By Dominic Panaia: The sports world knows all too well that the mid 30’s are something to dread, most sportsmen don’t see the natural progression towards the decline in their bodies until it lets them down when most needed. As critics and fans we tend to see it long before the fighter does but we fail to believe it until we see our hero’s not come out for the next bell. For some like George Foreman, Bernard Hopkins and company it is not a problem but for many others it’s far too early.
This brings us to the question of how the advisers and trainers in today’s boxing world handle their future prospects. We can take a look at Deontay Wilder where he sits in his career and how he compares to some of the greats of the heavyweight division.
For most part many fans have the opinion that the weights in Boxing have changed and today Ali or Frazier would be considered Light heavyweights. This is in parts true and in parts false while Frazier could certainly lose a few pounds and take part in the Cruiserweight division in today’s era. Ali would certainly be a heavyweight but that is not where they would have started if they were to be new in the world today. As daunting as it was for Smokin Joe Frazier to face a beast like George Foreman, the same would be said for Ali looking at a Klitschko some 25 pounds bigger than him had they faced off this week.
Muhammad Ali started his career at what we call Cruiserweight today at 193 pounds. Deontay Wilder is 29 yrs old and finally captured his first major title in the WBC Heavyweight division, which is a fantastic feat for Deontay mainly because in his 6 year career, he has managed to notch up 33 wins with 32 KO’s. However, we see the difference in contrasting plans with the fighters of today. For instance, Ali was 35-1, fought 5 world champions and spent 3 years out of the sport and was undisputed heavy weight champion of the world by the time he was 29 yrs old.
Mike Tyson was 40-1 unified champion of the world served 3 years in prison made 100’s of millions and was twice named ring magazine fighter of year by the time he too was 29yrs old. Both Tyson and Ali saw bad decline in their abilities by the time they were 35 yrs old and were pretty much gone a year or two later.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3u-_9z3FV9c
With the decline of huge names in the Heavyweight division it is hard to see what happens next for Deontay Wilder. If he challenges Klitschko and loses badly, he may need a year or two to recover himself and challenge again. However, that could halt the progress of this young talent as he will be around 32 years old by the time he is ready again. If he wins and take the Heavyweight belts and goes on to unify the division then who is next? The Klitschko brothers are so far ahead of the division they have owned for so long that I am not sure Wilder could remain relevant for many years fighting what lesser opponents are left.
Add to that the Welterweight Division has some huge fights coming up, also the Middleweights and if Andre Ward returns to the ring the Super Middleweight division may return to its former glory. So how does the Heavyweight division stay relevant or has it run its course and remain the joke division for a few more years. The Leapai v Klitschko saga was a sad affair add to this the way Briggs carries on its more like the WWF at the top of the world of boxing, a division once riddled with the greatest talent on earth. The decades have seen many fighters in this division make a real impact not just as a slow contested bang fest but a spectacle of great skill and hard punching combined with speed and aggression.
With the Heavyweight system today we don’t see the rise in weights like we do from flyweight to lightweight or lightweight to welterweight. Instead over many years we see the heavyweights come in on weight and compete in the division they start at because there is nowhere else to go. The days of Michael Spinks rise from light heavyweight and Evander Holyfield from cruiserweight are all but diminishing.
We were fascinated by the Roy Jones, James Toney and Bernard Hopkins days where they rose to the highest points and we pondered about the damage they could do with their legs and hand speed the power no so much but still a thought provoking affair. The other attributes left the door open for fascinating match-ups until you think about it harder, how would Roy Jones have looked against say Klitschko rather than Ruiz?
What happened to this great weight division? Are we looking in the wrong places should more coverage and exposure be given to the Cruiserweight division and watch them step up and take the world by storm. Because if this keeps up boxing’s once pinnacle weight division will be nothing more than a wresting draw card rather than the superior boxing we are used to.
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