By Jake Donovan
Back when boxing was at the forefront of major sports, fans needn’t look any further than the championship spot to figure out the best fighters in each weight class.
There were occasional exceptions, but for the most part THE champ and the best were one and the same. That claim is not as easy to make in an era where true title lineage easily gets lost in a sea of alphabet titlists and preferred network choices (read: TV-friendly fighters).
As fans, network brass and even writers who should otherwise exude objectivity continue to gravitate towards their preferred style of fighters, greatness or championship status doesn’t enter into the equation quite as often as should be the case.
Because, let’s face it, having earned the right to becoming the true champion – or the best – should always warrant recognition.
The question remains, however, whom exactly do we recognize?
Thanks to the giving nature of the alphabet organizations, there are 78 different fighters claiming title status. That’s an average of more than four fighters per weight class – an absurdly high number especially when considering there are seven divisions featuring unified titlists, including Floyd Mayweather Jr. who holds two belts each at welterweight and super welterweight.
The World Boxing Association (WBA) and its obsession with keeping a champion crowned at all times has resulted in 14 of 17 weight classes featuring an interim champion. Nine of the 17 feature a Regular champion accompanying a Super/Unified/Undisputed champion by the same sanctioning body, with the combined total of all of its belts good for nearly half of the number of fighters these days calling themselves “champion.”
BoxingScene.com recognizes true World lineal champions in ten weight classes. One more will be added to the list, assuming a winner is produced in the November 29 clash between Terence Crawford and Raymundo Beltran, the two highest rated lightweights in the world.
But even established lineage doesn’t always define the best fighter in a weight class. If a fighter hasn’t taken on all comers on his way to the top, he should certainly seek them out once overseeing the rest of the field.
That’s in a perfect world. Instead, we’re stuck in one where greed and political alliance go a long way towards there still being room for debate.
In order to help whittle down the field, BoxingScene.com has arranged for 10 writers from around the globe (though admittedly U.S.-dominant) to break down each weight class and simply decide who is the best. With majority rule as the deciding factor, such answers can be provided, and also explained as to why the best isn’t necessarily the champion, and vice versa.
The writers gracious enough to participate are (in alphabetical order):
Adam Abramowitz, Founder/Editor-In-Chief, SaturdayNightBoxing.com
Ryan Bivins, Feature Writer, BadLeftHook.com
Jake Donovan, Managing Editor, BoxingScene.com
David P. Greisman, Senior Writer, BoxingScene.com
Steve Kim, News Editor, BoxingScene.com
Takahiro Onaga, Founder/Editor-In-Chief, AsianBoxing.info
Dan Rafael, Senior Writer, ESPN.com
Cliff Rold, Feature Writer/Ratings Chairman, BoxingScene.com
Lem Satterfield, Reporter, RingTV.com
Alexey Sukachev, Eastern European Editor, BoxingScene.com
The next four days following the launching of this article will break down the remaining weight classes in the sport, some featuring far more spirited debate than others where the choice is clear.
“For the most part… the lineal champion and the No. 1 fighter in the division are the same in my view,” accurately points out Dan Rafael, senior writer for ESPN.com.
First up, the heavyweight division.
HEAVYWEIGHT (201 lb. and above)
Who’s the champ?
Wladimir Klitschko (63-3, 53KOs) became World heavyweight champion after his 9th round stoppage of then-unbeaten Ruslan Chagaev in June ’09. The win filled a vacancy left behind when Lennox Lewis retired from the sport in 2004. Klitschko has since made ten successful defenses, including Saturday’s one-sided beatdown of top-ranked Kubrat Pulev in Hamburg, Germany.
Who’s the best?
Shame on you if you still needed to be convinced heading into Saturday’s card on HBO that Klitschko isn’t far and away the best heavyweight in the world. That said, no doubt was left after yet another contender was turned away with frightening ease, as Pulev – regarded by most as the top challenger to Klitschko’s throne – was never in the fight before being blasted out in five rounds.
Truthfully, Klitschko emerged as the best heavyweight in the world – and arguably of the post-Lewis era – with his knockout win over Chris Byrd in their April ’06 rematch. The past 8½ year and 17 title defenses have seen Klitschko continue to separate himself from the rest of the field.
“This is a no brainer, he has dominated this division and since his brother's retirement there isn't even a close second to be honest,” insists Steve Kim, contributing news editor for BoxingScene.com and lead writer for UCNLive.com. “He has cleaned out this division the past few years.”
What can change?
Not much.
What’s scary for the rest of the division is that – at age 38 - Klitschko hasn’t shown any real signs of slowing down, nor has another heavyweight emerged as a viable threat to his reign.
As were the circumstances when he contended for the World crown more than five years ago, the next in line may have to come in a vacant championship bout long after Klitschko calls it a career.
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Next up (Monday 11/17): Part II – Examining the 105 lb., 108 lb., 112 lb. and 115 lb. divisions.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com, as well as the Records Keeper for the Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and a member of Boxing Writers Association of America . Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
