US Heavyweight boxing

There is this odd belief that the UK heavyweight scene is loaded and the US scene is empty.

Deontay Wilder is fighting Tyson Fury.

Jarrell Miller is supposedly fighting for a paper WBA belt and will meet Anthony Joshua next year.

Next year, the UK could have all the belts. (Joshua and Fury.)

Or, next year, the US could have all the belts. (Wilder and Miller.)

Other than those four guys, the UK has Dereck Chisora (who has lost a lot and is probably on the back side of his career), Dillian Whyte and Hughie Fury. The U.S. has Bryant Jennings, Dominic Breazeale (the WBC mandatory contender), and Trevor Bryan (the WBA "interim" champ).

Doesn't seem to be the "monster gulf" between the two countries that often gets painted.

The U.S. has a handful of guys, the UK has a handful of guys, and then rest of the world (Cuba, Russia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Germany) fill out the remainder.

 

The American heavies have 0 notable wins, Joshua beat Povetkin, Whyte, Brezeale, Klitschko, Parker
Fury beat Kltischko
Whyte beat Parker

Wilder beat Ortiz

Miller has fought bums and over the hill boxers... I mean ffs he fought a 41 year old CW Adamek and will now fight a 45 year old gatekeeper from early 2000s and 90s, he is fat, slow, can't move and has decent power.
Brezeale already got destroyed by Joshua and would be by Whyte and Fury

 

And a year from now the U.S. could have all the belts.

 

Well there's 333 current USA heavyweights which is more than than all the other countries mentioned in this thread so far combined, so it's definitely the lack of talent.

Also, what you always have to remember is the 'era of fantastic US Heavyweight boxers' - was at a time when boxing was practically a domestic American sport, the whole world did not compete then. In particular the ex soviet union countries did not start turning pro till the late 90s/early 00s.. If you look at all the supposedly great USA heavyweights and look at their opponents - 95-100% of their opponents will be fellow Americans.

The competition has got much tougher.

 

After Wilder there's only Kownacki and Miller who might be good enough to have a short reign, and after that there's no one of note that's good enough to pick up a world title.

 

Whyte is a coward. That’s why Ortiz is fighting Kauffman. At least one match-up between any two out of Wilder/Brezeale/Ortiz will likely happen next year.

Jennings is also back.

 

In your honour...

Although the US at welterweight
Is currently in thund'rous spate
And from one-four-seven to one-sixty-eight
America is in a very healthy state

At the top there's just Bronze Bomber
He might fight Joshua before Summer
If and when he gets past the gypsy
Till then it'll be difficult t'see

Excitement up at heavyweight
America will have to wait

Though Miller's come on in leaps and bounds
Do they want a champion who weighs 400 pounds?
Until the Bombzquad has put AJ down
The United Kingdom wears the heavyweight crown

 

The top two promoters in the US for years have been Golden Boy, Bob Arum, and the PBC.

NONE of the three have ever really focused on heavyweights. Golden Boy has primarily focused on the Mexican fan base. Bob Arum spent the past decade selling Manny Pacquiao and trying to crack in the China market.

And Al Haymon has an odd fixation on the welterweight division (junior welterweight, welterweight, super welterweight).

Most Haymon cards for years have focused on Mayweather, Danny Garcia, Keith Thurman, Shawn Porter, Lamont Peterson, Andre Berto, Devon Alexander, The Charlo Brothers, Hurd ... and before them Amir Khan, Zab Judah, Shane Mosley, etc. Hell, he even resurrected Luis Collazzo. It seemed no matter how vague a welterweight challenger or onetime paper "welterweight-ish"champ you were, Haymon wanted you.

They'd all sign an odd heavyweight here or there. But they had no one to match him with and would usually bury them on undercards. Wilder wasn't featured in a main event, I don't believe, until he fought for a title.

I remember when Bob Arum briefly signed Oleg Maskaev, when he had a title or was fighting for one, Arum admitted on camera he had no idea who the top heavyweight contenders were because he'd paid no attention to the heavyweights forever.

So it really had more to do with the promoters running boxing in the U.S.

Now there's the Heavyweight Factory that Shannon Briggs has sort of taken on as his home base. Wilder is finally getting his first main event PPV. Hearn seems to have interest in Miller.

Hearn seems to make heavyweights more of a priority. Hopefully, he'll have an impact.

 

There's a lot at play here and parents/coaches pushing large framed athletes into football and basketball is part of the problem.

But there's still a decent amount of US talent out there. It just isn't elite talent and casual American fans aren't going to follow a niche sport unless they are watching the best of the best. That's why lighter weight fighters from around the world have done well here in recent years, but the heavyweight division has languished.

Good point about there being more world wide competition, and let's not forget that Wlad sucked the life out of countless fights, which greatly turned the US audience off of the heavyweight division.

If Wilder beats Fury and sets up a match against AJ, the division will get some much needed oxygen here. And just like the US supported Lewis, I think fans will support AJ after he inevitably crushes Wilder.

 

Correct. It should be noted that had Wilder made the University of Alabama basketball team, which was his ultimate goal, he wouldn't be boxing right now.

 

Miller is a problem. No HW can box with him.. if you disgaree please tell me names. peace.

 

Wilder can lose to Fury and they'll have a return bout six months later.

On the other hand, I think British fans don't want to admit how much Anthony Joshua is propping up the whole scene in the UK.

If Joshua gets crushed, the whole thing comes crashing down.

The UK picture doesn't seem as rosy if Joshua gets wasted and loses all the belts.

It's not the like the UK is "flush" with homegrown stars.

DAZN's biggest signing is Canelo (a Mexican), and the plan is for him to fight Jacobs or Andrade (two Americans). The biggest UK name for Canelo they could dredge up is Rocky Fielding, who isn't even a middleweight. Because the only guy they've got left if creaky old Martin Murray.

 

when i first started watching heavyweight boxing uk domestic cene at heavy was non exsistent
pierce v neville meade was the first british heavyweight title fight i saw

meade won in 5 from long ago memory
meade was about a top 400 fighter at best in todays terms

then in the early 80s we had horace notice /bruno /currie/banjo and a few other prospects and the revival began

america in that period dominated as usual
holmes at first then tyson

below them witherspoon IMO was the best

not in title fights just in abilty and toughness and power

rest of american heavies were much of a muchness
dokes/tubbs/page/bey/ weaver
i liked thomas of this era.

a couple of basic south africans and that was it till tyson took over
and he reguritated old names and a sprinkling of new

as holler said american prospects not fighting each other IMO causes lack of intrest

bowe did not either
easy soft route to title shot
holyfirld although at cruser went in tough qawi in about his 12th fight

the reason usa heavies dont fight each other before va title shot is money

scared of getting a loss before a title shot

other then and now is don king

no one could fight don king money fighters without fighting don king spoilers first

but at least with king they all fought each other/ on the downside king was dreadfull for fighters pockets.