What's your most unloved division?

That is, which is the weight class with the most world ranked fighters of whom you explicitly are not a fan, or tend usually to actively root against for whatever reason? (be it their personality, in-ring style, whatever)

I really don't like welter, at the moment.

Huge fan of Vergil "The Mustang" Ortíz Jr. - he's aces, for sure going places. But he is by himself adrift in a sea of either boring or downright unlikeable peers (especially now in the wake of Shawn Porter's retirement).

Bud Crawford? Eh...don't hate the guy exactly but can't say he inspires me to cheer him on. I found him intriguing when he was still a largely unknown prospect simply because of the fluid switch-hitting and well-rounded nature of his game, but...his fights aren't very fun to watch if we're being honest. Or at least they're not for 99% of the way until he gets the stoppage, unless the opponent happens to press the issue and make them fun.

Mikey García? Eh...go away, man. You're not a 147lber. You had the potential to be in the p4p mix but squandered your prime and have publicly stated that you treat it as work and have never had much passion for the sport. It shows.

Yordenis Ugás? Eh...while I respect him coming in on late notice with an excellent game plan to defeat the legendary Manny Pacquiao, it doesn't change that he represents every aspect of Cuban boxing that is unpalatable. I've always found his ring work extremely ugly.

David Avanesyan? Eh...pretty goddamn basic and boring.

Keith Thurman? Eh...love you buddy, except you can't enter the ring a few times a decade and expect to stay relevant. Less yoga, please, and more prizefighting. He literally hasn't laced up One Time in now two full calendar years. Given fully up on him.

Jaron Ennis? Eh...not a fan. Can't put my finger on it. No doubt talented, just - not for me.

Errol Spence Jr.? Eh...he's an elite, unquestionably - just, doesn't really do much for me despite having been in a couple of FOTY contenders. Also, you know, there is the DUI thing.

Radzhab Butaev? I do like The Python, actually (have for a few years, and was gutted he got the shaft against Besputin, and chuffed he got redemption and finally secured a strap - if just the WBA regular - against Shango). I'm not sure my faith in him is as strong as in The Mustang when it comes to versatility and imposing his smash-mouth style against the upper tier, however, since he did struggle with the merely good Besputin.

The rest of the rabble at 147lbs is just such hopeless, average dreck.

...Amir freaking Khan is still top 15 ranked in 2021? (by the WBC) ...ditto Josesito?? ...Conor Benn, Custio Clayton, Michael McKinson, Abel Ramos - ugh. I'm fond of both of the world-ranked Lithuanian welters (Kavaliauskas and Stanionis) but they're not destined to rule. Nobody outside the list above is going to be wearing any belts anytime soon.

The only scenario that can unfold that I'm happy with is Ortíz (alternately, maybe Butaev, long shot) unifying. Anything else is a disappointment. Everybody's dream match in the division is supposed to be Spence vs. Crawford, right? Well - in the now (with Crawford separating from Top Rank) likely event it happens, it'll be two guys I don't really give a **** about. No emotional investment there, for me. I'll watch, and it'll surely be decent and fought at high skill level - but as Jack Dempsey said, boxing loses a lot when you don't have somebody to root for and in that one I just simply flat-out will not care about the outcome.

 

Not wild about 126lbs either. (GRJ, LSC, Rey Vargas, Michael Conlan, Emanuel Navarrete, Isaac Dogboe, Josh Warrington, Kid Galahad)

 

In contrast look at super fly - any permutation of top ranked guys is going to end up causing me to be sad that someone has to lose. I'm just in love with the whole shebang at 115lbs; it's terrific.

 

I'm lukewarm on lightweight and super lightweight - each has a few annoying ****-heels, but enough likeable guys to balance it out.

 

Oh and of course if you subtract King Usyk, all of heavyweight can go **** itself.

 

Fair point; you've got Fedor Chudinov rated #2 (WBA), and Dave Lemieux is top 5 in three different orgs (WBC, WBO, WBA), likewise Anthony Dirrell (WBC, WBA, IBF). Jesse Hart, Alantez Fox, Caleb Truax...yeesh.

Shishkin would I guess be my pick (both in terms of being a fan of him, and expecting him to have the h2h ability) to step in and fill the void after Canelo but he is hardly a generational talent, would just a place-holder.

 

That's you passing judgment on the very concept of a weight class, which in no way shape or form aligns with the spirit of what I'm asking.

My thread assumes that respondents are going to be knowledgeable boxing fans who follow everything from straw through heavy, and have at least a passing familiarity with the ranked contenders in each. The point here is to isolate which divisions have, in their Big Four (and/or TBRB or Ring Mag) top 15 rankings, the fewest guys you cheer for (or the most you cheer against), the highest net dislike factor.

 

But say the muck of politics got cleared up and the fights you wanted all got made - are you more often than not a fan of the individual champs and contenders in each of those?

I don't mind Beterbiev and Bivol (and sorta Buatsi) at 175lbs, can't say I quite ride their jocks though. Mundo Smith, GRS, Browne, Yarde, Krasniqi - surely all nobody's favorites in the sport.