Saturday?s fight has only managed to weaken a division that has been struggling for respect since the retirement of Lennox Lewis twelve years ago?
It?s official! ?Prince? Charles Martin is the new IBF Heavyweight Champion of the World. Go ahead and take a minute to Google a few things. I would suggest typing in the words, ?Who the hell is Prince Charles Martin, and how the hell did he get his hands on a heavyweight title??
Are you back? Good. Now that you know who he is you know that Martin beat Vyacheslav ?The Czar? Glazkov this past Saturday to win the vacant IBF title. Martin joined titlists Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder to became the third champion in a division where two champs equal one too many. He got this title shot because the IBF stripped Fury after Fury refused to face Glazkov. The year is very young, but this fight is an early contender to receive the coveted Least Dramatic Event Ever in the Entire History of Boxing Award.
With guys named Prince and Czar, one might expect some fistic royalty, but neither man makes an impressive heavyweight king. The Prince was awarded the belt when the Czar hurt his ACL. In remarkably bland, forgettable, and anticlimactic fashion, Glazkov fell to the canvas after the wind from a non-landing punch nearly breezed somewhere close to his face.
Fury did not sign to face Glazkov because he was planning to give a rematch to Wladimir Klitschko whom he defeated last year. Any reasonable observer knows that a man like Klitschko, who ruled the division for a decade, deserves a chance to win back his crown.
It?s with a little embarrassment that I admit that I considered writing an article about how the alphabet organizations were not nearly as detrimental to boxing as everyone thinks, and how they might even help the sport. The biggest policy I wanted to trump for them was the idea of a mandatory challenger: the very policy that led to Saturday?s muddying of the heavyweight landscape. Needless to say, after the Martin Vs Glazkov match, I will not be making any such defense of the organizations.
Other men with limited credentials have fought for a title before. And it would not be completely unreasonable for either Martin or Glazkov to have a change against a reigning champion. But to put both men against each other for a vacant belt just makes a mockery of the idea of a champion.
I don?t want to criticize the quality of either man, and I don?t like when writers sit back from a safe distance and denounce brave men for falling short of greatness. But it?s not a matter of what either Glazkov or Martin might be able to do in the future, or a critique of their potential as fighters. It?s a matter of looking at what a man has accomplished before he has earned the right to challenge for a great prize. And to be fully honest, Glazkov had done barely enough to challenge for a piece of the title, having squeaked by Derric Rossy and Steve Cunningham with questionable decisions, and was probably lucky to get a draw against Malik Scott. And Martin, remarkably, had done even less, having never faced a recognizable name before fighting Glazkov.
The case for a mandatory challenger should be cited when a worthy contender has clearly been avoided by a reigning champion. It?s a policy that should add legitimacy to an organization. But Saturday?s fight has only managed to weaken a division that has been struggling for respect since the retirement of Lennox Lewis twelve years ago.
It would service the sport immensely if one of the organizations could gain the respect enjoyed by the NFL, NBA, or MLB. But as long as the IBF and the other alphabet groups try to sell us faux champions in farcical title fights they?ll continue to be laughed at or simply ignored. It?s a sad truth when the most respected title in boxing is the Ring Magazine belt. While the Ring is a fine institution that stretches back to the early twentieth century, a magazine should not be dictating what happens in the sport. Can you imagine Sports Illustrated telling us who the ?Real? Super Bowl champions were?
The IBF?s idea of a mandatory challenger is not that crazy. At least it shouldn?t be?if managed correctly. The theory is sound?their execution is off. There should be some pressure on the champion to give a deserving challenger his due. But that?s exactly what Fury was doing in negotiations with Klitschko. Any reasoning the IBF wants to offer for elevating Glazkov over Klitschko falls against all reasonable evidence.
With three current champions each claiming a piece of the title, don?t be shocked if the organizations bring further shenanigans to muddy the waters of a division striving to regain some respect.
Until then?All hail the Prince!
