By J. Marcus: On these pages I never stop reading comments bemoaning the Klitschkos and the state of the heavyweight division in general. I’ve decided therefore to take a look at such claims and see if we can come to some kind of conclusion regarding all the accusations because I, for one, am growing a little tired of it all.
There are three main topics of disgruntlement it seems. Let’s look at all three now.
NO ONE KNOWS WHO THE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION IS ANYMORE
A frequent comment on these pages, and probably a true one. But the answer to this is quite simple. With the exception of real boxing fans who should know better, the general public only really knows what’s going on in the boxing world via 2 mediums – the TV and the newspapers. Here in the UK not so long ago boxing was frequently shown on ‘terrestrial’ television (I.e., the BBC or ITV) This has dwindled further and further down over the years until its reached the point of almost non-existence. What heavyweight boxing is available is generally only on PPV or tucked away somewhere on one of the cable channels. Likewise the daily press simply doesn’t cover boxing anymore. We may get a cursory paragraph somewhere at the back amidst the 8 or 9 pages of soccer and cricket but that’s about it. Therefore if the average Joe in the street doesn’t know who Wlad Klitschko is, you can lay the blame squarely at the feet of the mass media, who have decided, for reasons best known only to themselves, to almost totally IGNORE the boxing scene worldwide. I’m pretty sure I can speak for the mass media in the states and worldwide here as well as for the UK
THE KLITSCHKOS ARE BORING TO WATCH
I seem to remember Lennox Lewis being accused of this one too! (Pretty funny when you look at the gushing admiration he gets now) It’s obvious that the Klits are not 100mph cyclones like Tyson or Holyfield but it really amazes me how people who call themselves boxing fans can make such comments. As a boxing fanatic myself, I find them both riveting to watch. And why? Simply because they both have it all. Two HUGE men with supreme athleticism. Superb defence, fantastic boxing brains, incredible technique and basic boxing skill and sledgehammer punches. Watching them is like watching a masterclass in the noble art everytime they fight. A real boxing connoisseur will appreciate what im talking about. And let’s not forget the incredible dominance they have shown and also the exceptionally high rate of knockout percentages they both have. I find them infinitely fascinating to watch, especially vitali who has the strangest style ive ever seen in a heavyweight. They win. They keep winning! They fight everyone put in front of them and DOMINATE the division like no man has done before or probably will again. Boring? I don’t get it, I really don’t.
THE LEVEL OF OPPOSITION IS WEAK
Usually accompanied by ‘The heavyweight division is soft’ – this is probably the most outlandish claim of all. To demonstrate, let’s go back in time and look at the greats from the past. As is well documented, Joe Louis was the first man for whom the media accused of fighting a ‘bum of the month’ type opposition (something I would never agree with because no man who has the guts to step in the ring can be termed a ‘bum’) but lets come more up to date and look at some of the opposition the likes of Ali, Holmes, Tyson and Lewis took on as champions, and then compare those fighters to some of the Klits opposition
ALI – Jurgen Blin/Mac Foster/Alvin Lewis/Rudi Lubbers/Richard Dunn/Jean-pierre Coopman/Alfredo Evangelista/Leon Spinks
HOLMES – Lucien Rodriquez/Randall Cobb/Ossie Ocasio/Leroy Jones/Scott Frank/Marvis Frazier/Lorenzo Zanon
TYSON – Pinklon Thomas/Tyrell Biggs/Henry Tillmann/Frank Bruno/Bruce Seldon
LEWIS – Henry Akinwande/Justin Fortune/Phil Jackson/Lionel Butler
Ok – now first of all I mean no disrespect to any of the fighters listed above but now lets compare them to a few of the so–called ‘weak/average’ opposition the klits have faced and defeated whilst champions;
VITALI – Timo Hoffman/Corrie Sanders/ Ross Purrity/ Sam Peter/ Kirk Johnson/ Danny Williams/ Juan carlos Gomez/ Kevin Johnson
WLADIMIR – Ray Austin/Eddie Chambers/ Ruslan Chagaev/Sultan Ibragimov/ Calvin Brock/Tony Thompson/Chris Byrd/Lamon Brewster
So……honestly now, how do you think the ‘weak’ klits opposition would have fared against the (stronger?) opposition of the other 4 champions? On paper in front of you, when you look at the comparisons, this ‘weak’ equation doesn’t hold much water does it?
The bottom line is, the heavyweight division is far from weak. It’s just as strong as it’s ever been. The situation is just that the champions, Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko, are simply SO Good that it renders everybody else to a lower level. Therefore, instead of all this constant bitching, perhaps you should all rejoice that you happen to be alive and witnessing the era of two of the most incredible heavyweight boxing champions. We will never see their likes again. Appreciate them while they’re here.