By Will Humphries: In sport the term “governing body” would normally associate itself with upholding the rules and regulations of a particular sport. Maintaining its structure and most importantly the credibility of the industry should be at the forefront of every decision they make.
So why is it that boxing’s most prominent custodians are the subject of ridicule amongst a large proportion of boxing media and fight fans?
Sanctioning bodies’ hideous rankings see fighters (who in some cases are not active at a given weight) given undeserved lofty slots in a division. But perhaps most frustrating is the ludicrous and ever-expanding array of “world titles” to keep track of. For a sport so concerned with a lack of mainstream exposure it is unlikely that the current concoction of interim, super, diamond, regular and irregular belts is at all accessible to the casual fan. I need not waste time with examples as I’m sure all readers have spent more than enough time wallowing through boxing’s administrative quagmire.
But why bother with any of it? Fans and fighters alike. Can’t a fighter be recognised as the best of his class simply for his skilful and courageous performances, without jumping through organisational hoops and, of course, paying a healthy sanctioning fee. This is my proposal. I would like to see a fighter snub the governing bodies, ignore their rankings and avoid paying sanctioning fees, all the while forging a world class career. In title fights he chooses not to walk away with a strap around his waist as prize for victory. The praise and respect of the media, and adulation from his fans is enough for this warrior. He is the people’s champ. He has a career built on talent and endeavour, rather than titles and trinkets. But is this pugilistic utopia possible?
It would require a special talent to make this happen. This fighter would need a powerful blend of skill and personality. The bravado and unerring confidence of a David Haye but of course backed up with the consistently dominant performances of Bernard Hopkins, overcoming any career blips. A fan-friendly style would be essential to gain the support of one of the big TV networks who would provide the matchmaking clout lost by snubbing the sanctioning bodies. As we’ve seen with a fighter such as Carl Froch in the UK, a lack of mainstream TV coverage meant despite being a two-time world champion he has frequently gone under the radar. Finally though this fighter would need the sanctioning bodies themselves. He needs to fight their champions and beat them to prove his ideological superiority. And surely they would co-operate, determined to prove their fighter worthy of his champion status and their belt the mark of the supreme champion.
But should my beltless champion prevail, I’d like to see him treat himself just once and with money saved on sanctioning fees, splash out on a custom-made Diamond Super Emeritus Interim Regular “world” title belt to put on his mantle piece.
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