What if . . .

[QueensburyRules]

I don't believe for a second we have 17 weight divisions for safety reasons. The more divisions and the more champions the more championship bout which in turn provides more sanctioning fees. It's all about money.

Few journalists know boxing history and fewer care.

You know if we were smart we could figure out a way to do this ourselves and in the process make some good money FIXING the sport we love.

--- Well, we all knew you weren't smart already.

The smart guys rig boxing to their own financial agenda just like politics and the stock market.

Life 101...

[HOUDINI563]

Tell everyone how I made a fool of you every night on aol boxing 20 years ago. Just catching up to where I left off.

[Dempsey-Louis]

You guys familiar with Godwin's Rule - the longer a debate continues the more likely someone will mention Hitler?

How about a Boxing Scene Rule: regardless of the topic discussed after a certain number of replies the debate will turn insulting; there seems to be a 'ten reply wall' we just can't get pass.

[QueensburyRules]

--- Let's not forget mandatory drug testing and drug cheats, pretty much 75% of antisocial boxing content these days.

Added to the 10% punch monkey numbers, that's an 85% vacuum content absent any knowledge of the sport...only in boxing...

[Anthony342]

One federation. The public, the lay public, needs to be able to point to ONE champion in each division. There are no TWO champions of the world. There is (or should be) ONLY ONE.

Yeah, like Highlander "There can be only one." And there should be.

[Joe Beamish]

This is how I would fix boxing. ONE CHAMPION in each of eight weight divisions, 15 round championship bouts, ALL fighters tested thoroughly for PEDS.

With only one way to the championship and one set of contenders per division skills stop being watered down. 15 round championship distances cause fighters to come into these fights in top shape. If you can't go 15 rounds your not championship material.

This certainly would revive interest in a sport where few can name the champion in any one division.

Yep. I have clients I travel with, and watch various sports with in hotel bars. They love sports. But when it comes to boxing, they're too confused by the many, many title holders in every weight class to retain their interest in the sport.

There are tons of "casuals" out there who would be way more into boxing if only it had real champions, if only -- like other sports -- the best were matched with the best.

The whole POINT of competition is to find out who is the BEST.

Here we are getting excited about Porter and Garcia. Well, that's fine, it should be a good fight. But it's a fight between second-bests.

We have to wait -- how long? -- two more years? To see the best welters get after it.

If they ever do.

What about the heavyweights? Is there any system for finding out who is the baddest dude?

Nope. We have to wait and see how the negotiations work out. Which is OK for the hardcore, "real" fans. But most other sports fans will move on to contests that pit the top two teams, or opponents, against one another.

[QueensburyRules]

--- Team sports go thru phases where a new owner buys up top talent to win a title that makes the players so valuable the soon need to be sold off.

They also have playoffs where the 4th best team gets a hot hand and sweeps the series.

Boxing's biggest problem is the way they promote the sport with their announcers always ****ering over who gets in the last word while the sound and fury of what may be a compelling fight is drowned out...only in boxing...

[Joe Beamish]

Fans of team sports don't have to wait to see the best teams compete against each other. They see it during the regular season. And they usually see it in the finals.

Not so fans of boxing. Again -- when will Thurman fight Spence? Perhaps never. Or Crawford.

Wilder vs. Joshua? Perhaps never. We'll just have to cross our fingers and hope it happens.

That's enough to keep a large mass of sports fans watching something else and developing no real ongoing relationship with boxing. They'll check in whenever there's a big fight -- once every 18 months or so.

[The Old LefHook]

A little rebranding of those lackluster divisional monikers cannot hurt. What the hell is a welter?

My God, look at the benefits that accrue and collect when merely one division is added, and the first four divisions are known collectively as Tiny Town.

1 Hummingbird Division, 91 lbs. limit

2 Canary Division, 95 lbs. limit

3 Pipsqueak Division, 99lbs. limit

4 Midget Masters Division, 104 lbs. limit

5 Manboy Division, 109 lbs. limit

6 Minnow Division, 115 lbs. limit

7 Fry Division, 122 lbs. limit

8 Stud Hamster Division, 129 lbs. limit

9 Little Rat Division, 137 lbs. limit

10 Big Weasel Division, 146 lbs. limit

11 Badger Division, 156 lbs. limit

12 Wolverine Division, 167 lbs. limit

13 Lanky Division, 179 lbs. limit

14 Pus Eaters' Division, 192 lbs. limit

15 Clubfoot Division, 206 lbs. limit

16 Oaf Division, 220 lbs. limit

17 Galoot Division, 250 lbs. limit

18 Ogre Division, over 250 lbs.

Now a Pus eater is not advised to fight an Ogre, but a Clubfoot may.

For the last four divisions shall be known collectively as Frankenton.

By the same token a hummingbird should not fight a manboy, but may fight a midget master.

[Dempsey-Louis]

prize fighting is not a sport -- to dictate that a man play basketball against a specified opponent; at a given time is not an unreasonable request -- to dictate to a man that he must participate in a particular fist-fight he doesn't necessarily want to participate in, is unseasonable -- prize fighters are both entrepreneur and entertainer who should be free to offer their service at their leisure

prize fighting is not a sporting event; even if a fighter masters the martial art of boxing his intent is to win money via a fist-fight

we delude ourselves; because fighters developed combat techniques (boxing) and because we surrounded them with rules and reconditions we have somehow in ours minds tuned what is actually just a a fist-fight into a sporting event that we want to mimic the NBA or NFL

in this delusion a stiff jab to the face becomes 'a point scored' when in actuality it remains a 'punch to the face' -- we lose sight of what is occurring before us

it is unreasonable to ask a man to fight as part of a 'league' just so fans can find some continuity; fighters have a small number of fights in which to sell their service/performances, they need to pick and choose the best fights, for the most money; not feed the needs of fans who want parity

the game is too brutal, careers too short for a fighter to commit himself to any type of 'league schedule'

the fewest number of fights for the most money is his goal and fans/government/sanctioning bodies shouldn't interfere with that; be happy with what we get, they give much and only a few of them gain much