20.03.06 – By James Slater: So, the much anticipated fight between WBC heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman and challenger James Toney gave us the result with which no-one is happy – a draw. Nobody likes a draw in boxing, there is a feeling of wasted time and effort – the boxers feel this way due to fighting so hard only to find themselves right back at square one after their efforts, and we fans feel as though our time was misspent while watching them fight.
After Saturday’s fight, however, the feeling of dissatisfaction was felt perhaps more than is usual after witnessing a bout that is tied. The hope was that with a clear winner in the contest to decide one third (or one quarter if you choose to recognise the WBO belt) of the heavyweight championship, we would be one step nearer to sorting out of the mess that is today’s heavyweight division.
If either “Lights Out” or “Rock” had emerged victorious after a dominating and impressive performance, then we would at least have one guy who could claim, without being subject to universal derision, that he is the best heavyweight on the planet. Not everyone would have believed him but more than likely he would have found some receptive ears. But now, thanks to two of the three judges, we are still no nearer to a clear picture regarding heavyweight superiority.
Surely, Rahman cannot be considered the best in the division after struggling with an out of shape former middleweight? And as for Toney, well, at one point, especially after his good stoppage win over Evander Holyfield, it maybe looked like he could be the man to bring some order to the heavyweights. But due to his conditioning, or lack of, he could only manage a draw in what was probably his best ever chance at a heavyweight belt. Chris Byrd and Wladimir Klitshko meet to decide the IBF strap next month and we have the huge Nicolay Valuev currently holding the WBA title. And as for WBO honours, Lamon Brewster still holds those. So who is the best? I do not for one minute profess to have the answer.
There was a time when everyone knew, hands down, who the best heavyweight boxer in the world was. With only one title per division things were a lot easier. Still, there have been draws fought before in bouts contested for the heavyweight championship of the world. And as with Saturday’s result, no-one was satisfied with the tied fights from years gone by. Can anyone think of a drawn heavyweight title fight that people were happy with, and considered it the correct result? I’m at a loss to do so. However, in this article, I take a look back at every draw in heavyweight title fight history. In no particular order, I recount the draws that were fought while boxing’s most prestigious title was on the line.
Perhaps the most notorious draw, at least in recent memory, is the first fight between Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield from seven years ago. All sorts of accusations were hurled at Don King and others because of this result. Aside from King, the person who received the most finger pointing and bad press was female judge Eugenia Williams, who famously scored the fight as a Holyfield win. No-one could accept her claims of giving an honest account of the match and her name was to be mud forever after. As I’ve said, nobody likes a draw but this one brought up positive anger and resentment. The worst draw in heavyweight history? More than likely Lennox and Evander’s first rumble gets this distinction. A rematch was fought shortly after and this time Lennox got the victory he deserved. Although fight two was a close bout and some claimed that, but for the fury over the first fight, Holyfield may well have been given the nod.
Another drawn heavyweight title fight that upset many was a rematch of a fight that had upset even more. Due to an ending that was deemed premature by almost everybody in the fight between Michael Dokes and Mike Weaver, a return was staged. The rematch, fought back in 1983, succeeded in pleasing no-one either. In the first bout Weaver was stopped while still on his feet with barely a minute gone and in fight two he again felt the need to complain thanks to the draw he received at the end of fifteen gruelling rounds. Most thought he’d done enough to win, but Dokes retained thanks to the draw, leaving an altogether unsatisfactory piece of heavyweight history behind him. There was no third fight.
The third fight in a series that did take place was the final instalment in the tiresome trilogy that was Holyfield v Ruiz. The Jason Vourhees of boxing, Ruiz, refused to go away and as a result he and Holyfield are now forever equal in their three fight series. Most observers felt Evander did enough to win the rubber match, but the judges disagreed. If they had given “The Real Deal” the victory he would have become a five time heavyweight champion, although not in linear terms. Who knows, maybe if Holyfield had been declared the victor back in December 2001 he would have felt content enough to have retired back then? Instead, he is talking about fighting yet again later this year. As with Ruiz, I think everyone has seen enough of the guy and wishes he would just go away and enjoy his retirement years. Still, it’s a free country.
The very first draw in a heavyweight title fight took place as long ago as 1906. The defending champion, Tommy Burns, held on to his title after twenty rounds with Jack O’Brien, in Los Angeles. In a return the following year Burns won on points over twenty rounds. The man to whom Tommy would eventually lose his title, the great Jack Johnson, also fought to a draw while making a defence of his championship. In his fourth defence he was held to a draw by Jim Johnson, in a fight held in Paris, France ,in 1913. The cagey challenger must have been a fine boxer indeed to hold Jack Johnson to a draw, although Jack was near the end of his reign at the time, winning just one more time before losing to Jess Willard.
And that draw, between Johnson and Johnson, was the last one in a heavyweight title fight for seventy long years. The aforementioned Dokes v Weaver fight was the very next evenly judged fight for a heavyweight title. So yes, draws are quite a rarity amongst the heavyweights, at least when the title is on the line. And for this we should be thankful. The very title of Heavyweight Champion of the world should carry nothing but respect and adulation. And whoever it is that is holding this title should be recognised by all as the most talented, strong, dominant and feared boxer in the world. This reputation is very hard to earn, however, if there are other fighters capable of holding you to a draw.
With regards to Rahman and Toney, neither of these two guys will ever be held in the high esteem that is befitting of the Heavyweight Champion of the world if the manner in which they performed on Saturday is anything to go by. Sadly, it looks as though the next boxer to have it in him to one day be worthy of the accolades I have used above while describing The Heavyweight Champion of the world, is unknown to us at this moment in time. Whoever and wherever he is, let’s hope he gets discovered soon. The prestige of the Heavyweight title depends on him!