By Ciaran McKinney: Once upon a time, the heavyweight boxing scene was set alight by names such as Cassius Clay, Joe Frazier, Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, Joe Lewis and Rocky Marciano, to name but a few. For as long as one could recall, when these warriors plied their trade in the 200lbs and over category, they captivated spectators the world over, other divisions paled into a certain insignificance, certainly when it came to live gates, viewing figures and pay per view purchases.
It has been over 11 years since there has been a bout that can fairly be referred to as a ‘Super Fight’. This battle took place between Lennox Lewis and ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson. The capacity crowd in Memphis, Tennessee witnessed a battle between two fighters that were indeed past their resplendent and brutal best. It could be said that the 8th round stoppage suffered by the ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’ was the end of a long era of prominence for a division that provided so much entertainment and its fair share of classic battles and rivalries.
So we fast forward to present day, heavyweight boxing has become stale. The last 10 years can be summed up with the uttering of one particular surname, ‘Klitschko’. The two brothers, Vitali and Wladimir, hailing from Ukraine, are two consummate gentlemen, embodying sportsmanship and professionalism inside and outside of the squared circle. They have dominated the division without fail for the last decade; however, they have done so in a style that has barely set the world on fire and certainly not captured the imagination of the masses. This has happened primarily through the calculated work of K2 promotions but they cannot solely take this ‘flak’ for their choice of opposition. The other men in the division simply have not been good enough, not anywhere near it.
Since Klitschko seniors’ controversial loss to the faded and past his best Lennox Lewis, it sums it up rather bleakly that the closest anyone has come to knocking the veteran Vitali off his perch was an out of shape boxer that has brought the game into disrepute more than he has impressed. This man was ‘Del Boy’ Dereck Chisora, who I shall get back to later in the article.
In the past 5 to 10 years, we have seen the pound-for-pound rankings dominated by boxers in the light welterweight, welterweight and middleweight classes to name a few. The likes of Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao have dominated the headlines and pay-per-view figures whilst the all-conquering Ukrainian brothers have had to contend with opposition like Odlanier Solis, Samuel Peter, Albert Sosnowski, one-hit-wonder Danny Williams and who could forget Francesco Pianeta? The answer to that would be basically everyone, and that fight took place just over two months ago.
So now we have to look at the question, who will reignite the division that captivated the world, who will step up, rise from the ashes of a dull grouping of competitors and provide the water-cooler moments of years gone by. This writer isn’t asking for another Ali, a carbon copy of a Joe Louis or a Larry Holmes. What the fans want and what boxing as a whole needs is a handful of new contenders that can carry and inspire new hopefuls, someone with charisma and talent that will create a buzz.
This, at the moment seems to be a pipe dream, some of the so called ‘contenders’ that claim to be the next big thing, simply do not cut it at the highest level. Forget emulating George Foreman – one of the entrepreneurs grilling machines has as much of a chance of capturing gold at world level. Too many seem to think that carrying the number ‘0’ on their record, showing that they have yet to be felled by an opponent, makes them invincible. This ‘0’ in most cases, certainly in the heavyweight category, merely stands for how many times a fighter has been tested against inadequate opposition. Records built up against journeymen simply do not impress, and will be badly exposed at the first sight of a schooled professional. Take for example, the one-time ‘Next World Champion’ David Price, who after a somewhat impressive amateur career that ended with an Olympic Bronze Medal, set about a career in the paid ranks, and soon racked up a record of 15-0, with a litany of knockouts to his name. To the casual fan, this was impressive. However, to the dedicated fan, this was no proof that there was talent to back up the hype. This was confirmed when the 6’8′ Liverpudlian stepped up in class and faced the veteran ‘Tiger’ Tony Thompson, who on his own admission took the fight due to money on offer. Not once but twice, Price was dismantled physically and mentally at the hands of a man 11 years his senior, and now at only 30, sees his career laying in tatters before him.
Other names being bandied about are, the big hitting Deontay Wilder, a man who has knocked out every foe he has come up against in the professional game, however, he has yet face somebody that could give him a decent test. ‘The Bronze Bomber’ boasts a victory over Audley Harrison, which in the amateur game, would have caused a stir, but the fact is that this is a man who has never been truly up to the professional game and was merely in the ring for a payday. Another is Dereck Chisora, a competitor whose career has been dogged by controversy and his vile actions outside of the ring have sullied his and the sports reputation. However, he has hung around and despite having already suffered 4 losses, will attempt to reignite his chances of a title shot versus a fellow contender by the name of Malik Scott.
Tyson Fury is a fighter who is full of confidence and has referred to himself on numerous occasions as ‘the greatest of all time’. No matter how scandalous a remark this is, the fact of the matter is, he has gradually worked his way up the ranks and recently defeated Steve Cunningham by way of knockout in his American debut. He may have been knocked down by a glorified cruiserweight, but not for the first time, he got up and more importantly got the job done. He is a fighter who does not endear himself to the public, yet he seems to thrive off the pantomime villain role he has created for himself. As much as it pains me to say it, he is captivating as much as he is coarse and disrespectful. But does this man have what it takes to make the step up to world level?
We may soon be treated to a domestic dust up of epic proportions, when Fury, will go up against one of the most controversial and talented British boxers in recent memory, David Haye. A fight which will certainly separate the men from the boys. The latter is a man who has captured the world strap at cruiserweight and heavyweight, yet there still remains a question mark over his résumé. A short lived retirement came after a dismal performance against Wladimir Klitschko, in which he blamed his little toe for his short comings. He soon returned to destroy the previously mentioned Chisora in a grudge match that stemmed from the ‘German Glassing’ incident. So we wait with bated breath to see if this fight will reveal if someone can actually stand up and take over this division. Would it not be wonderful to see the best of these so called contenders going head to head. Stop with all the ‘stepping stones’ there can only be so many before they begin to do more harm than good. Bring together Seth Mitchell and Deontay Wilder, the much hyped Kubrat Pulev, Chisora, Price (if he can recover) and Fury (if he falls at the hand of Haye) and give the fans what they want to see, let the cream rise to the top. We want to see a warrior come out on top, not have everything handed to him on a plate. However, this will sadly never happen, but fans can dream.
So what do we as dedicated followers of boxing have to look forward to in the heavyweight division? More unproven ‘undefeated’ contenders falling to the aging Klitschkos? A whole lot more talking, without the walk from the likes of Fury and Wilder? Or, heaven forbid, a concluding chapter in a possible trilogy of the never ending story of David Price’ redemption versus Tony Thompson? It seems there is currently no answer, no breakout star, but this is boxing, a sport we all love and time and time again , it has proven how unpredictable it can be. Let fate shine brightly upon this once great division and bring back the glories of yesteryear. For now, this is Ciaran McKinney with the first entry of the Monday Supplement sending out an SOS to the heavyweight division, and I thank you for reading.
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