24 years since the last American heavyweight champion, soon to be 25

[Dr Z]

The average size of athletes in the NFL, CFL, NHL, NBA, MLB, NLL, and PLL are all over 200 pounds. This is where all the Americans and Canadians who would otherwise be fighting at light heavyweight, cruiserweight, and heavyweight are.

That's why Americans and Canadians are both much more represented in the middle divisions (featherweight through super middleweight). Athletes of those sizes have a much more difficult time playing any major team sport except for soccer, so far more of them end up in combat sports as compared to the higher divisions where such size is a big advantage in team sports.

To a degree those sports have always existed in North America but the popularity, league sizes (as in number of teams and number of players per roster), and average size of the athletes has increased drastically across the board over the last four decades.


famicommander

In all Men's sports except horse racing and boxing, you won't fine ANY sub 140 pound players.

[kafkod]

The average size of athletes in the NFL, CFL, NHL, NBA, MLB, NLL, and PLL are all over 200 pounds. This is where all the Americans and Canadians who would otherwise be fighting at light heavyweight, cruiserweight, and heavyweight are.

That's why Americans and Canadians are both much more represented in the middle divisions (featherweight through super middleweight). Athletes of those sizes have a much more difficult time playing any major team sport except for soccer, so far more of them end up in combat sports as compared to the higher divisions where such size is a big advantage in team sports.

To a degree those sports have always existed in North America but the popularity, league sizes (as in number of teams and number of players per roster), and average size of the athletes has increased drastically across the board over the last four decades.

The population of the US has also increased drastically over the last 40 years. And the size of the average US male has also increased.

The popularity of boxing in the US has dwindled drastically over that same time period, no doubt about it. And that, of course makes boxing less attractive as a career choice for athletically gifted kids. But the question I ask myself is - why has the popularity of boxing in the US dwindled so drastically? And to me, it looks like the end of US dominance of the HW division was one of the main reasons.

So why did US dominance of the HW division end? It seems clear, to me, that it happened because, for a variety of reasons, UK HWs are much, much better now than they used to be. And the end of the Soviet Union brought East European HWs into the game.

[kafkod]

Basketball and hockey are getting most of the HW sized athletes in Eastern Europe, two different forms of rugby are getting most of the HW sized athletes in the UK. Joe Parker comes from a country with like half the population of New York where rugby is a religion.

Yanks don't realise how popular rugby is worldwide, especially Down Under.

[Bennyleonard99]

Incredible points. Wilder didn't count, he was installed by corruption and only faced Haymon's hired patsies and divers. Hasim Rahman was the last American heavyweight champ, or was it Byrd or Ruiz. And shockingly there is nothing on the horizon to revive the US HWT market which is dead save for the ghost of Mike Tyson.

[Bennyleonard99]

The population of the US has also increased drastically over the last 40 years. And the size of the average US male has also increased.

The popularity of boxing in the US has dwindled drastically over that same time period, no doubt about it. And that, of course makes boxing less attractive as a career choice for athletically gifted kids. But the question I ask myself is - why has the popularity of boxing in the US dwindled so drastically? And to me, it looks like the end of US dominance of the HW division was one of the main reasons.

So why did US dominance of the HW division end? It seems clear, to me, that it happened because, for a variety of reasons, UK HWs are much, much better now than they used to be. And the end of the Soviet Union brought East European HWs into the game.

Good question why did it end... the last ones Byrd Ruiz and Rahman were mediocrities who did not inspire the next gen. They were basically pawns controlled by Don King and who aspires to be a pawn used by a corrupt crook? Haymon and Finkel manufactured and installed Wilder who was nothing. There's nowhere for a young hwt to go, no great trainers, no networks, no American public demand to buy a young US hwt. The only path is to be a fraud like Paul, build yourself up by social media hype and pretend to be a real boxer. That is the system now. It's broken. US amateur boxing is also dead. There's no end game goal, the whole system is a big fail. Nobody in their right mind wants to be another Jake Paul phony.

[SouthpawRight]

In all Men's sports except horse racing and boxing, you won't fine ANY sub 140 pound players.

even boxing featherweights are walking around over 140

[PRINCEKOOL]

I don't think it has anything to do with the NBA, NFL, NHL OR MBL 'I don't think those type of team sports; have a direct correlation to fighting. Maybe the NFL does slightly, but it is a over exaggeration that the athletes in those sports would automatically make great fighters. Fighting and boxing is a specific skill, which can be innate and also needs to be trained for many years and decades to improve up to a solid level'.

I think the issue America seems to have, is culture and lifestyle 'almost all American fighters, accept a very few seem to have a very bad work ethic combined with lifestyle habits. This never used to be the case going back in the boxing history but? It definitively is today in this modern era of boxing'.

Note: It is very rare you come across a top level American Heavyweight fighter, with a comparable work ethic to Oleksandr Uysk and Anthony Joshua 'even Tyson Fury to his credit has for the most part shown a better work ethic than most American heavyweight fighters. It is only really during the latter stages of his career, post the Wladimir Kiltschko win that he began to really decrease in terms of his work ethic'.

But currently right now as we speak? Tyson Fury is training on a daily basis following a strict and tailored boxing routine 'what are the so called best prospects in American Heavyweight boxing doing? What is Deontay Wilder doing right now? Nobody knows for sure'.

I think since Evander Holyfield and Hasim Rahman, there have been way more overall talented fighters than Deontay Wilder 'but Wilder did during periods of his boxing career, show a really good level of work ethic combined with passion. For sustained periods of time, he was really as they say? Living a very intense lifestyle as a professional fighter. Ultimately that is what it takes at top level in the sport, to just at the very least turn up and compete'.

So overall? I think American will always have a fairly decent talent pool of fighters 'but the issue is, whether those fighters will have the correct attributes that endorse winning in such a competitive and brutal sport. Such as Work ethic, this attribute is really underrated both in life, business and especially in sport. Most people don't truly know the depths to how work ethic can effect performance'.

Fitness accumulates over time, skills consolidate over time, data, experience and information accumulates over time 'It is not about just suddenly deciding to dedicated to the sport for 6 to 8 weeks leading up to a fight. That is not what builds elite level skill and ability; fighters need to incorporate the sport into their lives on a daily basis. Because that is what it takes to ether become the best or extract the most from your abilities'.

America used to have in mass, fighters with that level of passion 'but in this modern era of boxing, those types of fighters have decreased. Especially when it comes to American heavyweight contenders. A very high percentage of them all seem to be badly out of condition, and suffer from having a way under-par work ethic'.

The guy who was smashed up by Martin Bakole 'I could see it straight off from the start of his career. That this man is like a Rid**** Bowe type character, but the only difference is? He does not have Rid**** Bowe's boxing ability'.

I think the issues start before the boxing gym, there was Michael Jordan documentary that came out a few years ago 'and people were really impressed and in awe with Jordan's work ethic. It was great to hear stories and more detail about his career, but? I was not as impressed. I was thinking myself, what is the big deal?'.

I have been around and trained with Track and Field athletes 'and even at a amateur level, the athletes were training on a daily basis. At a intensity of detail and frequency that may break normal average joe people. Nobody expects or even wants a pat on the back, because this is what it takes to extract the best from your ability. It is the culture quite simply of that sport'.

To conclude: So the point I am making is? I honestly believe American boxing has the talent to be better 'but there is culture in the nation, which in my opinion does not always support athletes to be their best'.

Sometimes you see this culture thing appear in other countries around the world sometimes even in British boxing 'with fighters like Dave Allen and Tyson Fury. When such fighters have half decent training camps, the media molly coddles them and praises them. It is really unnecessary. But for the most part fighters in British Boxing do seem to have a solid work ethic'.

Like Teddy Atlas states? 'Boxing is Life. It is not a 12 week training camp; it is 365 days per year. It is as simple as that. I think American Heavyweight Boxing will improve when the calibre of athlete improves in terms of work ethic that competes in the sport' etc.

[The D3vil]

Tyson Fury ended Wladimir Klitschko's reign & was a universally accepted top 3 HW in the world during the Wilder/Fury trilogy.

There's no way that you can argue that Wilder never defended against a top 10 heavy, when the heavy he defended against was generally considered the BEST HW in the world.

[LA_2_Vegas]

No love for Lamon Brewster, first HW champion out of Indiana?

Andy Ruiz??

Damn, that's all I've got - we'll be back in the mix soon I swear.

[famicommander]

No love for Lamon Brewster, first HW champion out of Indiana?

Andy Ruiz??

Damn, that's all I've got - we'll be back in the mix soon I swear.

Those are belt holders. The actual heavyweight champion lineage working backwards is Usyk, Fury (maybe twice depending on how you regard his retirement(s)), Klitschko, Lewis, Rahman, Lewis, Briggs, Foreman, Moorer, Holyfield, etc.

So yeah, the last three American heavyweight champions were Rahman, Shannon the Cannon, and Old George.