If we had a sport where the best fought the best, every division would have an undisputed champion. As it should. Currently though, the guy with four belts only gets them if they can navigate through boxing's sea of horse manure, tv networks, promoters, contracts, mandatories to make the fights for all four belts. And that dont even mean those belt holders are even the best each division has to offer. But this is how they advertise it now....Canelo has a chance to become the first ever unified 168lb champion with all four belts. Woopty doo. Every division should have a champ like this already, like this is something special and happens once in a lifetime....Canelo already holds Ring belt ...which basically means Plant is just another challenger. This is not a champion vs champion, just a contender vs. another guy who should already be considered the champ in the division. All of this just highlights how dumb the sport has become....
Partially it is huge deal cos you have Undisputed status plus if you together with this do have The Ring and sorry, lineal, then it is where this is here. Otherwise: ams are banished while they does have 1 single world champ in weight class in 1 year and 1 single Olympic champion during cycle. This means that in real life each year they does have 1 single 1 alone champ in weight class. Cos in Oly year World championship is not done. While alphabet orgs are in xx numbers and each of them does have bunches with belts. I will not talks about national, continental belts, it is easy to understand. While: internim, franchise, Ineternational, Inter continental are things difficult to understand for casual clients - paying customers.
precisely. ive never been overly impressed by it. it just says you navigated the politics better than those before you. there should be one guy who is better than all the rest in every division. people use the argument to pump up those they fanboy, and completely forget about it if the fave aint the one with the belts. its significant as a historical marker only, it doesnt mean this guy is a greater fighter because of it. example. how many of usyks fanboys are gonna bring up how great canelo is for unifying all of them, the way it pops up anytime usyk is mentioned?
The impressive thing about it IMO, is seeing them persevere through the sea of **** and manage to get all four champions in with them. It is a pretty serious achievement IMO, just based on how hard it is to do. Not just beating those four champions, but getting them all in the ring with you. Furthermore, since the large split of divisions, each one doesn't normally have more than four major players anyway. It's a hall mark of someone who's cleaned up their division. Who did Crawford miss at 140? Hopkins at MW? Taylor?
It's the way forward in a sport that has lost its way. Boxing has become the capitalist dream. Not a competitive dream.
It will always be impressive because it rarely happens. All the politics and ducking involved, it's hard to become undisputed
It's something easier to do if you are the cash cow or an ABC favorite. You'll get the title shots over more deserving fighters because of $$.
Thought calzaghe had all 4 belts? Edit just remembered he had to give it up for not fighting Stieglitz...boxing is **** sometimes
yeah, but the opposite is true also. in a division full of no name champs who dont sell, theres nothing preventing them from unifying. theres nothing to lose. so fights are easier to make.
It used to mean something. Back in the 80 s when Tyson was unifying the heavyweight division, there was a clarity to it. It was only 3 back then, WBC, IBF and WBA. So if someone managed to get all, and it wasn't bloody easy, then there was a respect. But now, idk, so many belts, for so many division s. And chances are, if a fighter gets a few belts, it's not long before he's stripped or vacate s em. I know Fury and AJ have done their bit but it's not really a solution. The sports a fecking mess.
I believe under circumstances like this, they'd pick and choose the most susceptible titlist to attempt to unify with, if at all.
the orgs are going to work to keep the belts in the hands of fighters who produce the biggest sanctioning fees for them. every facette of this game revolves around money. only the fighters themselves can choose to make it about something more. competition and love of the sport. the need to prove to yourself and the world that youre the best. only the fighters can elevate it above a money making scheme.
I think only the HW champ should be the World, unified, undisputed champ. The rest can have international, regional, interim, Aztec, North American, European, etc. belts to have and to hold.
I agree. But I don't think we'll get much in terms of unification from here out. Seems to be more about weight jumping and being a 'multiple weight champ' for lower division guys.