By Daniel Cann: It seems professional heavyweight boxing in Britain is going through a critical phase at the moment. When the American monopoly over the World titles has been usurped by two Ukrainian brothers and a giant Russian you would think that there is no better time than now for other nations to capitalize. The only problem seems to be the depth of talent from these isles.
I do not wish to disparage or be overly critical of our current crop of heavyweights. Any man brave enough to enter a boxing ring gets my whole hearted respect. Any man dedicated enough to put his body through the rigours of training day in and day out is a special breed indeed. It is easy for us to denigrate others efforts from the safety of our ringside seat or couch in front of a television.
What concerns me is not so much the willingness or the commitment of our heavyweights in this country but rather their talent in terms of the bigger picture of the world heavyweight scene. Two men from these shores have already had their limitations at world level painfully exposed: Danny Williams was stopped in eight one-sided rounds by current WBC Champion Vitali Klitschko and Matt Skelton (a recent inside the distance loser to Francesco Pianeta) was soundly outpointed by former WBA Champion Ruslan Chagaev. Since then both men have been stopped by opposition several leagues below world level. Again, I do not doubt their courage and determination (Williams especially has overcome tremendous obstacles in some of his contests) but both came up woefully short in world title tilts.
What of the rest of the talent from Britain? Again, like Williams and Skelton they are good boxers at domestic and even up to European level. But can they cut it at World level? Of course many are still on their way up and learning their trade, but we can still surmise where their potential will ultimately take them.
Michael Sprott is one of the most solid professional boxers in Britain, he is always ready for the call to fight anywhere against anyone, however, his talents seem to be limited to Europe. One of his victims Audley Harrison still dreams at nearly38 years old that he can still win a world title. That gold medal he won in Sydney seems a long time ago, as does his label as ‘prospect.’ Harrison looked to have all the physical tools and the amateur pedigree to go with it but his career has stalled too many times and again, his limitations have been cruelly exposed. Outside of himself it will be a great optimist who picks him to go all the way.
Anyone who knows the British scene will know that on 2 October Williams and Harrison will be taking part in the eight-man ‘Prizefighter’ Tournament at the Excel Arena. Also on that bill is former British Heavyweight Champion Scott Gammer. This idea is not new and I can recall similar tournaments like this in the 1990s in America. More recently ‘Prizefighter’ tournaments have been held in the lower weight divisions over here. It should prove to be entertaining but it is sad that some of the best boxers in this country have to take part in a knockout tournament like a modern version of the fairground booths.
Whoever emerges victorious from the tournament will not be regarded as the best in the country. In fact most of the boxers I have mentioned so far have been on a ‘heavyweight merry-go-round’ sharing the British title over the last few years. No one has demonstrated conclusively that they are the number one in Britain.
This state of affairs seems set to continue. Anyone who witnessed the recent Tyson Fury versus John McDermott contest for the English Heavyweight title would have been underwhelmed by the talent on display. Everyone knows about the controversy that followed referee Terry O’Connor’s verdict giving Fury the title. The British Boxing Board of Control has ordered a rematch to take place before the end of this year. So far so good, but whoever wins the rematch will not be spoken about in awed tones. It will be nice to see both boxers show more desire and more fire than on evidence in the first contest, but neither of them looks like a world beater in the long term. Business as usual for British heavyweight boxing then.
Moving on we also have the rematch between defending British Champion Sam Sexton and the man he took it from Martin Rogan on 9 October in Belfast. This one will no doubt be entertaining and keenly contested. I admire the pluck and courage of late comer Rogan. He has shown heart and a tremendous will to succeed; no one can question his dedication. Sexton has some nice boxing skills and is no slouch himself. But again, I doubt any promoters will be knocking down either man’s door for a world title opportunity any time soon in the future.
Maybe I am being too harsh. At least we have a competitive pool of domestic talent. Maybe that is healthy enough for our beloved sport. As a fan I just find it frustrating at times to see the aforementioned play ‘pass the parcel’ with the same titles on the line. It is a quagmire where no one can seem to graduate further to a higher level. As I said they are all dedicated pros, just not good enough for the highest levels.
I would like to close by wishing David Haye all the best in his attempt to lift the WBA World Heavyweight title on 7 November. If he wins it will be a massive and much needed shot in the arm for British heavyweight boxing. If he wins maybe it will inspire others to follow his lead. Should he lose then we all take a backward step and return to the ‘bad luck son, good effort’ mentality that seems to infect all our thinking in this country no matter what the sport.
If this state of affairs continues may I just ask: Will the last one leaving turn the lights out please?
www.danielcann.com
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