Nautilus
12-29-2004, 06:43 PM
I think that the current HW division is a lot of fun to follow it closely. I just found an article by Scoop Malinovski on the issue. Scoop's views on the HW division are very similar to mine.
What about you, what do you think?
-------
Scoop: Heavyweight division dull now? No way!
Reported By: Boxing Insider - 12.21.2004 03:22 PM
By Scoop Malinowski
(source: *************.com)
One of the false myths I hear constantly is that the heavyweight division is very weak and boring today.
This is utterly ridiculous and false.
I look at it this way. Lennox Lewis was so great and powerful, so dominant as heavyweight champion, that he created the illusion that the rest of the field appears to be mediocre and weak. Lennox made Tua, McCall, Grant, Botha, Golota and all the rest seem to look like - I hate to use this word - "bums."
But this is what all the great heavyweight champions do. Heck, they even called all the opposition of the the great, great Joe Louis the "bum of the month club." Larry Holmes, Mike Tyson and Larry Holmes all were falsely accused of reigning during an era that was unfairly termed "weak". Muhammad Ali, for some reason, got the free pass on the weak era baloney - especially in the '60s. But I believe had Ali never gotten his bike stolen, the glorious '70s era would have been sort of dull. Ali made Frazier, Foreman, Norton all seem to be more exciting personalities than they actually were. Ali was the showman that made it all so wildly entertaining. Look back at the videos - Frazier, Norton and Foreman were all sort of introverted personalities. The electricity of Ali is what generated all the drama and hoopla for boxing in the '70s.
So I emphatically disagree with this notion that fighters like Chris Byrd, John Ruiz, Monte Barrett, Danny Williams, Kirk Johnson, Andrew Golota, Corrie Sanders are bums. Yeah they've had some poor performances to go along with their good ones (just as any of the contenders in history), but they are not bums. They are the equivalent of Tony Galento, Ron Stander, Abe Simon, Trevor Berbick, Cleveland Williams, Henry Akinwande, Zora Folley, Ron Lyle, John Henry Lewis, Leon and Michael Spinks, Ossie Ocasio, Ken Norton, etc.
You want proof? Watch Earnie Shavers again in one of his non-title fights. He wasn't really this phenomenal talent who threw dazzling combinations, although he was a massive hitter. He was rather slow-footed and awkward. And not much better or worse than anyone in the top 10 today. I firmly believe that. George Foreman too is highly revered for his association to Ali, as he should be. But watch the tapes - he was pretty much an unorthodox arm-puncher - somewhat similar to Vitali Klitschko actually, just minus the height and reach advantages.
Vitali Klitschko has now succeeded Lennox and taken over the highest throne in sport. And now King Vitali has inherited many of the same contenders that were no match for Lewis.
While much of the boxing community respects Vitali and his talent and achievements, there is this widespread lingering notion that, Oh, Klitschko is just champion because everyone else is so doggone weak.
No, its like this: Klitschko is the champion because he is THE BEST. He is number one. And judging by the way he handled Johnson, Sanders and Williams, he is the best by far. And I don't subscribe to the nonsense logic that King Vitali only beat a bunch of fat, out of shape guys. They came in heavy as a strategic ploy, believing that the extra weight was necessary to combat Klitschko. Or in Kirk's case, I believe he was psyched out by Vitali long before the first bell. This also should be a credit to the intimidator, not a rap on the intimidated.
And another innaccuracy is that the heavyweight landscape is boring now.
Wrong again. It is fantastically exciting! You have a fascinating, totally original character now dominating. Could anyone have ever forsaw that a Ukrainian doctor would possess the world heavyweight championship?
And 2005 promises to be a most interesting year, full of cunning and calculating and let's hope nothing worse. Because Don King is not happy with the cards he is holding. He knows his alleged champions Ruiz and Byrd will most likely fail to defeat Klitschko. King is currently scheming to send Hasim Rahman to bring home Vitali's championship.
But you have to wonder just how confident King is about Rahman - who is even smaller than Danny Williams - not getting himself knocked out.
So in 2005 we could perhaps see a desperate King using every trick in his arsenal (and then some) to conquer Vitali. And it may even get downright dirty. After all, this is a man who allegedly told Tim Witherspoon to just go the distance and he would keep his title. This is a man who has allegedly murdered two people. If I were Klitschko or even in the champion's camp, I would be extremely careful about every possible aspect in a battle against Rahman and King. For an alleged evil mind is capable of anything.
Extreme caution must be employed until the fight is over. Do the homework on the past-performances and backgrounds on the judges. Check all the water bottles at all times. You know what I'm saying. The enemy is going to be coming out in full force to take what it desperately covets...
"In the age of chaos only the ruthless survive. Evil will always prosper because good is dumb." -anonymous
"In order to be the best in the world you need to get blood on your hands." -Phil Anselmo
So 2005 is going to be intriguing. It could be all out warfare, trickeration, politricks and Lord knows what else to dethrone Vitali and bring back the title to America. They will all be after control of the prestige and glory of the championship that now rests in the mighty grip of Vitali Klitschko.
It is going to be great drama to watch unfold next year.
Whoever says it's a dull time in heavyweight boxing, they don't know what they're talking about.
What about you, what do you think?
-------
Scoop: Heavyweight division dull now? No way!
Reported By: Boxing Insider - 12.21.2004 03:22 PM
By Scoop Malinowski
(source: *************.com)
One of the false myths I hear constantly is that the heavyweight division is very weak and boring today.
This is utterly ridiculous and false.
I look at it this way. Lennox Lewis was so great and powerful, so dominant as heavyweight champion, that he created the illusion that the rest of the field appears to be mediocre and weak. Lennox made Tua, McCall, Grant, Botha, Golota and all the rest seem to look like - I hate to use this word - "bums."
But this is what all the great heavyweight champions do. Heck, they even called all the opposition of the the great, great Joe Louis the "bum of the month club." Larry Holmes, Mike Tyson and Larry Holmes all were falsely accused of reigning during an era that was unfairly termed "weak". Muhammad Ali, for some reason, got the free pass on the weak era baloney - especially in the '60s. But I believe had Ali never gotten his bike stolen, the glorious '70s era would have been sort of dull. Ali made Frazier, Foreman, Norton all seem to be more exciting personalities than they actually were. Ali was the showman that made it all so wildly entertaining. Look back at the videos - Frazier, Norton and Foreman were all sort of introverted personalities. The electricity of Ali is what generated all the drama and hoopla for boxing in the '70s.
So I emphatically disagree with this notion that fighters like Chris Byrd, John Ruiz, Monte Barrett, Danny Williams, Kirk Johnson, Andrew Golota, Corrie Sanders are bums. Yeah they've had some poor performances to go along with their good ones (just as any of the contenders in history), but they are not bums. They are the equivalent of Tony Galento, Ron Stander, Abe Simon, Trevor Berbick, Cleveland Williams, Henry Akinwande, Zora Folley, Ron Lyle, John Henry Lewis, Leon and Michael Spinks, Ossie Ocasio, Ken Norton, etc.
You want proof? Watch Earnie Shavers again in one of his non-title fights. He wasn't really this phenomenal talent who threw dazzling combinations, although he was a massive hitter. He was rather slow-footed and awkward. And not much better or worse than anyone in the top 10 today. I firmly believe that. George Foreman too is highly revered for his association to Ali, as he should be. But watch the tapes - he was pretty much an unorthodox arm-puncher - somewhat similar to Vitali Klitschko actually, just minus the height and reach advantages.
Vitali Klitschko has now succeeded Lennox and taken over the highest throne in sport. And now King Vitali has inherited many of the same contenders that were no match for Lewis.
While much of the boxing community respects Vitali and his talent and achievements, there is this widespread lingering notion that, Oh, Klitschko is just champion because everyone else is so doggone weak.
No, its like this: Klitschko is the champion because he is THE BEST. He is number one. And judging by the way he handled Johnson, Sanders and Williams, he is the best by far. And I don't subscribe to the nonsense logic that King Vitali only beat a bunch of fat, out of shape guys. They came in heavy as a strategic ploy, believing that the extra weight was necessary to combat Klitschko. Or in Kirk's case, I believe he was psyched out by Vitali long before the first bell. This also should be a credit to the intimidator, not a rap on the intimidated.
And another innaccuracy is that the heavyweight landscape is boring now.
Wrong again. It is fantastically exciting! You have a fascinating, totally original character now dominating. Could anyone have ever forsaw that a Ukrainian doctor would possess the world heavyweight championship?
And 2005 promises to be a most interesting year, full of cunning and calculating and let's hope nothing worse. Because Don King is not happy with the cards he is holding. He knows his alleged champions Ruiz and Byrd will most likely fail to defeat Klitschko. King is currently scheming to send Hasim Rahman to bring home Vitali's championship.
But you have to wonder just how confident King is about Rahman - who is even smaller than Danny Williams - not getting himself knocked out.
So in 2005 we could perhaps see a desperate King using every trick in his arsenal (and then some) to conquer Vitali. And it may even get downright dirty. After all, this is a man who allegedly told Tim Witherspoon to just go the distance and he would keep his title. This is a man who has allegedly murdered two people. If I were Klitschko or even in the champion's camp, I would be extremely careful about every possible aspect in a battle against Rahman and King. For an alleged evil mind is capable of anything.
Extreme caution must be employed until the fight is over. Do the homework on the past-performances and backgrounds on the judges. Check all the water bottles at all times. You know what I'm saying. The enemy is going to be coming out in full force to take what it desperately covets...
"In the age of chaos only the ruthless survive. Evil will always prosper because good is dumb." -anonymous
"In order to be the best in the world you need to get blood on your hands." -Phil Anselmo
So 2005 is going to be intriguing. It could be all out warfare, trickeration, politricks and Lord knows what else to dethrone Vitali and bring back the title to America. They will all be after control of the prestige and glory of the championship that now rests in the mighty grip of Vitali Klitschko.
It is going to be great drama to watch unfold next year.
Whoever says it's a dull time in heavyweight boxing, they don't know what they're talking about.