Are you talking about when Ward fought on Bounce in a clear tuneup? Also, do you consider Ward an ATG? I recall you being quite the Ward skeptic.
Anyway, the internet certainly wasn't what it is now 20 years ago, so it's a tough comparison to make. Relatively speaking, there were plenty of fights between solid, top fighters 20 years ago which would have generated comparatively less buzz than this clownshow. It's not like the late 90s were some golden era for boxing, after all. It might be sad that this many people care about these two people fighting each other, but it's certainly not a bad sign for boxing as a sport that it did generate this buzz. If anything, it's the opposite (which it probably isn't, but at least that would logically follow instead of that bizarre take I responded to).