If Kovalev beats Hopkins & Stevenson, will they say "the 175 division is weak"?

European champs have always gotten criticism not because of racism, but because of nationalism. When Hopkins was champ at 160, he faced Howard Eastman of the UK who was 40-1 at the time. He was considered a weak contender despite the record because he was fighting out of the UK. He wasn't given any backing by US fans despite being black.

 

Oh look, freedoms alt! :yep

 

How do you know who is urban and who isnt?

 

Dirrell is a LHW now?:huh

 

He doesn't, he is assuming. The hardcore fans might be black and Latino, but U.S. casual fans, boxing writers, promoters, ring announcers, judges (basically the people with opinions) are predominately white. And they still support black and Latino fighters.

Just some butt hurt Euro fans stirring some racial stereo-types cause the U.S. fans won't support Euro fighters. Still a problem, but different kind of problem.

 

Yes, I've read Andre is moving up to 175.

Anthony Dirrell will remain at 168 though.

 

No the division would not be seen as weak because it's a competitive division with fighters willing to fight each other. Though people would say the top fighters are not exceptional as the top guy is a 50 year old, but in terms of depth the division is healthy.

Fans say a division is weak usually when there either is an obvious lack of talent, the division is filled with fighters ducking one another or there if is a very dominant champion who is over shadowed by a previous champion or a champion in a close division.

 

It is a week division with a lot of potential.

Divisions are made by a great fighters winning great fights, and there are a lot of great fights to be made. If kovalev wins against Hopkins (and he really should) then we might see:

Kpvalev-Stevensen
Kovalev-Beterbiev
Kovalev-Ward
Kovalev-Bute
Kovalev-Pascal

Hell, I still like a Chad Dawson. Let him get one last chance. l

 

:good

 

Well....I've been a Kovalev fan longer than anyone, but to be frank the division is weak (not his fault of course, all he can do is smash through whatever is put in front of him) - and Hopkins is quite old and his body looked to be startingto break down even a few years ago against Dawson. ..and Stevenson is a hype job with inadequate whiskers to stand up to Kovalev for long...so yeah, there will be a bit of murmuring about it being an easy road for Kovalev and there will be a grain of truth in that.

Hopefully I can stand on my reputation with that being taken as my considered and informed opinion and not "hemispheric bias".

 

Most are referring to the HW division, which IS weak.
But has been improving in the last couple of years.

Its weak because for a decade, 2 guys who couldnt fight each other COMPLETELY dominated a division, and were in another league to their opponents.

Now you have ONE guy who is miles ahead.

Thats why people say its weak.

Nothing to do with nationality.

 

You have to agree, it also works the other way round too.

 

:good

The best three men in the division would be competitive in any era (WK, AP, KP) - all three of them from the same part of the world, by the way - but after them you have such a precipitous drop-off in talent leaving no choice but to call it a weak division. 1-3 are strong, yes, but you can't have the waters be shallow from number four on down and say the division isn't weak. You just can't.

 

I missed the last Klan meeting. Did they talk about anything important?

 

I think those people who hate Kovalev will continue hating him, it's how it works unfortunately among most boxing fans, once they hate a fighter no matter what he does he'll keep on getting hate, I mean the excuses will be (if he beats Hopkins and Stevenson and that's a BIG IF), that one was an old man, the other was a hypejob who got exposed previously, if he dominates the division further they'll blame his division for the success, it happens all the time with many fighters.