A critical look at the past week in boxing.
GOOD
Boxing fans wait and hope – and sometimes pray – for heavyweight fights like the one on Saturday in England.
The matchup between Dillian Whyte and Alexander Povetkin at Matchroom Boxing’s Fight Camp outside London was important. Whyte, the longtime mandatory challenger, had been marching toward a shot at the winner of Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder III for a the WBC title.
The only thing standing his way was the 40-year-old Russian, who many observers saw as relatively easy prey for the surging Whyte. That backdrop – Whyte’s history, the title implications, Povetkin’s perceived vulnerability – added to the drama that would unfold at Fight Camp.
Whyte seemed to be on his way to his own knockout victory in Round 4, when he put Povetkin down twice. Povetkin wasn’t terribly hurt but it looked as if Whyte had taken control and would have an easy night.
Then WHAM! Povetkin slipped a lazy right and unloaded a left uppercut that found Whyte’s chin and relieved him of his senses upon contact. Referee Mark Lyson stopped the fight without a count.
It was a “wow!” moment, if there ever was one, the kind of moment the aforementioned fans relish and never forget. An aging underdog in serious trouble turns the tables in a split second to end (or at least postpone) the dreams of his opponent and pump life into his own career.
It doesn’t get much better than that.
BAD
This is bad only for Whyte. One could argue that it’s good for boxing.
A coveted title shot was within reach for the Londoner and now it’s gone, at least for now. He’ll have to get his rematch with Povetkin and reverse the result of the first fight to reclaim his mandatory challenger position in the WBC, which seems like a realistic possibility.
However, if he wins, his chance to fight for the title will now be pushed back. That opens the door to the fight the boxing world really wants to see: the winner of Fury-Wilder III vs. Anthony Joshua for all the heavyweight marbles, probably in the first half of next year.
I understand the concept of mandatory challengers. In theory, it’s a mechanism that forces the myriad titleholders to face the best-possible opponents. Sadly, theory is often different from reality.
The fans wouldn’t choose Whyte (or Povetkin) over Joshua as the opponent for the Fury-Wilder winner. That’s the best-possible matchup, a title-unification bout to determine the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. Mandatory defenses simply can’t compete with something like that.
Thus, the knockout was the best thing that could’ve happened for those who want to see their dream heavyweight matchup.
Bob Arum, who co-promotes Fury, kicked Whyte while he was down with a pointed tweet but many observers probably share his sentiments. Said Arum: “Dillian Whyte was so busy fighting for his WBC mandatory position that he didn’t see Povetkin’s uppercut, which knocked him cold on his a–.”
On a roll, he then took a shot at Joshua. He tweeted: “[Kubrat] Pulev will KO Joshua next. London Bridges are falling.”
Stay tuned.
WORSE
The WBC is reportedly exploring the possibility of creating an 18th – yes, 18th – weight class between cruiserweight and heavyweight.
The impetus evidently was the size of today’s biggest heavyweights, behemoths like Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Whyte. The idea is that they’re simply too big for smaller heavyweights, such as Povetkin.
You see where am I’m going with this.
I hate the idea of an 18th weight class – which apparently would have a limit of 225 pounds – even if I understand the reasoning behind it.
First, if I had my way, I would return to the original eight weight classes, not add more. And, of course, I would do away with self-serving sanctioning bodies and their watered-down titles. That would leave us with eight world titleholders total. Can you imagine? It would actually mean something to be a champion, unlike now.
Second, adding a junior heavyweight (super cruiserweight?) division would, in effect, create a super heavyweight division. Amateur boxing has heavyweight and super heavyweight divisions. I think such an arrangement in the pros would diminish both, losing the traditional element of what it is to be a heavyweight.
And, third, didn’t Povetkin just demonstrate that a smaller heavyweight CAN compete with oversized opponents? Hasn’t Wilder, tall but lean, done so throughout his career? And what about Evander Holyfield?
Again, there is some logic to creating a division for 200- to 225-pounders. I just don’t think it’s necessary.