A Way Back for Heavyweights.

[Castillofan]

It's not just the fact that there's no American heavyweights since the Russians took over. Before there was the Klitschko's, Maskaev, Valuev and Lyakhovich, there was a heavyweight you may remember by the name of Lennox Lewis. Call him Canadian, British, Jamaican, whatever you like, but Lewis formed the undisputed heavyweight championship when he defeated Evander Holyfield at the end of 1999. So, all in all, Americans have not had a solid grasp on the heavyweight championship for some time.

Because Lewis insisted on satisfying his own agenda by chasing Mike Tyson, he also refused to litter the end of his legacy by honoring a bunch of pointless mandatories. That meant that instead of fighting easy opposition, he took on whomever was deemed to be the best possible heavyweight to challenge him at the time. He didn't decide; he just let the people talk, and then took on those that were considered to be his heirs apparent.

Because of Don King's bull**** in the courts, the championship was soon fragmented. The WBA championship was tussled over between Holyfield and John Ruiz; Chris Byrd became the ultimate IBF champion; and after Lewis' retirement, Vitali Klitschko and Corrie Sanders contested the WBC's paper championship.

Technically, this left the division in complete disarray with none of the supposed champions actually having beaten Lewis to get ther championship. Vitali Klitschko was considered as close to a linear champion as it got, and his decline to engage Hasim Rahman installed Rahman as the number one of sorts. Until, of course, Rahman got laid out for the second time in seven years by Maskaev.

My point here is that even if all of the champions were American, the public would still have trouble discerning them and even more trouble accepting that they could stand with the better heavyweights that had carried championships legitimately over the last 20-30 years.

It seems as if the situation is hopeless and that the division will not see a resurgence of interest for a long time. However, I think that there is hope.

Sooner or later, a heavyweight will emerge that will do some damage and unify championships. If that heavyweight is American, even if he is not completely up to par, he will raise the interest and patriotism of a desperate American audience. We can say this is true because of the willingness of many people to back Rahman, who is without a doubt the most inconsistent performer to have held the championship for many years.

As soon as an American heavyweight starts to make serious and consistent noise in the division, I think there is a good chance that the division will catch fire all over again. He will be the man that will have brought order to the division as Lewis did, except the American fanbase at large refused to accept Lewis because of his dual citizenships in the UK and Canada.

Technically, an American heavyweight taking over is the best thing that can happen to the sport at large. Mainstream interest could be rekindled as fans embrace the man that despatched the latest sweep of Russian heavyweight champions amd restore damerican pride in the division. The money that could be generated from such a happening would be immense.

All we have to do is find him.

[daggerdeux]

It's not just the fact that there's no American heavyweights since the Russians took over. Before there was the Klitschko's, Maskaev, Valuev and Lyakhovich, there was a heavyweight you may remember by the name of Lennox Lewis. Call him Canadian, British, Jamaican, whatever you like, but Lewis formed the undisputed heavyweight championship when he defeated Evander Holyfield at the end of 1999. So, all in all, Americans have not had a solid grasp on the heavyweight championship for some time.

Because Lewis insisted on satisfying his own agenda by chasing Mike Tyson, he also refused to litter the end of his legacy by honoring a bunch of pointless mandatories. That meant that instead of fighting easy opposition, he took on whomever was deemed to be the best possible heavyweight to challenge him at the time. He didn't decide; he just let the people talk, and then took on those that were considered to be his heirs apparent.

Because of Don King's bull**** in the courts, the championship was soon fragmented. The WBA championship was tussled over between Holyfield and John Ruiz; Chris Byrd became the ultimate IBF champion; and after Lewis' retirement, Vitali Klitschko and Corrie Sanders contested the WBC's paper championship.

Technically, this left the division in complete disarray with none of the supposed champions actually having beaten Lewis to get ther championship. Vitali Klitschko was considered as close to a linear champion as it got, and his decline to engage Hasim Rahman installed Rahman as the number one of sorts. Until, of course, Rahman got laid out for the second time in seven years by Maskaev.

My point here is that even if all of the champions were American, the public would still have trouble discerning them and even more trouble accepting that they could stand with the better heavyweights that had carried championships legitimately over the last 20-30 years.

It seems as if the situation is hopeless and that the division will not see a resurgence of interest for a long time. However, I think that there is hope.

Sooner or later, a heavyweight will emerge that will do some damage and unify championships. If that heavyweight is American, even if he is not completely up to par, he will raise the interest and patriotism of a desperate American audience. We can say this is true because of the willingness of many people to back Rahman, who is without a doubt the most inconsistent performer to have held the championship for many years.

As soon as an American heavyweight starts to make serious and consistent noise in the division, I think there is a good chance that the division will catch fire all over again. He will be the man that will have brought order to the division as Lewis did, except the American fanbase at large refused to accept Lewis because of his dual citizenships in the UK and Canada.

Technically, an American heavyweight taking over is the best thing that can happen to the sport at large. Mainstream interest could be rekindled as fans embrace the man that despatched the latest sweep of Russian heavyweight champions amd restore damerican pride in the division. The money that could be generated from such a happening would be immense.

All we have to do is find him.

That would be hard hard because every big kid would dreamed to be play in NFL or NBA first. Would you think if Lennox Lewis grow up in the US, he would be playing football?

[Castillofan]

That would be hard hard because every big kid would dreamed to be play in NFL or NBA first. Would you think if Lennox Lewis grow up in the US, he would be playing football?

I understand that the way that the natural size of heavyweighst can be a curse to the game in itself because so many kids have influences taking them to those other sports. I think Lewis was going to become a fighter because of the complexity of his life: his Mother leaving him for long periods to set up a better life in Canada; his father's absence in his life; and the overall problems he had in adapting to Canadian life because he was so different to the other kids. He had anger in him and I think that boxing was the perfect foil for him.

Anyone thinking they can make a quick buck in boxing is going to be sorely mistaken. Any pretenders will get hurt so I needn't worry about some full time linebacker or whatever, part time fighter becoming heavyweight champion of the world.

[juggernautburn]

you know what, i think you are right.

[LeeMc]

Don't we always get this poor period in the heavyweights? After Tunney retired we had Max Schmeling, Jack Sharkey, Max Baer and James Braddock before finally Joe Louis became Champ. After Louis the same thing happend. Ezzard Charles and Joe Walcott before Marciano came along.

What followed after Marciano was amazing and why people tend to think the Heavyweights has always been better. We had Patterson, Johanson and Patterson again who were good but not great. However then came Liston, Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Ali (again), Spinks (briefly, thankfully), Ali (AGAIN!!) and Holmes. 5 of those are without much doubt in the top dozen greatest heavyweights of all time.

I think people tend to forget that after Holmes we had a few years of rubbish before Tyson and he went and lost to Douglas! At least Douglas lost to Holyfield and he to Bowe. However, even then we got Michael Moorer and a 45 year old George Foreman.

So although we aren't going through a golden period it's just history repeating itself. We will, in a few years, have the next dominant Heavyweight but we have to be paitent. (Please don't let it be Calvin Brock!)

[Castillofan]

Don't we always get this poor period in the heavyweights? After Tunney retired we had Max Schmeling, Jack Sharkey, Max Baer and James Braddock before finally Joe Louis became Champ. After Louis the same thing happend. Ezzard Charles and Joe Walcott before Marciano came along.

What followed after Marciano was amazing and why people tend to think the Heavyweights has always been better. We had Patterson, Johanson and Patterson again who were good but not great. However then came Liston, Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Ali (again), Spinks (briefly, thankfully), Ali (AGAIN!!) and Holmes. 5 of those are without much doubt in the top dozen greatest heavyweights of all time.

I think people tend to forget that after Holmes we had a few years of rubbish before Tyson and he went and lost to Douglas! At least Douglas lost to Holyfield and he to Bowe. However, even then we got Michael Moorer and a 45 year old George Foreman.

So although we aren't going through a golden period it's just history repeating itself. We will, in a few years, have the next dominant Heavyweight but we have to be paitent. (Please don't let it be Calvin Brock!)

I'm with you on the Brock issue. PLEASE God let's not have the heavyweight champion of the world a bank clerk that tap dances in his spare time.

[Guest]

Would not a simpler solution be to build even more finance in the sport in Eastern European countries? So that even if the US market flounders, boxing can earn its bucks elsewhere?

[Castillofan]

Would not a simpler solution be to build even more finance in the sport in Eastern European countries? So that even if the US market flounders, boxing can earn its bucks elsewhere?

Well, it hasn't happened so far and getting people to part with money to build something up to be interesting is a lot more difficult than having something exciting as it is and letting people access it for a fee.

I think the key lies in the American market in that the quality has dropped off and there aren't as many young kids willing to get involved in the game when they have viable alternatives. That's a massive problem and it will take a very exceptional fighter to come along and change that.

[!!Captain]

You are overlooking the fact that there are hundreds of young hungry heavyweights who are growing up in Eastern Europe at the same time. This is just the first batch of the fighters, there are hundreds more being brought up and trained. Just take a look at the European picture, the European HW champ is a fighter from Eastern Europe. I think that "Russians" are here to stay now that they've been let out of their cage.

[Guest]

I just think it's a little insular to suggest that for boxing to thrive it needs US champs.

If champs are going to be from other countries, then build the appeal of the sport in those other countries. I'm sure, for example, that Wlad vs. Valuev would be a sell out in Germany.

As an aside, Lewis wasn't particularly regarded as an attraction in England, either - he just never quite "took" with the public.