Current heavyweights are too inactive

[BostonGuy]

Any word on Denis Boytsov?
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[The Hammer]

Any word on Denis Boytsov?

He had surgery on his hand, and will return in September.

[Pirao]

I would add Denis Boytsov to that list as well. His promoters have been trying to develop into a viable contender for the last couple of years but of late haven't done much of anything. Boytsov is a capable fighter but isn't getting a chance to prove it...

He had an injured hand and recently underwent surgery, he'll be back on September, that's what I read.

[The Hammer]

Sometimes I feel bad for the Klitschkos, they are exceptional fighters but the division sucks like never before and they'll never get the credit they deserve because of that.

If the top 100 heavyweights fought more often and fought each other, a few more deserving title challengers would soon emerge.

There's only ONE heavyweight fight involving a BoxRec top 100 HW during the entire month of July.

There's only TWO heavyweight fights involving top 100 HWs during the entire month of August.

So far among the BoxRec top 100 there's only the Klitschko-Povetkin fight scheduled for September.

About NINETY of the BoxRec top 100 HWs are not currently scheduled to fight in the coming months. Does anyone else agree this inactivity is not good for the sport?

[steeluv]

True, thats one of the only things that annoy me about Haye... he isn't active enough.

I don't know but he does seem to suffer a lot of injuries, I think thats why he is taking time of to recouperate, now he can before he plans his next fight probably a wise move but not at all good for the fans

[Haglerwins]

I agree, and tbh it's not just the HW division, although that probably is the worst.

I have a lot of respect for Adamek. He just wants to get on with boxing, he treats it more like an active job and thing to work at persistently, than pretty much anyone else in the division. If some of that rubbed off on others things would heat up.

Haye and Mosley are guys whom I like, but have lost respect for with the lack of activity and just waiting **** out. Annoys me, get on with it.

Don't get on Shane too much for that, in his case he earned his big fight. He beat the MAN at welterweight at the time and was being kept at arms length by May and Pac. Berto was high risk low reward too. F'd up for the champ to be in that position when he should've had digs on the big boys to begin with.

[Walt Liquor]

I think the heavyweight division is about as good as it's ever been. But there is one real weakness that is ruining it.

Too many heavyweights are inactive.

Alexander Dimitrenko: fought only once in 2009, has no fight scheduled yet this year.

David Haye: fought only once in 2009, has fought once this year but now he says he needs a rest

Sergey Lyakhovich: went 18 months without fighting three times now.

Nicolay Valuev: fought only once in 2009, his promoter Don King ducked Vitali and Nicolay has no fight scheduled so far for 2010

Kevin Johnson: has no fight scheduled so far in 2010

Ray Austin: hasn't fought this year, nothing scheduled

Ruslan Chagaev: went 11 months without fighting after his loss to Wladimir, fought only once in 2007 and once in 2008

I believe boxers should fight three or four times per year. Anything less than the preparation for fighting twice a year will reduce their sharpness when they finally do return. A lot of mediocre performances are due to ring rust and reduced physical fitness from inactivity.

Don't do this for Light Heavy, its even worse.

All boxers are too inactive nowadays, anyone above the prospect level at least.

[Ben Bolt]

In 1905, Philadelphia Jack O'Brien beat Bob Fitzsimmons for the World Light Heavyweight Title. O'Brien never officially relinquished the Title, so most boxing historians recognize him as the division's world champ from that year until he retired in 1912. Title defences: 0.

Wlad Klitschko last fought in March of this year, so I think his next mandatory should be around springtime 2017.

[Ben Bolt]

Great boxers like Sugar Ray Robinson, Harry Greb, Archie Moore and many others were MUCH more active than the fighters of today.

True. But I guess it comes down to money, today’s top fighters can afford to rest for a while. Also, we now know better about the health aspects. A lot of yesterday’s fighters had their after-the-career lives shattered as their brains had been tored into pieces by fighting too often.

[The Hammer]

Most of the the heavyweight contenders of the 20s to the early 90s fought at least 3 times per year, usually 4 or more times per year.

Young, ambitious fighters working their way up used to fight more frequently. Mike Tyson fought 18 times in one year.

"Inactivity ruins a fighter" - Cus D'Amato.