By Kevin Kincade
Lewis Grizzard once wrote, “Elvis is dead; and I don’t feel so good myself.” Judging by the attitudes of most boxing fans towards the current state of the Heavyweight division, that quote is appropriate. The cliché is: “As the heavyweight division goes, so goes boxing.” Well, the sport isn’t doing too bad at the moment; surviving on the heroics of smaller men like Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquao.
Boxing is positively exploding with great fights at the lighter weights and the big boy division has never looked more mediocre…and that’s being kind; but from who’s perspective? Is the heavyweight division really all that bad or are we merely judging boxing’s glamour division from the grass on this side of the fence, while ignoring the exploits of those across the pond? I would imagine things have never been better in the heavyweight division if you happen to have a thick Eastern European accent.
I suppose, when you think about it, it was inevitable. It is a commonly held belief that many of the best boxers fight their way out of hardship by virtue of battling it out in the prize ring. This has been the history of the sport since its modern inception. The story is all too common in boxing lore: a kid grows up in the ghetto, the slums, the depression era, etc. and escapes the snares of poverty by way of one of the few legal means available to him, screaming, “I’ll never go hungry again!”
Is it so strange to see these men from countries who had no concept of capitalism just a couple of decades ago jump at the chance for a better life than they had ever dreamed possible in their youth? Finally, all of those skilled, well trained, and dedicated former Soviet athletes have been unleashed on the world and riches therein, taken for granted for far too long by the privileged west. Former Soviet athletes may have been somewhat pampered because they were the faces of the Communist sports programs; but “pampered” is a relative term and, in no way, compares to the kind of pampering American athletes have enjoyed over the years.
July 11th is the tenth anniversary of the first shot fired in the new Soviet Revolution. Who would have thought when we watched former World Heavyweight Champion, Riddick Bowe, climb into the ring with Andrew Golota in 1996 we would witness the birth of a new era in heavyweight boxing? No, the 1988 Olympic Bronze medalist wasn’t the best of the lot; but he was good enough to dominate our Silver medalist, low-blows not withstanding. If you take away his trips south of Bowe’s border, Andrew Golota completely out boxed and out punched the man who, at the time, was recognized by many as the best fighter in the world. True, Riddick was in horrible shape for their first meeting; but would it have made any difference if he’d come in the ring twenty pounds lighter? I don’t think so. You could see the hunger in Golota’s eyes as he went right after Riddick with no fear in his heart whatsoever, while Bowe, admittedly, took “The Pride of Poland” lightly in their first encounter.
In the end, Andrew Golota may have lost the battle; but he made American promoters stand up and take notice…..and the war was on.
Right now, there’s only one American holding a shard of the splintered World Heavyweight Championship. The IBF, WBA, and WBO are all owned by fighters who grew up in the former Soviet Block: Wladimir Klitschko, Nicolay Valuev, and Sergei Liakhovich. Does this mean heavyweight boxing is going to hell in a hand basket? No. It means there is much rejoicing in the land of the Euro. June 3rd in Hanover, Germany, Valuev will be making the first defense of the WBA strap he wrested from John Ruiz’s waist and again from Norman Stone’s grasp in December of last year…..which also took place in Germany and wasn’t even on American Television. Think about that: a world heavyweight title up for grabs and the American audience couldn’t even get a peep.
The same thing occurred when former WBO Champ Lamon Brewster defended his belt in a dramatic war against Luan Krasniqi on Max Schmeling’s 100th birthday. Germany is fast becoming the Las Vegas of Europe. Maybe they’ll let us in on the action if we ship ‘em some slot machines.
From a world perspective, heavyweight boxing has never been more diverse than it is right now. The reason Americans are griping is because we have lost our foothold on the division. We are no longer the baddest cats on the block; the cats from “The Block” are….and we don’t like it. This new former-Soviet takeover is not a bad thing. Actually, believe it or not, it’s good for the sport. The more countries around the world that can boast of a world champion or a legitimate threat to the crown, the more people world wide who will be watching the sport, and the more international the sport will become. Can you imagine a world heavyweight championship bout with the fervor and excitement of the world cup finals…without all of that soccer and riots, of course?
All one needs to do to understand the passion that can be involved in the division that has been absent, by and large, for far too long, is watch a replay of the Ricky Hatton title-winning victory over Kostya Tszyu in the “Hitman’s” hometown of Machester, England or view a replay of Welsh Superman Joe Calzaghe’s public spanking of American Jeff Lacy last March. To a fight fan, that kind of atmosphere is pure magic. Of American fighters from recent years, only Virgil Hill and Pernell Whitaker can really relate to that particular brand of crowd reaction.
So, what does the current state of affairs in the Heavyweight Division mean to American fight fans? Well, in the short term, it means a decline in the number of PPV events in the near future. Promoters know that Americans, for the most part, could care less about the heavyweight division at the moment; at least, not enough to shell out fifty clams of their hard earned money….not without a marquee fighter to watch. That’s why Rahman-Toney and Klitschko-Byrd II were on regular HBO and Liakhovich-Brewster was on regular Showtime; no one would have paid to watch them.
In the long-term, there is greater promise for an American Heavyweight superstar to emerge from the ashes of our once great heavyweight legacy. Competition breeds desire like a market breeds a product. Nature abhors a void; America will only be dominated by Europe for so long. Just as our time at the top has almost officially ended, so shall theirs. Somewhere, some kid in some obscure gym is going to feed off of the European invasion and push himself harder than he ever would have ever thought possible; just to bring the championship “home”, so to speak. And that “kid” won’t be alone. The next thing you know, our Olympic teams will begin to look better, and the crop of heavyweight potentials will ripen and we’ll have an invasion of our own. Pride in one’s country or tribe or family is a powerful motivator.
“Why are there no good American heavyweights on the horizon right now?” Who’s to say there’s not? Calvin Brock, while uninspiring, is also undefeated; and then there’s….uh. There’s uh….Well! Okay, so, American Heavyweight Boxing hasn’t looked this bleak since the birth of the sport.
The three best American heavyweights are the inconsistent Hasim Rahman, the undefeated and equally uninspiring Boxing Banker Calvin Brock, and recently deposed IBF titlist Chris Byrd. Supporting roles go to limited power puncher Lamon Brewster, paunchy former middleweight champ James Toney, and jab and grab specialist John Ruiz. The average age of that top six is 33, so they are not the future of the division; Brewster and Brock being the youngest two at 32 and 31 respectively. Of course, there’s always Dominick Guinn (31), WBA Title Challenger Owen Beck (29), and everybody’s favorite opponent Monte Barrett (34); but few are placing their bets on those horses. Then, there’s the come backing Joe Mesi….wouldn’t bet on him either.
None of this means the heavyweight division is in bad shape. It just means the American heavyweight division’s in bad shape. The world is a huge place and growing larger by the second; and the U.S., while a prominent member of our World Society, really represents a mere fraction of the 6 billion odd people living on this planet. Statistically speaking, it was only a matter of time before we would have had to give up the reigns.
Wladimir Klitschko, Sergei Liakovich, Nicolay Valuev, Luan Krasniqi, Ruslan Chagaev, Sultan Ibragimov, Paolo Vidoz, & Alexander Dimitrenko: these are the names of the present and near future of the heavyweight division. They are a talented and hungry lot and worthy of our attention and respect. Unfortunately for American broadcasters, pronouncing their names is likely to be where the difficulty lies. Time for HBO and Showtime to invest in “Eastern European Pronunciations for Dummies”, if such a book exists; if not, there’s a tip for a quick profit for anyone who can write it.
And who knows, Hasim Rahman, Owen Beck, and Dominick Guinn could surprise us all. IT COULD HAPPEN!! But, even if it doesn’t turn around in the near future for American fight fans, it doesn’t mean boxing is dying; it’s merely morphing a little.
The pendulum always swings both ways. It’ll come back soon enough. For the time being, though, get used to the change in the heavyweight horizon and don’t fear or dread it. With the passing of one age, a newer, better age always emerges eventually; and this is just the beginning, or as Michael Stipe of R.E.M once sang, “It’s the End of the World as we know it….and I feel fine…”.
Questions or Comments: kevin.kincade@citcomm.com
