Holmes is too dignified for his own good. His talents deserve more respect. In fact, CHAMPIONS FOREVER shows a clip of Mike Tyson's post-fight interview after he defeated Holmes. (Holmes had already lost his title to Michael Spinks, who Tyson then beat.) Tyson actually speaks well of his vanquished foe, saying, "Had Larry Holmes been in his prime I would not have stood a chance." I guess Iron Mike developed the trash-talking skills he has today as his boxing skills deteriorated. Another moment to watch for: The end of the Holmes-Ali bout. It is between rounds and Ali looks dead on his seat. The referee does not know to whom he should listen - trainer Angelo Dundee wants to end it but Ali's hangers-on (Drew "Bundini" Brown, to name one) argue, telling the ref to let the fight continue. It's an incredible moment. Thankfully, Dundee pulls rank and throws in the towel, saving Ali from further damage. In the Muhammad Ali TV specials and movies I've seen, Angelo Dundee is mostly in the background. Too bad more people don't see how valuable he was to Ali. CHAMPIONS FOREVER also includes a little of Howard Cosell's boxing announcing. Pay attention to the other announcers and compare them to Cosell. No one understood and communicated the drama of sports better than the late, great Howard Cosell. See CHAMPIONS FOREVER. It succeeds in spite of itself.
Rating:
Summary: Adding to the "Punch Drunks" review, below
Review: What can I add to the "Punch Drunks" review? Cosell, Dundee and Holmes do not get the credit they deserve.
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