Fights between previous year-end top 10 heavyweights.

Gazelle Punch · Dec 16, 2021

Bukkake said: ↑

I think we're all aware, that boxing is very different today, compared to the olden times. Gone are the days where boxers could have 10-15 (sometimes even more) bouts per year. These days a couple of fights (or at most 3) a year, seems to be the norm. The Ring's top-10 HWs this month, have so far had 11 fights this year - combined! Parker has a fight coming up this weekend, which means that the top-10 will finish the year with a total of 12 fights!! Quite ridiculous really - and a far cry from the old days. In 1935, for example, the top-10 HWs fought a total of 80 times!

One reason for this is of course the bigger purses today. Especially at HW millions (sometimes tens of millions) of dollars are at stake - with endless negotiations going on, before getting two of the top men to share the same ring. Of course we all wish, it wasn't so... and that the best were eager to face the best. But I think it's naive to hope, that a change for the better is about to happen anytime soon. There's simply too much money involved.

Does this mean, that boxing is dying - as we're often told on this forum? Personally, I don't think so. Despite all that is wrong with boxing these days, it seems to be thriving in many parts of the world. In places that didn't even have pro boxing decades ago.
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Its dying in US I should say. I get it there are less fights now for safety and money. Good points. But that being said the better fights should be a priority.

mattdonnellon · Dec 16, 2021

Bukkake said: ↑

When I did the 1930s, I was surprised to see, how small many of the top HWs were back then. Of course it wasn't a huge chock, as we all know, that today's HWs are considerably bigger than "back in the day"... but still a mild surprise.

Of the 47 different men, who were ranked in the top-10 during the 30s, more than half (26) never tipped the scales at 200 or above, in the year(s) they were ranked. Of these, 8 never weighed more than 190... and one (Mickey Walker) was only 169½ at his heaviest!

The year-end list for 2021 is of course not out yet, but as of Dec. 4 their top-10 looks like this:
Ratings - The Ring (ringtv.com)

Fury 6'9"/277
Usyk 6'3"/221
Joshua 6'6"/240
Wilder 6'7"/238
Whyte 6'4"/247
Parker 6'4"/241
Ruiz Jr. 6'2"/256
Ortiz 6'4"/241
Joyce 6'6"/ 264
Hrgovic 6'6"/247

Huge guys - which makes a fair comparison with the old-timers very difficult (if not impossible!), imo.
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Also, strangly th e 1910-30 fighters were bigger too.

mattdonnellon · Dec 16, 2021

I think the four belts have had a lot to do with it, you get rated and each organization has a different mandatory so at most it's one defence and the mandatory wont box at all to protect his position, I'm sure the ether researchers on this thread were amazed how many fights you had to scroll as you went back in time, just to find the rated fights of one fighter.

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Fights between previous year-end top 10 heavyweights.

Gazelle Punch Boxing Addict Full Member

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Fights between previous year-end top 10 heavyweights.

Gazelle Punch Boxing Addict Full Member

mattdonnellon Boxing Junkie Full Member

mattdonnellon Boxing Junkie Full Member