nontitle fights

It is a different sport. Top fighters make a lot more money so there is no need to go on tours and fight local opponents.

Chavez was the last fighter who frequently fought non title fights, I suspect that will not change either.

 

The fight fan of the 2000s now has the expectation there will be a belt on the line for every main event fight. Let alone just world title fights. There is enough McBoxing with upsized fries for everyone.

 

A non-title fight used to be an easy pay day for the champ without putting his title on the line, while keeping himself sharp. Roberto Duran and Victor Galindez would use the non-title for their best interest. Today fighting twice a year, with a title fight exclusively appears to be the norm. The money they make today supercedes having to grab a payday and gym work has supplanted fighting to stay sharp. So the non-title is rare today.

 

The modern day equivalent is the non-mandatory title defence.

 

Well said! Ray Robinson and Archie Moore fought a lot of non-title fights as well, and Emile Griffith and Nino Benvenuti among many others. Sometimes the opponent in such non-title fights would upset the champion
or make an impressive showing sufficient to gain a legitimate shot at the title. Benvenuti's draw with Doyle Baird and loss to Tom Bethea in non-title fights led to his evening the score in subsequent title bouts.

 

James Toney also fought a few non title bouts when he was middleweight champion.

 

Couple of hundred more versions of titles ?

 

Modern boxing. Where there's a championship belt for everyone :yep

 

I had forgotten how much the game has changed in this area.

 

I wish present day champs would mix in occasional non-title fights to keep sharp with less pressure. It'd be nice if champs would fight four or five times a year.

 

Yes, with 5 'titles' and, what is it now?, 50 'top ten 'contenders'?
Yeah, enough for everyone which is why the BS UFC is now more popular???
atschatsch

 

I can remember, after Roberto Duran whomped the talented Ken Buchanan, for the LW title, he fought a non-title scrap against Puerto Rican Estaban Dejesus less than a year later and got decisioned (and decked). Granted, in the rematch a year later Duran stopped him in the 12th (after being decked again, in the 1st). A lot of non-title activity in those days and before....