!! Anorak
04-24-2005, 07:26 AM
I remember once there was a heavyweight champ who ruled over the rest of the division with ease. For six years, barring the odd slip, he was on top, with hardly any of his enemies posing any threat to him. A technical craftsman that kept his opponents at bay using the finest application of the sweet science. My God, he was dull.
That man was Lennox Lewis, and while he was involved in some of the most tedious fights known to man, since he retired, many (including myself) have come to realise that he wasn't that bad after all. Surely that doesn't make sense? He's been made retroactively exciting? All those fights where he controlled outclassed opponents with the jab and engaged in slooooow paced bouts are now suddenly thrillers because what followed isn't as good?
I was thinking: the division should be more exciting now. While Vitali would seem to have too much for everyone, he's got enough potentially exploitable vulnerabilities to make it interesting (despite talk of Lewis's chin, history has now shown it was never that bad) and the rest of the division is wide open.
Anyone can join in the mix, and there's virtually no barriers in any level of the division. Whereas in the past British domestic level fighters were brought in as chopping boys to give champs a well-earned rest (such as Brian London with Muhammad Ali), the quality of the division is so weak that a crude bull like British Champ Matt Skelton can now be ranked in boxrec's top 20 and be ready to challenge. What's more, he'd even have a reasonable chance against some of the non-Klitschko belt holders.
You can get excitement generated against a fighter like Samuel Peter... apparently a huge hitter, though he's never had a premier chin to test, and he's painfully, painfully slow. Former middleweights can rise up to take on the top boys, and old-timers who would have been retired in nearly any other era can still drag their careers out indefinitely when people want star names.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this is a golden era - far from it. But it's worth appreciating the potential there. Maybe the promoters should work together (I know, but I can dream) and produce heavyweight cards that reflect on the abilities of all involved.
I like see Chris Byrd fight as he's a technically fascinating fighter and takes on huge gambles in the size/weight differential. But he lacks punching power, which is one of the major reasons why the mainstream public prefer the higher weights. Even though I like him, I still wouldn't pay £15 for a PPV, unless he was fighting someone like Vitali. Even then I'd think twice.
But why not advertise him as a master strategist, and undercard him to Vitali? If you use all the belt holders together, and advertise their respective strengths and appeals, you could make a crossover show. Yet even clued-up guys like Don King are trying to trumpet John Ruiz as a respectable heavyweight. I know Ruiz and Stoney would never go for it, but if you advertised Ruiz for exactly what he is - an ugly brawler - someone might consider picking it up as part of a package. Even Stoney, an aggressive foul-mouth, has the potential to build up cult appeal, but his antics are frowned upon.
It's a sad time to be a heavyweight fan, but the potential is there for the division to reach the heights of mediocrity.
That man was Lennox Lewis, and while he was involved in some of the most tedious fights known to man, since he retired, many (including myself) have come to realise that he wasn't that bad after all. Surely that doesn't make sense? He's been made retroactively exciting? All those fights where he controlled outclassed opponents with the jab and engaged in slooooow paced bouts are now suddenly thrillers because what followed isn't as good?
I was thinking: the division should be more exciting now. While Vitali would seem to have too much for everyone, he's got enough potentially exploitable vulnerabilities to make it interesting (despite talk of Lewis's chin, history has now shown it was never that bad) and the rest of the division is wide open.
Anyone can join in the mix, and there's virtually no barriers in any level of the division. Whereas in the past British domestic level fighters were brought in as chopping boys to give champs a well-earned rest (such as Brian London with Muhammad Ali), the quality of the division is so weak that a crude bull like British Champ Matt Skelton can now be ranked in boxrec's top 20 and be ready to challenge. What's more, he'd even have a reasonable chance against some of the non-Klitschko belt holders.
You can get excitement generated against a fighter like Samuel Peter... apparently a huge hitter, though he's never had a premier chin to test, and he's painfully, painfully slow. Former middleweights can rise up to take on the top boys, and old-timers who would have been retired in nearly any other era can still drag their careers out indefinitely when people want star names.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this is a golden era - far from it. But it's worth appreciating the potential there. Maybe the promoters should work together (I know, but I can dream) and produce heavyweight cards that reflect on the abilities of all involved.
I like see Chris Byrd fight as he's a technically fascinating fighter and takes on huge gambles in the size/weight differential. But he lacks punching power, which is one of the major reasons why the mainstream public prefer the higher weights. Even though I like him, I still wouldn't pay £15 for a PPV, unless he was fighting someone like Vitali. Even then I'd think twice.
But why not advertise him as a master strategist, and undercard him to Vitali? If you use all the belt holders together, and advertise their respective strengths and appeals, you could make a crossover show. Yet even clued-up guys like Don King are trying to trumpet John Ruiz as a respectable heavyweight. I know Ruiz and Stoney would never go for it, but if you advertised Ruiz for exactly what he is - an ugly brawler - someone might consider picking it up as part of a package. Even Stoney, an aggressive foul-mouth, has the potential to build up cult appeal, but his antics are frowned upon.
It's a sad time to be a heavyweight fan, but the potential is there for the division to reach the heights of mediocrity.