Contrary to some big money trends of late, boxing is a sport of lines. Specifically, it is a sport of lines between weight divisions whether it be the old days of eight or this day’s seventeen. The majority of fights, the bulk of aspiration, is tied to single weight divisions at a time.
Inside the confines of those classes, we find champions. The numbers vary. Usually in the old days, there was one man up top. In this day there can be four or more depending on how many interim (ad nausea) type belts the likes of the WBC or WBA felt like charging for in a given week. This calculus doesn’t include lineal or Ring Magazine championship distinctions which can further clarify, or cloud, a field.
Obviously, the concept of a World Champion is significantly watered down. It doesn’t mean there are not fighters who exemplify the label. In April 2008, during the short lived cooperative between this site and Maxboxing, the idea of evaluating the sports best champions took center stage.
It is not a question asked often enough.
A champion isn’t just a guy who holds a belt. A real champion is a fighter who holds his crown for a while, matching at least semi-regularly with real top ten contenders, and leaving the ring still buckling the strap around his waist.
This is where more focus should lie.
Instead, much of the attention on the sport focuses on the pound for pound debate. As noted last year, there is far too much attention in modern Boxing to a title that is, by definition, based almost entirely on the imagination of the audience. Arguing about who would win a contest between Bernard Hopkins and Ivan Calderon, if they were the same size, might be fun but the end product isn’t a fight so, ultimately, who cares?
Not to mention, pound for pound can makes folks lazy. It allows for the make believe of in-depth monitoring of the sport when, really, all it shows off is the ability to pick out the best of the same pool most everyone follows.
Author’s Note: Don’t forget to check out BoxingScene’s most recent pound-for-pound list through the link at the top of this page!
