LOS ANGELES ? Now that Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. are retired or at least for the time being, there is no clear welterweight ruler although four world champions are recognized in the 147-pound division.
The four world championship claimants are the WBA?s Keith Thurman, IBF?s Kell Brook, WBC?s Danny Garcia and WBO?s Jessie Vargas. Thurman, Brook and Garcia are unbeaten so their seat on the throne has some legitimacy. Vargas can?t be considered a deserving titlist because he was beaten by Timothy Bradley last June and won the vacant WBO title by stopping Sadam Ali whose skill level is questionable for a No. 1 contender. Bradley was thrashed by Pacquiao last April 9 so he?s out of the equation.
Vargas, who was in Macau to decision Antonio DeMarco in 2014, hired a new trainer Dewey Cooper for the Ali match. Cooper is Vargas? sixth trainer over an eight-year career. Two of his previous trainers were former world champions Roy Jones Jr. and Morales. Cooper said his role is to introduce science in Vargas? fightplan with an emphasis on his speed, explosiveness and power ? which incidentally, are the same strengths as Pacquiao. But nobody dares to argue that Vargas comes close to what Pacquiao brings to the table.
To untangle the four-way mess, the four champions should face off and determine one unified titleholder. Let?s face it, the integrity of boxing has been compromised by the greed of the sanctioning bodies so that only the fighters themselves can save the sport from sinking to the depths of unpopularity. The welterweight division could be the staging ground for a world boxing renaissance.
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It?s no secret that mixed martial arts has taken a huge bite from the boxing market. There appears to be more purity in the MMA competition. Even as more and more MMA organizations are sprouting out to take advantage of the sport?s rising profile, UFC is widely considered to be the major league. So fans aren?t confused by a slew of world champions claiming global supremacy unlike in boxing. Dean’s Corner ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1
Fans are turned off by the greed that is evident in the way the WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO conduct their affairs. Obviously, the more championship fights, the more the governing bodies earn in terms of collecting sanction fees. In 17 weight divisions, the WBA, for instance, recognizes over 40 world champions. How that?s possible defies logic but a little bit of business imagination has created different levels of world champions such as the super, regular, interim, unified and undisputed categories. The WBA even has a world champion in recess, for crying out loud.
If boxing?s pay-per-view numbers are declining, the blame is squarely on the governing bodies, not the promoters. That?s why fighters like Pacquiao and Mayweather don?t care to vie for world titles anymore. They?ve become bigger than the governing bodies. Unfortunately, they?ve also become bigger than the sport itself. It isn?t healthy for a sport to be dictated by the athletes because once the stars go away, the sport?s existence is endangered.
Boxing has to be put back on track if it is to regain the glory that was a tradition in the past. That means the four major governing bodies must get together and restore order, if not sanity, in the way world champions are determined. The ultimate objective should be to recognize one unified world champion for every division.
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The welterweight class could be a test case or a starting point because it?s been in the limelight over the last several years with Pacquiao and Mayweather drawing worldwide attention. Thurman, 27, and Garcia, 28, could face off in the first unification duel. That should be a heckuva brawl. Thurman has a 26-0 record, with 22 KOs, while Garcia?s mark is 32-0, with 18 KOs. Thurman is defending his WBA crown against former Pacquiao sparmate Shawn Porter in Brooklyn on June 25.
The other unification showdown will pit Brook against Vargas. Brook, 25, has a 36-0 slate, with 25 KO. Vargas, 26, is 27-1, with 10 KOs, and his only loss was to Bradley. The winners of both unification fights will then battle for the undisputed welterweight championship. Depending on availability, the matchups could also be Thurman against Brook and Garcia against Vargas or Thurman against Vargas and Brook against Garcia.
If Mayweather or Pacquiao decide to come back, they could fight each other in a rematch with the winner advancing to meet the unified welterweight titlist for the undisputed championship. That would put a legitimate stamp on whoever emerges to become the King of Kings. It could be a template for other divisions to follow.
?Mayweather and Pacquiao have retired if not at the top of their game then close to it,? wrote USA Today?s Bob Velin. ?They were two of the biggest pay-per-view attractions ever in the sport and Pacquiao has perhaps the greatest global following since Muhammad Ali. Boxing can?t help but miss these superstars. Did they retire too early? Will they come back again like so many others have before them? Time will answer those questions and the question now is: Who is waiting in the wings to replace them??
