Does Tank vs Garcia prove that belts don’t matter?

[El_Mero]

I think this is a fight for hardcores too, two undefeated stars both in their prime. They’re the type of matchups boxing needs. When was the last time two undefeated stars fought at this stage in their careers? Usually we get all this marination bullsh** like Spence and Crawford for example, both in their mid 30’s and we’re still no closer to it ever happening.

I don’t get the YouTube comparison at all tbh man, a few people have mentioned it, but Tank and Garcia are both legitimate top 5 guys in the division at worst. Those YouTube nerds couldn’t win a junior ABA novices. I get Ryan has a social media following but he’s a million levels above the likes of Fury/Paul.

i wasnt speaking of skill. More to my comparison of popularity.

It is great 2 young undefeated fighters are gettin it on. Imo its just too bad this doesnt truly mean anything in the bigger picture of the divisions (135/140). In the end, if the belts dont matter, Davis shouldnt fight for 2ndary titles anymore and neither should cRyan. Even if they do not fight for em, they still cant call themselves the best in each of those divisions if they arent fighting the haneys/lomas at 135 or the winner of Taylor/Lopez or Prograis etc at 140

[Jsmooth9876]

A fight between 2 guys who've accomplished nothing will never trump an undisputed fight.
I'm also looking forward to the fight but not as much as Haney-Loma or Usyk-Fury or even Inoue Fulton

[gauze]

I feel Shakur would beat them all at 135.

remains to be seen what stevenson can do at 135 until he fights someone there. he's a very good fighter. great footwork, timing, he's only going to get better. the time to fight him is now for a fighter like lomachenko. i thought he struggled a bit against conceicao who is a very solid fighter in his own right and should have gotten the nod against valdez. not sure if stevenson's power will improve much but he has the speed to catch a fighter off guard and put them down. he very may well have the boxing skills to play it safe with pot shots and counters and decision some of the top dogs at 135. the more the merrier, let's get these fights going!

[BodyBagz]

Let's picture boxing without belts....

How does it work ?

[RJJ-94-02=GOAT]

A fight between 2 guys who've accomplished nothing will never trump an undisputed fight.
I'm also looking forward to the fight but not as much as Haney-Loma or Usyk-Fury or even Inoue Fulton

It essentially has though. Tank-Garcia has completely overshadowed Haney-Loma. As I was saying to Big Dunn I can’t really remember this ever happening before in boxing history aside from maybe Ali-Frazier II.

[Str8.2.Da.Point]

Comparisons to those other sports is ridiculous. The NBA Playoffs are a pre-organised tournament as is the World Series, World Cup, Wimbledon etc. We know the final of that said tournament is the best two teams/players because they have to beat everybody else.

Boxing isn’t like that whatsoever. Fighters essentially choose who and when they fight and the ABC ratings completely lack credibility. Look at some the terrible mandatory challengers you get. You literally get fighters in the modern day who essentially beat to nobody become “world champion”. Take Haney’s WBC route for example. He got to fight Zaur Abdullaev for a “world title”.

It’s just a ****** comparison tbh man, Boxing is so unique in it’s governance or lack thereof compared to other sports.

I'm not comparing the sports, I'm comparing the competitors in the sport at the highest level..... I would have thought you understood that without me dumbing it down.

If I'm the best at ANY SPORT, then there is a goal that I'm trying to reach to showcase I am the best at that sport. That's what a trophy, or ring, or belt is suppose to represent.

Obviously I wasn't saying boxing was the same as the other major sports I pointed being that those are leagues and associations that create schedules for all the franchises involved and other things. Boxing doesn't have an overseeing body like that, but world class athletes are world class athletes......This isn't "Fight Club" or "Undisputed" movies in which you have fighters simply just trying to beat a specific fighter to show they are the best in a prison or whatever......the guys being chased are normally the ones with the titles......obviously money is a big part of it as well, but titles is the drive for the top talents especially early in their career.

Look at Jaron Ennis.....he's been calling for a fight vs Crawford/Spence.....Ortiz, Thurman, Stanionis, Ellis, etc are all talented as well, but he's been wanting a TITLE SHOT. Shakur Stevenson is now in his 3rd division and trying to get titles. That's his goal, not just fight who ever the public loves.

Crawford became undisputed at 140 and vacated those titles to challenge THE CHAMPIONS AT 147....he didn't call out Jeff Horn....Horn just happen to have a title. Obviously the politics came to play vs getting a fight with the PBC side, but my point is......titles aren't irrelevant in this sport no matter how you try to twist it.

[RJJ-94-02=GOAT]

I'm not comparing the sports, I'm comparing the competitors in the sport at the highest level..... I would have thought you understood that without me dumbing it down.

If I'm the best at ANY SPORT, then there is a goal that I'm trying to reach to showcase I am the best at that sport. That's what a trophy, or ring, or belt is suppose to represent.

Obviously I wasn't saying boxing was the same as the other major sports I pointed being that those are leagues and associations that create schedules for all the franchises involved and other things. Boxing doesn't have an overseeing body like that, but world class athletes are world class athletes......This isn't "Fight Club" or "Undisputed" movies in which you have fighters simply just trying to beat a specific fighter to show they are the best in a prison or whatever......the guys being chased are normally the ones with the titles......obviously money is a big part of it as well, but titles is the drive for the top talents especially early in their career.

Look at Jaron Ennis.....he's been calling for a fight vs Crawford/Spence.....Ortiz, Thurman, Stanionis, Ellis, etc are all talented as well, but he's been wanting a TITLE SHOT. Shakur Stevenson is now in his 3rd division and trying to get titles. That's his goal, not just fight who ever the public loves.

Crawford became undisputed at 140 and vacated those titles to challenge THE CHAMPIONS AT 147....he didn't call out Jeff Horn....Horn just happen to have a title. Obviously the politics came to play vs getting a fight with the PBC side, but my point is......titles aren't irrelevant in this sport no matter how you try to twist it.

Boxing can’t be compared to those other sports. It was an irrelevant comparison.

Having the belt doesn’t necessarily mean you are the #1 guy in the division.

There’s no politics in the World Cup, NBA playoffs etc, it’s the best two teams and we know that because they’ve beaten everyone else in the tournament. Boxing doesn’t work like that whatsoever.

[j0zef]

If anything, I would argue those exact examples show why belts matter more. Belts carry prestige, but more importantly, rules that boxers need to abide by. With Tank/Garcia, we already have asterisks being put on that fight due to catchweight and rehydration clause.

With Loma/Haney, at least they're both in the same division, even though one is a young fighter who can drain down to make the weight, while the other is an older guy who's daring to be great. If Haney wins, folks can say "yeah, Loma was too small, but then he shouldn't have been in that division in the first place". It's very different than Tank draining the crap out of Garcia because he wants to stack the odds.

[Str8.2.Da.Point]

Boxing can’t be compared to those other sports. It was an irrelevant comparison.

Having the belt doesn’t necessarily mean you are the #1 guy in the division.

There’s no politics in the World Cup, NBA playoffs etc, it’s the best two teams and we know that because they’ve beaten everyone else in the tournament. Boxing doesn’t work like that whatsoever.

I refuse to believe you are as clueless as you are present yourself to be in this conversation. I have literally pointed out that my comparison wasn't with the sports.....it was the nature of the ATHLETES.......

If I as an ATHLETE think I am the best in a specific SPORT, there is a certain accomplishment that helps me to justify it, via CHAMPIONSHIP of some sort. Yes there are specific athletes who financially are more comfortable than other athletes who are better than them, but history has shown that the BEST of the athletes in each era have accomplished a certain thing called a championship of some sort 9 times out of 10. It is ignorant to suggest that belts.....which are championships.....are irrelevant.

No where did I say that "having a belt meant you are the #1 guy".... I said that the belt is the accomplishment that every guy who feels they are the best....the #1 guy.....are trying to accomplish. That's not going to change just because a certain fan cares more about a specific fighter than he does the actual belt. How is that logic going over your head, or are you simply just trying to win a pointless argument?

And to say there are no politics in the World Cup, NBA playoffs, etc.....is to be naive/ignorant/lost to everything that is sports and competition. Each of the major sports involve BILLIONS.....and as an adult, you should understand that where their is $$, there is politics. Each of the major sports have had multiple examples in their history involving foul play, conspiracies, cheating, etc..... The best 2 teams do not always meet at the end..... Even in a tournament or playoff setting, there are/have been ways to advance a team that is more marketable than another team in a small market. One of the biggest knocks on Lebron James's 9 season run to the NBA Finals was that he was in a weak conference as the moment he faced an opponent from the opposite conference, his teams weren't so dominant.... getting swept or eliminated in 5 on 4 separate occasions. What about the conspiracies surrounding the Sacramento/Lakers series in 2002. There was a whole documentary on it and it was addressed by Tim Donaghy......a referee who was charged for placing bets on games he officiated and other things. Pointed out that he was not the only dirty referee employed by the NBA.... There's no politics in other sports?......Are you serious? You clearly must be a teenager or sometime..... That is a clueless comment to the definition.

But regardless......the comparison wasn't to the sports because the structures are different. The comparison was to the elite athletes and their goals within the sport.

[ELPacman]

Belts would matter more if it requires whoever held them had to face the next belt holder mandatory. Adding some kind of significance to the bearer. At this point, they mostly open up access to bigger paychecks for perhaps a boring type of personality that wouldn't otherwise move butts into seats. Regardless of who they face.

If you got rid of belts and just had the best possible matchups occurring, I'd take that over belts any day.