Does the heavyweight title mean anything these days ?

[Quixall]

It seems that with the dearth of talent in the heavyweight division these days, people are less inclined to know who the current heavyweight champion of the world is, but more importantly, they don't seem to care who it is. Year ago, who was teh heavyweight champion mattered, people idolised these champions and people knew who they all were. If you go back to the 1920's through to the 1990's, the names stood out and people couldn't wait to see the fights. Tunney, Dempsey, Louis, Marciano, Liston, Ali, Frazier, Holmes, Tyson, Lewis, Holyfield. Then, there were countless other fighters who were never champions but gave a good account of themselves and were good opponents. The court of action seemed to be in America and i am sure we can all remember watching Tyson, Lewis, Holyfield and for the older ones, Holmes, Ali and Frazier. The venues were big, crowds enourmous, big personalities at ringside, the lights flashing, excitement and glamour.

Nowadays it lacks something which is difficult to put into words. The centre of the heavyweight world is no longer America, but Europe, primarily because of the reign of the Klitschko brothers. Gone are the flashing lights, the big personalities at ringside, the excitement and the glamour. To it's credit, the stadiums are still big, as are the crowds, well, for the Klitscho's at least until they retire, but the fights have become boring, pedestrian and predictable, with no-one being able to beat either Klitschko. That is not the Klitschko's fault, because there is little talent now in the heavyweight division. Some of the challengers are barely credible. The splitting of the title into four organisations hasn't helped matters and the fact that most fights are now on cable or satelite televison where you have to pay to watch these days. It seems that teh smaller divisions now hold people's attention, primarily because there is more talent around.

What do you guys think ?

[lillywhite14]

There has always been more talent in the lower divisons. Very rarely is the best fighter p4p a heavyweight ( actually, has this ever been the case? Where the over riding pick of best p4p fighter on the planet was a heavyweight? )

Personally speaking though, it's always been THE division for me. Still the sports flagship division and always will be.

Another genuine heavyweight star will come through at some point over the next few years or so. There have been plenty of poor eras for the division, the recent apparent slump is far from rare. During this period we have had a couple of good, if somewhat boring, champions too.

[Alba]

It seems that with the dearth of talent in the heavyweight division these days, people are less inclined to know who the current heavyweight champion of the world is, but more importantly, they don't seem to care who it is. Year ago, who was teh heavyweight champion mattered, people idolised these champions and people knew who they all were. If you go back to the 1920's through to the 1990's, the names stood out and people couldn't wait to see the fights. Tunney, Dempsey, Louis, Marciano, Liston, Ali, Frazier, Holmes, Tyson, Lewis, Holyfield. Then, there were countless other fighters who were never champions but gave a good account of themselves and were good opponents. The court of action seemed to be in America and i am sure we can all remember watching Tyson, Lewis, Holyfield and for the older ones, Holmes, Ali and Frazier. The venues were big, crowds enourmous, big personalities at ringside, the lights flashing, excitement and glamour.

Nowadays it lacks something which is difficult to put into words. The centre of the heavyweight world is no longer America, but Europe, primarily because of the reign of the Klitschko brothers. Gone are the flashing lights, the big personalities at ringside, the excitement and the glamour. To it's credit, the stadiums are still big, as are the crowds, well, for the Klitscho's at least until they retire, but the fights have become boring, pedestrian and predictable, with no-one being able to beat either Klitschko. That is not the Klitschko's fault, because there is little talent now in the heavyweight division. Some of the challengers are barely credible. The splitting of the title into four organisations hasn't helped matters and the fact that most fights are now on cable or satelite televison where you have to pay to watch these days. It seems that teh smaller divisions now hold people's attention, primarily because there is more talent around.

What do you guys think ?

I think that your spot on with your assessment. The Klits do get a bit of a rough time from folk caused of there style ,which i get ,but they are effective at what they do i suppose.

[Quixall]

There has always been more talent in the lower divisons. Very rarely is the best fighter p4p a heavyweight ( actually, has this ever been the case? Where the over riding pick of best p4p fighter on the planet was a heavyweight? )

Personally speaking though, it's always been THE division for me. Still the sports flagship division and always will be.

Another genuine heavyweight star will come through at some point over the next few years or so. There have been plenty of poor eras for the division, the recent apparent slump is far from rare. During this period we have had a couple of good, if somewhat boring, champions too.

True, the talented fighters on the whole are in the lighter divisions, but i also think that people are finding those divisions far more exciting to watch, regardless of the talent on show. Britain's heavyweight divison is more exciting that the world title scenario, yet i doubt any of our fighters have enough talent to beat the Klitschko's.

[Mimmy]

The heavyweight division in the UK at the moment is very poor, it has been for a few years apart from the top 3 or 4 heavyweights. I could not name 10 in England at the moment and would not know how many pro heavyweights there are in England.

I just don't think its England however, the USA is poor too there isn't anyone whos making a big name and scaring the others shitless. The Eastern block have the best fighters but they are not exciting and fight differently from western boxers.

Generally boxing has changed all over the world, long gone are the Hearns, Ray Leonards and Haglers, The Tysons, Holyfields and Lewis's have all dies out and become extinct.

What goes around come around they will be back in one form or another we just have to sit and wait.

[Old bones Ian]

If you look back since boxing started then Britain has never had a huge talent at heavyweight, we are lucky to have 1 or 2 world class heavies at any one time.

As for the world title, i still think most casual fans would know the Klits are the top men, but they may not of seen any of their fights.

[funso banjo baby]

two problems.

1. we have two brothers at 1 and 2 with the result that neither champ will ever be actually fighting a number 1 contender !!!

2. their fights are extremely dull

they may technically be the best of all time...but the division will definately liven up when they're gone

the most exciting 'title' fights since Lennox retired were the Lamon Brewster fights

i would struggle to watch Klit fights in their entirety

even out and out punchers like Haye et al repeatedly get nullified by the Klit technique. its just boring to watch

id love an open scene with the klits gone and these guys competing for undisputed honours....

Povetkin
Pulev
Banks
Price
Fury
Jennings
Glazkov
abdusalamov
arreola
haye
szpilka

any combo would be great to watch

whereas any of these versus a klit is a yawn

[TJ77]

When David Price is crowned we will say it is but in truth the kudos it once had
has long gone.The KO factor keeps the division watchable but its had its day as the pinnacle of all sports.

[TBooze]

The heavyweight division in the UK at the moment is very poor, .

There are arguably three world class Heavyweights in the division in the UK at the moment. Go back to the mid 80s, when we had the likes of Pearce, Bunjo, Quarless and Currie were competing to be Britain's number two big man. Or post Lewis when arguably a novice in his late 30s (Skelton) was Britain's finest Heavyweight for a period. That was when the division here was 'very poor'.

History suggests British Heavyweight boxing is going through a bit of a boom at the moment. With one or two exceptions (in the 90s), to quote Macmillan; you have never had it so good!

[JLP]

They know who the heavyweight champion is from Isenbruch to the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug and it means a lot across that span. The world is bigger than the US/UK.

It's all quiet in the USA but they'll be singing from the rooftops about the "richest prize in sport" in a heartbeat if they can ever produce another guy who has the ability to beat the Eastern Europeans. Most Brits just do what the Yanks do, unless, of course, a Brit wins the title, then they'll get excited.

[Quixall]

They know who the heavyweight champion is from Isenbruch to the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug and it means a lot across that span. The world is bigger than the US/UK.

It's all quiet in the USA but they'll be singing from the rooftops about the "richest prize in sport" in a heartbeat if they can ever produce another guy who has the ability to beat the Eastern Europeans. Most Brits just do what the Yanks do, unless, of course, a Brit wins the title, then they'll get excited.

But it has always been mainly about the US/UK............

I wasn't meaning true international recognition, perhaps only Ali ever had that. I seriously doubt that people could name the heavyweight champion of the world in this country, nevermind anywhere else.

[DanielGraham73]

Looking dim at the moment,unlike its hay day with Tyson,Lewis etc even bigger before that though with the greats,David Price looks the uk's best contender right now,or big Fury

[TBooze]

They know who the heavyweight champion is from Isenbruch to the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug and it means a lot across that span. The world is bigger than the US/UK.

It's all quiet in the USA but they'll be singing from the rooftops about the "richest prize in sport" in a heartbeat if they can ever produce another guy who has the ability to beat the Eastern Europeans. Most Brits just do what the Yanks do, unless, of course, a Brit wins the title, then they'll get excited.

But it has always been mainly about the US/UK............

I wasn't meaning true international recognition, perhaps only Ali ever had that. I seriously doubt that people could name the heavyweight champion of the world in this country, nevermind anywhere else.

Well no one can, as there is not one, and has not been since Lennox called it a day.

[Quixall]

They know who the heavyweight champion is from Isenbruch to the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug and it means a lot across that span. The world is bigger than the US/UK.

It's all quiet in the USA but they'll be singing from the rooftops about the "richest prize in sport" in a heartbeat if they can ever produce another guy who has the ability to beat the Eastern Europeans. Most Brits just do what the Yanks do, unless, of course, a Brit wins the title, then they'll get excited.

But it has always been mainly about the US/UK............

I wasn't meaning true international recognition, perhaps only Ali ever had that. I seriously doubt that people could name the heavyweight champion of the world in this country, nevermind anywhere else.

Well no one can, as there is not one, and has not been since Lennox called it a day.

and the general public would understand your point ? No they wouldn't, which is why the division has gone down the tubes. If you explained what you mean't to the unitiated, they would just look at you with a blank face. As i say, no one teally knows and no-one really cares anymore.

[Looking On]

The heavyweight division in the UK at the moment is very poor, it has been for a few years apart from the top 3 or 4 heavyweights. I could not name 10 in England at the moment and would not know how many pro heavyweights there are in England.

I just don't think its England however, the USA is poor too there isn't anyone whos making a big name and scaring the others shitless. The Eastern block have the best fighters but they are not exciting and fight differently from western boxers.

Generally boxing has changed all over the world, long gone are the Hearns, Ray Leonards and Haglers, The Tysons, Holyfields and Lewis's have all dies out and become extinct.

What goes around come around they will be back in one form or another we just have to sit and wait.

The fact you cannot name ten Uk Heavyweights is more to do with your lack of knowledge than a lack of talent , id go as far as saying that the British Heavyweight division is the strongest its been in a while .

[JLP]

They know who the heavyweight champion is from Isenbruch to the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug and it means a lot across that span. The world is bigger than the US/UK.

It's all quiet in the USA but they'll be singing from the rooftops about the "richest prize in sport" in a heartbeat if they can ever produce another guy who has the ability to beat the Eastern Europeans. Most Brits just do what the Yanks do, unless, of course, a Brit wins the title, then they'll get excited.

But it has always been mainly about the US/UK............

I wasn't meaning true international recognition, perhaps only Ali ever had that. I seriously doubt that people could name the heavyweight champion of the world in this country, nevermind anywhere else.

It has but it isn't any more, at least for the time being. That's what happens when a sport grows internationally. Snooker, for example, has always been mainly about the UK but as the Chinese get better and better, the UK players will gradually fizzle away and the popularity of the sport in this country will crumble whilst, simultaneously blossoming in the Far East.

I've been to the gyms in Germany and they are toppers with big boys (light heavy/cruiserweight/heavyweight) from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, The Balkans, Poland, The Baltics, and Germany itself. It's brilliant. But there's not a lot of English spoken and the Brits and, even more so, the Americans can't handle that, so they just tune it out.

[mickey1975]

They know who the heavyweight champion is from Isenbruch to the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug and it means a lot across that span. The world is bigger than the US/UK.

It's all quiet in the USA but they'll be singing from the rooftops about the "richest prize in sport" in a heartbeat if they can ever produce another guy who has the ability to beat the Eastern Europeans. Most Brits just do what the Yanks do, unless, of course, a Brit wins the title, then they'll get excited.

But it has always been mainly about the US/UK............

I wasn't meaning true international recognition, perhaps only Ali ever had that. I seriously doubt that people could name the heavyweight champion of the world in this country, nevermind anywhere else.

It has but it isn't any more, at least for the time being. That's what happens when a sport grows internationally. Snooker, for example, has always been mainly about the UK but as the Chinese get better and better, the UK players will gradually fizzle away and the popularity of the sport in this country will crumble whilst, simultaneously blossoming in the Far East.

I've been to the gyms in Germany and they are toppers with big boys (light heavy/cruiserweight/heavyweight) from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, The Balkans, Poland, The Baltics, and Germany itself. It's brilliant. But there's not a lot of English spoken and the Brits and, even more so, the Americans can't handle that, so they just tune it out.

The Dutch are going to take the Darts as well when Phil packs in.

[Quixall]

They know who the heavyweight champion is from Isenbruch to the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug and it means a lot across that span. The world is bigger than the US/UK.

It's all quiet in the USA but they'll be singing from the rooftops about the "richest prize in sport" in a heartbeat if they can ever produce another guy who has the ability to beat the Eastern Europeans. Most Brits just do what the Yanks do, unless, of course, a Brit wins the title, then they'll get excited.

But it has always been mainly about the US/UK............

I wasn't meaning true international recognition, perhaps only Ali ever had that. I seriously doubt that people could name the heavyweight champion of the world in this country, nevermind anywhere else.

It has but it isn't any more, at least for the time being. That's what happens when a sport grows internationally. Snooker, for example, has always been mainly about the UK but as the Chinese get better and better, the UK players will gradually fizzle away and the popularity of the sport in this country will crumble whilst, simultaneously blossoming in the Far East.

I've been to the gyms in Germany and they are toppers with big boys (light heavy/cruiserweight/heavyweight) from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, The Balkans, Poland, The Baltics, and Germany itself. It's brilliant. But there's not a lot of English spoken and the Brits and, even more so, the Americans can't handle that, so they just tune it out.

Yeah, i would agree.......

Since the communist block was effectively dismantled and individual countries got their independance back, they have grown in their own right economically, politically etc and along with that is the cultural aspects and that includes sport. I wonder if it's just a coincidence that with the emergence of these fighters from the countries you note above, America is not producing talented heavyweights anymore and to a lesser degree, fighters in general compared to the past. It hasn't affected Britain, who have at least three world class heavyweights, dependant upon how you would describe the term "world class" in relation to the otehr top heavyweights around.

[JLP]

If you removed the fighters from the former Eastern Bloc countries from the heavyweight rankings, who would be the guys with the belts? Yanks and Brits. The World's Strongest Man tournament is another area where the West dominated before the East were allowed to get in on the party. We just need to step up.

[Quixall]

It is a title that lives and dies by who wears. Two boring white guys who don’t really fire the general imagination = dead division. If a black American wins it and unifies it then it will become the greatest title in the world once again.

Good point........

It is a lot down to who holds the belt at any given time.

[orbtastic]

I think if a white American won it, it would be a sensation.

[JLP]

It is a title that lives and dies by who wears. Two boring white guys who don’t really fire the general imagination = dead division. If a black American wins it and unifies it then it will become the greatest title in the world once again.

The division is only dead (or dormant, maybe) in the USA. Like I said earlier, in Eastern Europe it's buzzing. I fully take your point, though, you're right. That we haven't actually had a world champion since Lennox is definitely frustrating. It's a long time since we've heard an announcer say "...and still the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world..."

[JLP]

I think if a white American won it, it would be a sensation.

It would indeed. Especially as most of the red-necks have given up the ghost on boxing and moved to MMA; because they can't beat the black guys in boxing.

[Quixall]

I think if a white American won it, it would be a sensation.

It would indeed. Especially as most of the red-necks have given up the ghost on boxing and moved to MMA; because they can't beat the black guys in boxing.

You mean red necks have given up because American white fighters can't beat American black fighters ?

Because the Klitschko's beat everybody, white and black !!