Unified and Undisputed Hopes for 2009
By Michael Amakor
Suitland Md, December 20, 2008: With the explosion of alphabet boxing associations organizing championship bouts for TV networks, the public has become confused about who the real boxing champions are today, and there is a long standing debate as to whether the multitude of champions in each division are good for boxing in general. They days when identifiable phenoms like Muhammed Ali and Mike Tyson attracted millions of fans to boxing are long gone and fans are screaming for a dominant champion like Mike Tyson to re-emerge.
But at no time in boxing history have so many entertaining, but meaningless (at least to the public) fights taken place transferring the championship batton to all comers at a blinding pace and further distorting the public's perception of the real champions in each division as is happening presently. Below is a selective analysis to point out some divisions that should be encouraged to produce a Unified and undisputed champion in 2009 --
CRUISERWEIGHTS (200lbs)
All the hard work by Don King in arranging the Cruiserweight unification contest starting in 2005 was laid to waste by David Haye who seized the title from Jean Marc Mormeck (who had done all the hard work by unifying the titles against Wayne Braithwaite and O’Neil Bell) and promptly dumped all the titles and the division to begin a media hyped run for the heavyweight title like his predecessors before him. His exit destroyed the chances of a recognizable unified champion emerging for the division as the belts splintered again and the very tough and angry Guillermo Jones emerged at the WBA after brutalizing Firat Arslan, Giocobbe Frogmeni emerged at the WBC, and Adamek dethroned Steve Cunningham for the IBF in the best fight of 2008, while the WBO title remains vacant. None of these champions would make much of a headway at heavyweight so they should be forced to fight each other. We are missing the greatest fights of the 21st century by not financing a unification contest in this division, even the TV show the contender picked cruiserweights for its fourth season.
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT (175lbs)
This division is killing itself by recycling the spent Roy Jones, and old workhorses Bernard Hopkins and Glen Johnson. The loquacious Antonio Tarver started the unification campaign by beating Muriqi and Woods for the IBO, and IBF title respectively only to lose it all to the young and aggressive Chad Dawson, who may prove to be the future of the division. Calzaghe’s ranking in the division is meaningless in this assessment because he owns none of the belts and he is only interested in marquee money fights after the financial disaster against last pay day searching Bernard Hopkins. WBO Zsolt Erdei restricts his campaigns to Germany and should be fined for non-exposure to fans stateside, and there is absolutely no buzz around WBC Adrian Diaconu or WBA Hugo Guray. Even if Calzaghe vs. Dawson or Dawson vs. Hopkins could be arranged, the winner would retire before engaging in an unnecessary and cashless event against the other champs. Fans should have Zsolt stripped , or force him to fight Guray, or come out to the US to challenge Dawson who may relinquish his titles rather than fight him for financial reasons (like he did instead of fighting Diaconu), any ideas?
SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT (168lbs)
Unified and Undisputed champ Joe Calzaghe made his successful and long awaited entry up to 175lbs but not before tainting the undefeated record of emerging super star Mikkel Kessler, who rebounded nevertheless to regain the WBA title to stake his claim to being the real champ in the division. However Calzaghe’s exit removed the cover off the snake pit of heavy handed contenders as the dangerous Carl Froch emerged to seize the WBC belt after a war of attrition with Jean Pascal, Dennis Inkin emerged at the WBO and Lucian Bute escaped with his IBF belt after a highly controversial war with Librado Andrade. Europeans can help by forcing Kessler, Froch and Inkin to fight each other to compel North Americans to ship the winner of Bute vs. Andrade to be feasted on by the winner of the Euro contest.
MIDDLEWEIGHTS (160lbs)
Not too long ago Jermaine Taylor seemed to be sinking this division with performance disasters against Spinks and Kasim Ouma, but Pavlik brought back the excitement to the division after beating Taylor to capture and retain the WBO and WBC titles.
Thereafter Pavlik to my dismay made a safe defense and wandered out of the division into his losing misadventure against perennial spoiler Bernard Hopkins, however, this loss may perhaps force him to stay at 160 where he belongs. The next logical fight for Pavlik would be a fight against the IBF's tenacious Arthur Abraham who has repeatedly called him out, and that fight may happen as Pavlik has no other logical money fight scheduled. But, before that fight happens WBA champ Felix Sturm may get the first shot at Abraham to settle certain squabbles between the two. This division is on the verge of unification, but you may be surprised at who finally emerges the undisputed champion.
Light Middleweights (154lbs):
This is the worst division so far, there is no buzz around any of the fighters and to make matters worse you have reigning and interim champs at the WBC and WBO. Nobody wants to fight the awkward WBO interim champ Paul William, except maybe 147 champ Margarito. WBC champ Vernon Forest just recovered from the Sergio Mora upset, the IBF chair is vacant and nobody has heard of WBA Daniel Santos or the WBO’s Sergeii Dzinziruk, who?, I am weary, somebody please take over the drumming
Super Lightweight (140)
IBO titlist Ricky Hatton could be said to be the champ of the division, but he now has WBC Timothy Bradley and WBO champ Kendell Holt to contend with, these champs need Hatton more than he needs them, so they will be calling him out pretty soon hoping he will listen to them. The IBF title is vacant and nobody has heard of the WBA champ, but we can still force Hatton’s hand into a unification contest
WELTERWEIGHTS (147lbs)
In 2007 and 2008 this star studded division was held hostage by the talented Floyd Mayweather who was not interested in unifying the titles; he instead stepped up to 154lbs for a lucrative title fight against De la Hoya instead of tackling Cotto, thereby leaving it up to Margarito who eliminated Cotto and Cintron from unification contention. Andre Berto and Joshua Clottey emerged at the WBC and IBF respectively and a bewildered (by his inability to get a payday against the other titlists) Paul Williams stepped up successfully into the WBO 154 title leaving the WBO 147 title currently vacant. There is no smoke for a unification here, and Margarito is embroiled in a scheduled contest with the tenacious Shane Mosley for his title. The winner will not be interested in any low budget unification fight against the WBC and IBF champs, but would set their sights on the 154 division, with Margarito perhaps looking to avenge his loss to Paul Williams and Shane perhaps looking for a retirement trilogy against 154 champ Vernon Forest. No dominant champ will emerge in 2009 but both Berto and Clottey will make some valiant defenses of their belts to stake claims to being the true champ,
HEAVYWEIGHTS (Unlimited lbs)
Wladimir Klitchko the IBF and WBO champ was slowly emerging as the dominant fighter in the division before his WBC Emeritus champion brother Vitali beat defending champ Sam Peters after a comeback from retirement. Vitali’s victory somehow underscored the weakness of the division that has encouraged even Holyfield to make another title attempt against Nikolay Valuez for the WBA strap. As long as both brothers remain titlists there will be no real unification in the division as they have vowed not to fight each other despite sadistic ploys by the boxing world. Still, both brothers will somehow find a way to remove Chagaev, Valuez or Holyfield from the championship picture in 2009, but hold your breath as either Juan Carlos Gomez, Alexander Povetkin, or David Haye may score an upset against either of the duo to shake up the division yet again. Boxing fans should pray that David “foolhardy” Haye scores the upset against Vitali for he will surely seek to unify against Wladimir to put an end to the disunity plans of the Klitchko brothers. Next
Lightweight (135lbs)
A boxing commission sometimes could stop some bad match-ups fights from happening as Pacquaio would have been compelled to a take a more meaningful unification fight with the triple titled WBA, WBC, and WBO Nate Campbell, instead Pacquaio stepped up to 147 in a winning effort against Oscar de la hoya in a non title fight. But it is unlikely he will come back down to the 135 pound division, so Nate Campbell is left holding the bag with no big money fight despite his accomplishment of unifying the titles. Somebody please set up a unification rewards fund or make Pacquaio sign up for a miracle fight against Campbell.
Super Flyweight (115lbs) -SEE FIGHT PROMO
Kudos to IBF champ Vic Darchinian for brutalizing Christian Mijares to annex the WBA, WBC titles. He is now scheduled to face the tough Jorge Arce, the winner has only to face WBO champ Fernando Montiel to be the undisputed and unified champ in the division. This is perhaps the easiest fight to arrange, but fight fans with contacts at show time must call the execs to make sure it happens.
See you at the Fights.
Thanks for your time.
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