10.04.04 – By Vincent van der Steen – The Heavyweight division has long been the subject of scrutiny and ridicule amongst boxing purists and media. According to many, boxing’s premier division has lost a lot of its lustre and a lot of its mystique. More than in any other sport, the long arm of the past casts a deep and darkening shadow over the fighters of the modern era. Poor accessibility, inactivity and a spawn of sanctioning bodies have only added to that feeling of cynicism and nostalgia.
The art of pugilism has always roamed the plains of controversy. Be it Tommy Burns’ impersonation of Phileas Fogg or boxing’s own Tazmanian Devil Mike Tyson; this sport has always been permeated by the thrill of anticipation. Within the square circle there is no conventional wisdom or certainty, there is only fact and fiction. Not too many could have foreseen the ruthless trouncing Foreman put on Frazier, or Ali’s rope-a-dope that dumbfounded the big gorilla a few years later. Just one of the reason why Ali is generally regarded as the greatest of all time, and why we love this game.
But lately, especially when the heavyweight division is concerned, the media and the fans have grown cynical and pessimistic. In their view, the art of pugilism has long been lost in a dark wood which has been cast in the shadow of a long gone past when mice still got separated from men. An unpopular champion, which some perceived to be much like Lewis Carroll’s cowardly lion, only added to that feeling. The lion has however left his pride, and though that pride has dissipated somewhat – illustration: the current top 10 is far from mouth-watering in comparison to other eras in boxing.
A telling sign that the heavyweight division, like a lot of current boxing, has entered its crossroads. Not only from an athletic point of view, even the heavyweight promoters should be heading for retirement in the upcoming decade. The big question on everybody’s mind is who will emerge in the near future to cast the shadow aside to take the reigns of the now splintered glamour division of boxing. The upcoming month will provide some with the answers, but more likely these fights will just lead to more questions and more controversy.
Where some perceive this time and age to be the dusk of pugilism, I prefer to see this as a new dawn. The upcoming month will give us a grand total of four heavyweight championship bouts who will for now determine who will stand on the cusp of greatness and who won’t. Wladimir Klitchko will start off the elimination-process when he takes on Lamon Brewster for the fringe WBO heavyweight title. Then it is time to see Byrd fly over the Cuckoo’s nest – IBF, before we will be graced by the boxing fan’s personal solution to insomnia: a hug-a-ton between ‘Fast’ Fres Oquendo and John ‘the Quiet Man’ Ruiz – WBA..
By the time we finally awake from that beautiful slumber, Vitaly ‘Dr. Eisenfausen’ Klitchko will try and vent some of his frustration by taking revenge in his brother’s name over the infamous semi-retired, semi-pro golfer named Corrie Sanders for the WBC heavyweight title. On top of this, our favourite son-in-laws – the Klitchko’s – are intent on world domination and Byrd is aiming for another shot at these modern day Goliaths by slinging his feather-filled pillows. Throw in the manipulating King and his two favourite latino heavyweights and I foresee a world of pain and shame.
The shadows seem to be lifting from the heavyweight landscape. The fighters might not be as explicit and media-(un)friendly as their counterparts from the past, but they do provide for compelling match-ups. Vitaly lost to Byrd, Byrd lost to Wladimir – and according to the majority to Oquendo, Wladimir lost to Sanders, Sanders lost to Rahman and Rahman lost to Ruiz. No, the upcoming year-and-a-half will most likely not be the inception of a new dawn of worldwide boxing-madness, but more probably just settle some, in a historical sense, ‘minor’ feuds until amidst the rubble a new king ascends the throne and casts away the shadows of cynicism and nostalgia.
Remember, it is always calm before the storm…boxing’s finest hour is still to come!