How would boxing look like in a UFC-style format? Who would be the current champions?

A lot of people are complaining about the state of current boxing, the politics, the paper belts, the catchweights, ducking and fights not getting made. For this reason a lot of people wish boxing would have a similar format to UFC. All the elite fighters under one promotion/organization, less weightclasses and top guys basically forced to fight each other all the time.

How would the landscape of boxing look like if we had this sort of format? Who would be the champions and top contenders in each division?

UFC has 8 weightclasses, or 9 if you include the strawweight 115lbs division which is currently only for women but in male boxing this weightclass would have some talent depth. UFC weightclasses are 265, 205, 185, 170, 155, 145, 135, 125, 115.

You could also assume that boxing-style UFC would have more boxing-like weightclasses so you can also use the oldest 8 weightclasses in boxing + cruiserweight if you want. 200+, 200, 175, 160, 147, 135, 126, 118, 112.

The more I think about it the more I like the idea of having less weightclasses, the divisions would be more stacked and that catchweight A-side/B-side draining wouldn't exist. Just imagine the stacked cards boxing would be able to deliver monthly. Only 9 undisputed champs and that's it.

IMO the champs would be

200+ Wlad/Fury.. Joshua, Wilder, Ortiz and Povetkin would fight for the next title shot

200 Let's say Glowacki.. although Usyk would probably be in the title picture already

175 Kovalev.. after beating Stevenson and Ward. DeGale would fight in this division too.

160 GGG... all of those fighters who're ducking him now demolished.. Abraham and Sturm would have nowhere to run and would fight him at 160, as would Canelo and Lara. Canelo probably wouldn't break top 5 in this division.

147 Hard to say, this division would be absolutely stacked with a lot of current super lightweights fighting here too

135 ???
126 Loma? Rigo?
118 ?
112 ?

Don't really follow the lower classes that much, can't say how those fighters would rearrange if there were fewer weightclasses.

 

If boxing had UFC-style weight classes and this format it would be

265 Wlad/Fury
185 Kovalev
170 Ward
155 GGG

 

I don't see why we wouldn't have 9 weigthclasses like the UFC. I never understood why boxing needs so many weigthclasses bellow 160 and with all the catchweights it all looks like a joke. Also Manny's 8 division title ****, if one fighter can change so many weightclasses it tells you all you need to now, regardless of his talent. Hell even Broner was champ in 4 divisions, it's a joke.

168 is arguably redundant too, those fighters could easily be either at 160 or 175. Or split the weight classes 185, 170 and 155 like in the UFC.

 

GGG would fight in 155 in UFC-style weightclasses, he's a small MW. It sounds funny because of the current Canelo situation but that's how it is, GGG said they're both the same weight.

Then he could go at 170 for a superfight with Ward like Conor tried in the UFC.

Kovalev would be at 185 though fighting Huck.

 

Yeah because in MMA 115 male talent pool is non-existent. But boxing version of UFC would definitely have that male division, plenty of talent to fill it.

 

He's a small MW, he could definitely make that cut and still be efficient.

 

I'm not so sure about Fury. In an UFC-style format he'd have to go through all the decent contenders or at least beat most of them. I can see someone like Povetkin or Ortiz derailing him.

IMO Wilder, Ortiz, Joshua and Fury would be eliminating each other while Klitschko would rematch Haye and Povetkin. One of those 4 would eventually get the title shot next but I don't think it would be Fury. I just don't see him proven enough to believe that yet.

Povetkin would probably be like JDS in the UFC, losing to the champ (Cain / Klitschko) but beating all the new contenders.

On the other hand Fury might talk his way to a title shot like Conor did in the UFC and the owners of the promotion cherrypick the opponents for him.

 

Do you think Floyd goes undefeated at 147 in such format? He'd have to fight prime Pacquiao and then rematch him at least twice, prime Margarito, Khan... I don't think any boxer would retire undefeated in UFC-style format. Too much competition, no ducking and constantly fighting the best would take its toll on fighters.