By Karim “Kato” Godfrey: To all the cynics who claim boxing is dead or somehow headed that way, is way off base. I’ve been following boxing since the late 80’s, early 90’s when Iron Mike Tyson was the man and could remember very vividly those same cynics writing Boxings’ eulogy when Tyson went to jail. But the fight machine just kept on rolling.
With the heavyweight division a little stagnant, other divisions were able to shine and did a great job filling the void with names like Julio Cesar Chavez, Pernell Whitaker, in the early 90’s, Oscar de la Hoya, Felix Trinidad and Roy Jones Jr., in the mid to late 90s.. With the resurgence of MMA, these same cynics are trying to write boxing off again. Boxing is not a niche sport. It’s not a seasonal sport. It’s on all year round and does not take a break. Boxing is not all blood and guts, but skill, timing and defense all make up what we call the “sweet science”. Boxing needs some of that “mainstream” limelight and the only way to garner it is to put on great matches and spectacular shows.
2010 looked to be heading in that direction with the announcements of the Pacquiao vs. Mayweather Super Fight and the Mosley vs. Berto fight. Both of these would’ve been great fights if they happened but, this is exactly what boxing needs in order to continue to keep the occasional fan excited and the true hardcore boxing fans entertained.
Heavyweight Division:
Once again the heavyweight division is a little lifeless with its #1 & #2 Klitschko brothers hanging out on top. The best thing would have them fight it out but that will not happen and frankly, I don’t blame them. I don’t particularly like the jabbing style of either fighter but would tend to favor the elder Vitali for nothing other than he’s a little more exciting to watch. The younger Wladimir is way too cautious in the ring and tends to look a little amateurish when he’s pressured. 700 jabs a fight can win a match but it lacks entertainment value. Regardless that we tune in to see boxing in all its scientific glory, we also tune in to be entertained.
Wladimir’s upcoming bout with Eddie Chambers looks interesting and in my opinion lacks that mainstream appeal. Eddie’s a pretty decent fighter, having only seen a few of his most recent bouts, he lacks that extra explosiveness that could make him an instant star. He would need to cultivate more of a following and the only way to do that is to look impressive in his bouts. Can he look impressive against Wladimir? I think he can. The only chance I think Chambers has in winning this one is to keep the pressure on Wladimir, stay away from those stiff jabs, and use his speed against the slower champion. If he can accomplish all of this while staying on his feet, he might be able to pull off one of the biggest upsets since Oliver McCall did it to Lennox Lewis.
With the emergence of David Haye as a legitimate heavyweight, his style and attitude would bring much needed energy to the heavyweight division. At first when Haye called out the Klitschko brothers, I thought he was overreaching a bit. After he took on Valuev, and staggered him in the last round, it made me wonder how this fight could’ve been different if only Haye took more chances. He played it safe and I can’t blame him at all. Being outweighed by almost 100 lbs. and having distinct physical disadvantages against the 7 footer, I think he played it pretty smart. Fighting anyone of the Klitschko’s will be a much harder endeavor but at least Haye would make it interesting. At this point in his young heavyweight career I think Haye would do well to put John Ruiz away in spectacular fashion and to keep himself busy and continue to test his abilities against these types of fighters.
Tomasz Adamek who is also a natural cruiserweight seems to have overcome his first test with his 5th round TKO of a very over the hill Andrew Golota. Will these smaller heavyweights prove to be a good surge of energy in the division? Holyfield proved it can be done, and this is the most excitement I’ve felt since then. Adamek is a gifted fighter but with only two big names on his record in Chad Dawson and Steve Cunningham, I think he would do well to take on more fringe contenders like Golota and the likes of the upcoming Riddick Bowe 2.0. With the heavyweight division so weak, we are seeing an influx of over the hill fighters trying to make a comeback such as Oliver McCall, Riddick Bowe and David Tua. The only person left now to make it really complete is another comeback by Big George Foreman himself.
Another interesting heavyweight is Chris Arreola. He has done well the past year and a half. Regardless of his loss to the much bigger Vitali, Arreola brings a multitude of intangibles to the ring. His ability to stand and bang, his power, raw emotion and ability to sell in front of the camera are all positives that would breathe some life back into the heavyweight division. He is a flawed fighter however, with limited defensive abilities, lack of concentration during training and he is very hittable. If he really focused on his training, drop a few pounds, maybe get a more experienced trainer, I could see big things for this Mexican American fighter.
As for the other heavyweights in the division I really don’t have enough first hand information to speak about them in any intelligent fashion. My only comment about Tony Thompson was that he looked god-awful against Wladimir and can’t understand how or why he’s even listed in the top 10.
So what is it about these fighters that could bring a resurgence of excitement back into the heavyweight division? Their fan friendly style and colorful personalities sell really well on television but aside from that they are young and are willing to take risks to provide us the paying fans with excitement.