Why are so many heavyweights inactive?

[The Hammer]

I was looking through the top 50 heavyweights on BoxRec and surprisingly only about 10 have fights scheduled.

I thought someone like Kevin Johnson would have something scheduled by now, but he doesn't.

Rahman, Tua, Austin, Brewster, Platov, Williams, Sprott, Briggs, Ahunyana, Brock, Harrison, Dimitrenko and many others have yet to schedule a fight for 2008. Maybe some of the older ones have retired, but other like Johnson are in their prime.

I think the heavyweight division would improve if they stayed active, like most of the fighters in the middle and lower weight classes do. The problem is, the heavyweights have no upper weight limit so they often get out of shape and so become slower and boring to watch.

[Derranged_]

Co-sign; I think one of the biggest obstacles which holds back any division is inactive top fighters and especially for the hw division.

[duffgun]

I was looking through the top 50 heavyweights on BoxRec and surprisingly only about 10 have fights scheduled.

I thought someone like Kevin Johnson would have something scheduled by now, but he doesn't.

Rahman, Tua, Austin, Brewster, Platov, Williams, Sprott, Briggs, Ahunyana, Brock, Harrison, Dimitrenko and many others have yet to schedule a fight for 2008. Maybe some of the older ones have retired, but other like Johnson are in their prime.

I think the heavyweight division would improve if they stayed active, like most of the fighters in the middle and lower weight classes do. The problem is, the heavyweights have no upper weight limit so they often get out of shape and so become slower and boring to watch.

2 true.......

[Njord777]

With so few stand-outs I feel like the big boys are all jockying for position- you have the champions - some of whom aren't even that highly regarded themselves- then the top ten ranked fighters in each organization; but that list is changing by the day it seems. So, really, once you get past those top ten it's all a blur- guys who have no name, and are lumped in with another twenty fighters despite what they've done.

In reality, with no stars in the division these guys are planning their careers very carefully. One solid win can get you noticed enough to get on a PPV under card or some such; a second and you might be ranked- even get a shot at a belt. So, rather than fight and chance a loss these guys are just sitting around waiting for the safest fight to give them the best chance at exposure so they can try and climb a little further ahead of the guy next to them.

With the state of the division it doesn't take much to have your name muttered as a possible star-in-training; and each guys wants to do just enough to have their name mentioned without having to show their flaws or risk a loss and get thrown back down into the mob of unknown heavies.

[Derranged]

They are fat n lazy.

[Derranged_]

With so few stand-outs I feel like the big boys are all jockying for position- you have the champions - some of whom aren't even that highly regarded themselves- then the top ten ranked fighters in each organization; but that list is changing by the day it seems. So, really, once you get past those top ten it's all a blur- guys who have no name, and are lumped in with another twenty fighters despite what they've done.

In reality, with no stars in the division these guys are planning their careers very carefully. One solid win can get you noticed enough to get on a PPV under card or some such; a second and you might be ranked- even get a shot at a belt. So, rather than fight and chance a loss these guys are just sitting around waiting for the safest fight to give them the best chance at exposure so they can try and climb a little further ahead of the guy next to them.

With the state of the division it doesn't take much to have your name muttered as a possible star-in-training; and each guys wants to do just enough to have their name mentioned without having to show their flaws or risk a loss and get thrown back down into the mob of unknown heavies.

That's a good analysis of the hw status quo..

[Scott9945]

I was looking through the top 50 heavyweights on BoxRec and surprisingly only about 10 have fights scheduled.

I thought someone like Kevin Johnson would have something scheduled by now, but he doesn't.

Rahman, Tua, Austin, Brewster, Platov, Williams, Sprott, Briggs, Ahunyana, Brock, Harrison, Dimitrenko and many others have yet to schedule a fight for 2008. Maybe some of the older ones have retired, but other like Johnson are in their prime.

I think the heavyweight division would improve if they stayed active, like most of the fighters in the middle and lower weight classes do. The problem is, the heavyweights have no upper weight limit so they often get out of shape and so become slower and boring to watch.

Boxing has just changed that way. Baseball pitchers used to pitch every 3rd day. Now they pitch every 5th day, yet they get injured just as often. I can't pinpoint exactly why this is happening in boxing, other than being dependent on the shrinking number of TV dates available. There are just a lot less non televised club fights now in the US. One thing fans should remember though, fighters don't make any money when they don't fight. They may not be any happier about the inactivity than the fans are. Smaller weight classes generate less money which forces them to be more active just to keep boxing as their full time career.

[niceguy45]

they should all be banned

[The Hammer]

Boxing has just changed that way. Baseball pitchers used to pitch every 3rd day. Now they pitch every 5th day, yet they get injured just as often. I can't pinpoint exactly why this is happening in boxing, other than being dependent on the shrinking number of TV dates available. There are just a lot less non televised club fights now in the US. One thing fans should remember though, fighters don't make any money when they don't fight. They may not be any happier about the inactivity than the fans are. Smaller weight classes generate less money which forces them to be more active just to keep boxing as their full time career.

But interestingly enough, the highly paid top ten or so have been active this year - Valuev, Povetkin, Wlad, Sultan, etc. It's the ones ranked from 11 to 50 that haven't fought this year and have no fight scheduled - Tua, Johnson, Ahunyana etc. They don't make much money, so it doesn't make sense. Perhaps they are overly cautious or just plain lazy.

[LondonRingRules]

Rahman, Tua, Austin, Brewster, Platov, Williams, Sprott, Briggs, Ahunyana, Brock, Harrison, Dimitrenko and many others have yet to schedule a fight for 2008. Maybe some of the older ones have retired, but other like Johnson are in their prime.

** Tua has had bad management contract disputes and out a couple of years, was making an active comeback when family problem cause him to cancel a fight, one of his parent's death I believe.

Rahman and Briggs used to be quite active when reclimbing the ratings. Both older and recently outclassed, maybe just waiting for that emergency call to arms by a promoter needing a standin. Brewster had a detached retina and may be retired. Lourde Audley was injured when he knocked out his BMW and out for now, Brock in a severe funk after Wlad and probably fed up with the business end.

Kevin Johnson seems poised to get a big fight by record, but has no following or clamor about him. Doubt Ray Austin ever gets another shot as an older fighter with never much fight to begin with, Sprott just a domestic UK journeyman.

Dimitrenko just off a dominating performance will be in a title fight within a year. Like to see him and Povetkin, but likely they'll be cannon fodder for Wlad.

I tend to blame managers trying to protect fighters or sometimes the fighter's egos too big to take lesser fights. It really hurt Gerry Cooney as he was out over a year making a title fight with Holmes and just ran out of steam, but fairplay, he made huge money for that fight and secured Holme's financial security.