Is America’s Loosening Grip on the Heavyweight Division Good for Boxing?
By Aaron Tallent August 7th, 2006Division’s disarray may lead to good things in the future
The shining example of boxing confusion is usually the heavyweight division. The WBA’s champion is the seven-foot Nicolay Valuev. The IBF has Wladimir Klitschko. The WBO’s belt holder is Sergei Lyakhovich. And the WBC has Hasim Rahman.
The heavyweight division has been this disjointed on several occasions, but it has never been so un-American. Baltimore native Rahman is the only representative of the United States in this group.
This is prompting more sportswriters to ask Rahman about the added pressure in his upcoming title defense against the Kazakhstan native Oleg Maskaev on August 12. Not only is Rahman’s championship on the line; he is also America’s last line of defense in the heavyweight division. Last week, the “Rock� declared that he would keep his belt, but also said:
“I think that – not just the Russians, but just around the world in every sport that people are catching up. I mean, you know, we got – we and the NBA, supposedly have the best basketball players in the world, they didn’t win Olympic Gold….Everybody’s practicing in everywhere, so, I mean, it’s – they bound to get better sooner or later and provide more competition. I mean, so I don’t think it’s just boxing solely, I think it’s everywhere people making a statement and they getting better.�
Regardless of the fight’s outcome, the emergence of international competition will only be better for the sport. When was the last time an American fighter stepped in the ring with all of his countrymen behind him? One of boxing’s main drivers is pride. It is why thousands of Polish fans will fill an arena to cheer on Andrew Golota, and Madison Square Garden sold out every time Felix Trinidad was on the card.
While losing championship belts to the other side of the Atlantic is demoralizing in the short-term, it will reignite pride and renew interest. Because of that, American boxing will be better in the future.
August 7th, 2006 at 1:10 pm
You gotta admit, as Americans, we all think our poo smells like roses and people from other countries should be thankfull just to have electricity. When it comes down to it, nationality doesnt mean squat when its 2 men beating the snot out of each other.
August 7th, 2006 at 8:12 pm
I’ve never totally bought into the whole theory of “As the heavyweight division goes, so goes boxing.”
If there were a dominant American heavyweight champion, or more precisely an American with a dominant personality as a heavyeight champion, there would be more interest in him and his fights. It would help his promoter, his opponents, the venues that hosts his fights and the network the broadcasts them.
I don’t see how that would help other boxers in other divisions. Would people start out as fans of that fighter then start to take an interest in Floyd Mayweather, Jr., Jermain Taylor, Ricky Hatton or Diego Corrales? I’m not sure.
How many Roberto Duran or Carlos Monzon fans started out as Muhammad Ali fans?
How many fans of Sugar Ray Robinson or Willie Pep started out following Joe Louis or Rocky Marciano?
I tend to think that fighters attract whatever following they have because of what they do and who they are, not because of some “gateway boxer” in the heavyweight division.
August 8th, 2006 at 10:40 am
Good points Stephen. A fighter’s ability and style in the ring will ultimately be who he attracts as a fan base. Like myself for example I was big fan of Marvelous Marvin Hagler and the recently retired Benard Hopkins was someone I enjoyed watching.
Obviously there were differences between them. One notable example would be the pace. Hagler’s work rate and fight tempo was much more intense than the slow starting Hopkins. However they both displayed a certain gritiness to them that I enjoyed. I would much rather watch the two of them versus some of the more popular flashier fighters because they fought in a way that attracted me.
And as for the dominant American heavyweight champion that hasn’t been seen since Mike Tyson. His road to peril has been told so many times that I see no need to go into it here. I will only say that such a force could reflame an interest in boxing amongst many not just in America but across the globe. So a certain american figther getting a lot of attention could be good for boxing atleast from a financial perspective of attracting more viewers. But I agree with Stephan it will have little if any effect on the other divisions in my opinion.
August 8th, 2006 at 5:26 pm
American heavyweights are playing American football, baseball, basketball. I’ll say that getting nailed in the face doesn’t feel very good.
Besides, money wise it’s not as enticing as the other sports with less chance off incurring dain bramage.
August 9th, 2006 at 9:52 pm
Hasim Rahman is a good fighter, but he is light years away from being the “Savior” of the heavyweight division. In fights where he could have won, like his fights with Tua, Ruiz, Holyfield, and the very person he will meet this weekend, Maskaev, he didn’t rise to the ocassion. Even in his fight with Toney, he still didn’t do enough to win over the judges! The most he could do in the make’em or break’em fights I just mentioned, was a draw at most. Although I think he will probably get the nod this weekend, there is always that “?” that, due to his past experiences, makes you think that he might get flattened again. For said reason, I will probably save the money and wait for the delay broadcast on HBO.