10.01.07 – By Scoop Malinowski: It is absolute rubbish when fans or media say the heavyweight division is at a low talent level right now. I know this is the prevailing notion these days but it’s nonsense, 100% BS. The heavyweight division is always the most exciting realm in all of sport, perhaps even all of entertainment. Just look who showed up at the recent Toney-Peter WBC Eliminator – Shaquille O’Neal, Hulk Hogan, Bernard Hopkins to name a few. Imagine how many celebrities would be at Klitschko vs. Briggs for all the marbles?
If the top talents are matched up against each other in 2007, we will without a doubt see the kind of memorable fights of yesteryear. Here’s why: The best against the best will almost always produce the kind of vicious, desperate, dynamic, extraordinary confrontations that are what boxing is all about. But, the best against Henry Akinwande, Vaughn Bean or Zelkjo Mavrovic is a letdown on so many levels.
Political fights which are set up by certain promoters to protect certain promoters interests are not true contests.
Klitschko vs. Maskaev will lay it all on the line. Briggs vs. Valuev would be a dramatic struggle. These fights would be hotly-anticipated thrillers because the stakes would be so enormous.
The potential is there for the Heavyweight division to explode with events that will arrest the public’s attention. The four champions are all diverse and interesting characters with great stories of how they finally persevered to their current positions. None of them are there by mistake. Years of experience and a lifetime’s devotion to training and excelling in boxing has paid dividends. Sure, each has had his share of failures and bad performances but overcoming adversity is what makes a man. Some people actually get stronger from their worst failures while others are forever damaged.
It is time the quartet of champs fight each other. The excitement, electricity and threat of risk of these unification matchups will stir the greatness inside each champ to new heights, physical and spiritual, you can be certain of that. If, by chance, one champ puts forth a stinker effort, he will eliminate himself from the mix.
When, at last, after all the dust and smoke settles, a single sole Undisputed Heavyweight champion emerges victorious, everything will fall into place for the sport. No matter who it is or where he’s from, the media will celebrate boxing, the fans will celebrate, everyone will be happy to know who the holder of the richest prize in sport is. Then there will be $100,000,000 heavyweight title fights again, like Lewis vs. Tyson.
Because, outside of the four champs, we have an array of interesting contenders to step in and add more pizazz and intrigue. The ascending Eastern blockers like Alexander Dimitrenko, Sasha Povetkin, Ruslan Chagaev and Sultan Ibragimov are all formidable. And, of course, we can’t forget Samuel Peter, Lamon Brewster, Jameel McCline, Kevin Johnson and J.D. Chapman.
I find it insultingly absurd when other boxing writers actually say that the heavyweight division talent level is weak right now.
Any boxing writer who says the talent in the heavyweight division is weak right now should have his boxing journalism license suspended for 18 months. You don’t hear other sports writers ever say the tennis, golf, football, NBA, soccer or auto racing eras are weak do you? So why the hell do so many respected boxing writers keep writing this stupidity over and over and over?
Perhaps it’s an offshoot to the old saying that “Boring is only boring to the boring-minded.” You get the drift.
So, let’s get back on track here, whoever comes away the victor out of Klitschko, Maskaev, Briggs, Valuev will be, without question, the very best. And then whoever gets the opportunity to fight this new best man will surely raise his level for the challenge.
The result will be heavyweight mega super-events, which will continue to attract the likes of Boris Becker, David Wright, Bill Parcells, Pam Anderson, Jack Nicholson, Shaq, Dustin Hoffman, John McEnroe, Mick Jagger, Albert Pujols, Deion Sanders, Charles Barkley, Tiger Woods, Annika Sorenstam, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr., Fat Joe, 50 Cent, Jay-Z, P Diddy, John McCain, Samuel L. Jackson who will want to sit ringside.
The Heavyweight’s are in an exciting and great era right now. IF the powers-that-be make the right fights in 2007, I guarantee you even James Toney would agree.
Final Thoughts: Don’t forget, there’s a good reason why Roy Jones evacuated the heavyweight division after the John Ruiz fight.
There’s a reason why Lennox Lewis walked away from the lucrative Vitali Klitschko rematch.
There’s a reason why Ray Lewis, Ben Wallace or Jason Taylor never took up boxing.
There are some tough, talented, and bad m***********s TODAY in the heavyweight division. If they get the opportunity to prove it to you on the big stage, I am sure they will.
Check out Scoop’s site www.thebiofile.com