(John. L. Sullivans Heavyweight Championship Belt which is now in the Smithsonian in D.C.)Many moons ago this was the most sought after and highly regarded title an athlete could have on this earth. Now? Not so much. But why the change? There are a few different ways to look at the mess in, what once was, Boxing's most popular weight class.
First, and foremost, what I believe to be one of the major problems in all of Boxing today is that we have about 6 different Heavyweight Champions (WBA, WBC, WBO, IBF, IBO, and The Ring..not to mention the "lightly thought of" IBU, NABF, NABO, and the XYZ....kidding). Boxing over the years has shot itself in the foot by chasing the almighty dollar. Boxing, in America, pre "Alphabet Organizations"(the governing bodies listed above) was a sport that when the average Joe walking down the street was asked "who is the heavyweight champion of the world?" they could simply replay without missing a beat "Joe Frazier", "Ali", "Marciano", "Joe Louis", "Foreman". Today if I am asked who the heavyweight champion is, my response always begins with "well.....there is 4 of them..."(I only recognize the The Ring at this point), which losses the persons interest right away. Who wants to have 4 champions? Does every team who makes it to the NCAA Final Four get a National Championship trophy? Nope.
There needs to be (insert Michael Buffer voice) one Unpisduted Heavyweight Champion of the World(and every weight class for that matter). Not only would this give more clarity to the sport, it would make it easier for a novice fan to follow it. The Alphabet Organizations, and their Mafioso type ways, prevent the chance of clarity from essentially ever happening. The organizations can determine who the #1 contender is for that particular organization, thus Ray Austin is currently a #1 contender in the WBC...sickening, I know. With this type of cooperation between organizations we will most likely never again have an Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World, unless some of them start to fold due to current economic states.
"Are you not entertained?!"-Maximus. Gladiator
Second. We live in America. We love to be entertained and wowed during our sporting contests. We love watching Big George Foreman knock someone into next week with a single punch, or to watch Ali dance and, watch Rocky Marciano take a 14 round beating only to knock out his opponent with one single, devistating sledgehammer right hand with a minute to go in the 15th. The European heavies that currently dominate the division can sometimes be "boring" to some American viewers. I once heard someone so eloquently put it "I'd rather hug Magic Johnson after hes rolled around in barbed wire then watch boxing." The people who say this about the current champions most likely grew up watching Mike Tyson crush tomato cans in 15 seconds every fight. These new champions actually box. They use jabs to set up crosses and body shots, the use movement to keep opponents off balance, and they use ring generalship to win. Some don't find Wladimir Klitchko or Vitali jabbing and circling an opponent, throwing some rights in there, and meticulously picking apart his opponent until hes ready to be dropped, to be very entertaining. I on the other hand call it boxing...ya know "hit without being hit"..."The Sweet Science"...Boxing. The K Brothers both have higher KO percentages then Ali, yet are considered boring by most folks who watch them...weird.
We also enjoy a certain degree of trash talk and ruffled feathers before the fight, maybe not as far as "I am going to eat his children"-(Mike Tyson before fighting Lennox Lewis), but some stuff to gain interest. Ali was the king of pre-fight antics. (though he did go too far with Frazier) One of my all time favorites from him was...
"I'm experienced now, professional. Jaws been broke, been knocked down a couple of times, I'm bad! Been chopping trees. I done something new for this fight. I done wrestled with an alligator. That's right. I have wrestled with an alligator. I done tussled with a whale. I done handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder in jail. That's bad! Only last week I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalized a brick! I'm so mean I make medicine sick!"-Ali
..don't hear much of that anymore.
Majority of our European champions(outisde of David Haye) are very respectful in the press conferences and pre-fight build ups (which there is something to be said for and I respect very much, after all, they are sportsmen). But, with Boxing in a decline, maybe throwing a little gas on the small fires would help out the sport a little. Stage it for all I care.
Example: Wladimir Klitchko will be fighting American hopeful Eddie Chambers on March 20, 2010...how much of the American sports watching public ever cares?...10-15% maybe. Now imagine watching Sportscenter and all of a sudden it flashes to a clip of Wlad and Eddie getting in each others faces with a little shoving involved, some intense pointing, entourages, yelling, and you're going to gain yourself some serious interest from the general public. I respect the demeanor that the current champions carry themselves in, which is the proper way a champion should. Although, in Boxings current economic climate, I think they (and the promoters) may want to... "kick it up a notch....Bam!... "(Emeril Lagasse).
Since most of the champions in Boxing's former glamor division are from Europe, most of America stopped caring about it. Who was America's last true Heavyweight Champion? Evander Holyfield? There is no sense of national pride in that division anymore for us. We are more interested in Welter-Light Heavyweights, where we still have some stars. No boxers are coming home from the Olympics exclaiming...
"To make America the greatest is my goal,
So I beat the Russians, and I beat the Pole,
and for the USA won the medal of gold.
Italians said: "You're Greater than the Cassius of old´´.
We like your name, we like your game,
So make Rome your home if you will.
I said I appreciate your kind hospitality,
But the USA is my country still,
'Cause they're waiting to welcome me in Louisville."-Ali
With the introduction and explosion of UFC, and MMA as a whole worlwide, Boxing needs to get itself back in the international forefront somehow. A good start would be right here at home, with the American media.
"Let's Get Physical"- Olivia Newton John
"It's hard to wake up at 6 a.m. and do roadwork when you're wearing silk pajamas."-Riddick Bowe
Thirdly. We love seeing athletes in great shape (unless its John Daly....why did he have to go and lose 130lbs?) making amazing physical maneuvers. In this heavyweight division today the athletes aren't quite as...well...athletic. The ones that are (David Haye,and Brothers Klitschko), are the ones who have all the titles. Heavyweights today are just that, heavy. The division today is out of shape. Even the biggest heavies in the 70's, 80's, even the 90's were in great shape (Foreman, Ali, Holmes, Lewis,) compared to most today.
Today, outside of the K Bros, Haye, and a few fringe contenders, the division is a little... lumpy. Guys like Sam Peter, and Chris Arreola are getting title shots and Nikolai Valuev having a reign of boredom as champion....
(above from Top to Bottom- Right to Left are pictures from the Nikolai Valuev(Left) vs David Haye(Right) Fight and the Chris Arreola(Left) vs Vitali Klitschko(Right)...guess who won each fight?)
All in all I think the problem with our once beloved division is that there is no clarity. Also, our current contenders are sub-par, and since our champions are very good boxers, it creates a larger disparity between contender and champion.
A lot of changes can be made to the Boxing world to help it get back into the spotlight and I really think that having the title "Unified Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World" would help the cause a great deal....
...that or nude Round Card Girls.
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