The fight game today:Do belts matter anymore?

BTW, is Haney - Loma an actual thing yet, with a contract and a date ?

 

I wish Bowe would of tossed all the belts in the trash and fought Lewis.

Or today if some sane organization of associated boxing commissions in the US, UK, EU (to start) just recognized one champ and refused to sanction any of the alphabet title matches in their country. I know this has problems as well but I think its time to take that chance.

 

Ali proved that long ago.

 

They've become less and less important as the number of titles has increased, it still has some market value for a upcoming fighter looking to make a name for themselves. The sanctioning bodies also still have a lot of clout in the game and can block fights from happening such as Whyte/Wilder if it suits them too, so to say they no longer matter isn't true as the still have too much power and influence no boxer or promoter can just ignore them, they have to work with them.

But in the end we don't remember a fighter for the belts they hold but who they fought, resume trumps titles every time. Once a fighter reaches a certain level the belts no longer matter, I'd rather a fighter give up a belt and face someone better like Lewis did than simply cling onto a belt, beat someone that nobody thinks has a chance of beating them and pass up a fight with someone everyone wants to see them fight.

 

Yes and no….
I still love the idea of a “champion” and romance of belts/championship…
A lot of “big” fights throughout history have’t been for belts..
Modern - Take mentioned Garcia/Davis.. Big fight, think it’s 136lbs? I don’t even know if Mickey Mouse belt/high 140lb “ranking in 4 majors”
Big money fight, good fight to be made…… In terms of belts/rankings barely means a thing… Call it big prizefight…
Even if the winner or both continue at 135lbs.. Haney (or Loma if he wins) cannot be questioned at “champion” at 135lbs regardless, even if opinion is Tank or Garcia, or Shakur or anyone moving up wins/beats Haney/Loma, at 135lbs no one can question (take away potential fight hype, press conf etc)
So yes there is a big prizefight at 136lbs, however at 135lbs “right now in time” the belts mean ALOT…… All social media, PPV buys etc aside….

On the other hand, Take 160lbs, IBF and WBA alone…. How highly do you then rate the belts??
GGG in a era basically zero opponents (till he bit older, Canelo moves up etc)
K2 brothers at heavy, post Lennox, best in hopeless era until older n fury…
How much do those belts actually then mean???

Then modern era, does one belt in same cases mean more than others in a certain weight?? Say Inoue having 3, last fight at weight against a “belt holder” to UNDISPUTED… Before he gets that last belt at that weight, how much do you rate that current belt holder (champion or best in that “sanctioning body”

Floyd only held mostly 1 belt at a time, less sanct fees, then how much do those other belts at that weight actually mean? Say Pac holds a belt, maybe until they fight 2 belts at that weight mean something, then what about the other 2 “belts”

I think a lot comes down to the actual fighters and who they have or have not fought…. Then take modern 147lbs past 4-5 years, there’s only 1 fight anyone’s cared about, means a lot and actually matters which still hasn’t happened, In that regard (again as too many overdue fights) which is just promoters full stop, not actual fighters as I think both would have already settled unify/undisputed already….. Sometimes due to promoters, mights might never happen no matter what fans or fighters want??
If current 147lb belt holders do fight, I wouldn’t be surprised if it is not for “undisputed” or even above 147lbs….
In that case, what do the belts really mean??

My answer to thread question is yes and no… All depends in this sport…

 

Should be one belt in each division, one sanctioning body, one champ in each division. It will never happen but we can dream.

 

If the belts matter, then having several champions in a division, each holding a belt means more like they're equally good, but when they face it's almost never the case. Boxing is one, not The Ring, WBO, WBA, WBC, IBO, IBF and so on... It's not even the money that matters in boxing, while the sport is mainly predetermined by them, because as other users mentioned - a YouTube guy like Jake Paul generates more money than some champion does. It's not even the casuals' opinion that matters.

Fighters aim at the belts, but it's not always the case where there's a great opponent behind a belt, so again - they don't matter. Belts are a way to pretend, but all they do is a confusion and bias, also damaging the sport sometimes.

 

I agree…. Too many nowdays…
Take an active example… 154lbs… 1st unification is a draw, rematch happens, then, undisputed champ gets injured training… (Similar happened through history time to time, just modern example??)
Say he wins his next fight or 2 even, then he becomes a bit older again, with age, even dollars?? Doesn’t have a fight then for say 9-14 months… POSSIBLY, this is any weight, they go up, in this case to 160lbs, big money fight, regardless of what happens in this case back to 154lbs as undisputed..
At that weight currently, I think there are basically 4 no1 challengers in the 4 sanctioning bodies all stating basically mand no1 next, I guess they all get in order from there…..
HYPOTHETICALLY - ALL REGARDING BELTS… 154lbs
4 no1 call mand in line…. Say current undisputed fights later this year then say even May/June next year.. say a “money fight” or even volunterely granted, (say 147lbs guys decide to move up… The 2 guys who have yet to be in the fight WE ALL wanted) Best case that’s end 2024/ early 2025…..
It then leaves the other 2 current no1 for their sanct bodies, who have prob already been guaranteed title shots (or even few fights to hold no1 spot) if their chance now doesn’t happen to come about AT BEST LATE 2025/early 2026 and say late 2026 for the 4th guy in line……
Point is, say whoever is 3rd or 4th in line, no matter where anyones opinions, top 10s, ring or otherwise division ratings…. Being they have basically been promised a shot at their sanct body’s title next, where does it leave them…
Add on, say undisputed champ gets more injuries, fights less…..
That can sometimes become frustrating with 1 recognised champ in a 4 belt era… (Being all 4 no1 contenders, are in line for a shot, have been PROMOSIDED IT, most prob already paid sanct fees/earns spot or been “loyal” to that sanct body to secure a ranking??)

IDEAL WORLD, Hypothetical above, just example (no names, no love or hate, just example) Ideal world, 1 belt, 1 champ, contenders fight each other for any type top 10 ranking/title shot… Best scenario…..
On the other hand, Now got basically 2 or 3 guys careers on hold waiting for their shot, BEING 4bodies, 4legit claims to a shot first… ALL PROMISED..
That can sometimes be hold ups… Say older undisputed get injured/prizefights/even move in weight…..
With 4 bodies, legal contracts n that, leaves those guys out in the cold when they been promised something already…..
One belt, less rubbish and more legit no1 contenders…..
4 belt era, u no 1 contender got next shot legally, guaranteed n all that, but it might not come for 3- 41/2 years…. If u the smallest name of the 4, smallest promoter, potentially doesn’t matter, even if your the best, even if your not, you’ve been told by sanct body, your rankedn o1 and your next, if that fighters 28 pus years old, what they supposed to do, thru no fault of their own??

one belt takes all that away…. As said above, never ever gonna happen…
Even thru history, even when there was 1 belt there was more….
Boxing huh…. This and music industry just legal corruption using ppl as pawns…

 

Money can't be & shouldn't be the only target or goal.
Belts (of which there are far too many) have to be important to up & coming fighters.
It's a shame though that when some become 'elite', money seems to be the driver.......this is probably why big fights (Fury v AJ, Fury v Usyk) aren't being made.

 

Tommys been on Loose women because of that belt. I don’t see Canelo on there.

 

Well if you look at the women on that show, i think Canelo dodged a bullet for sure. YUK!!

 

They don't matter to the casuals.

 

Belts matter only if it means more money

 

The belts don’t matter when a guy you can’t beat has the belt, in the example you used Tank and Ryan got a casual fanbase that meat ride them because of the love Floyd and Oscar had.. but to any objective fan guys like tank and Ryan are an embarrassment to the sport. I think tho it comes down to this era of fans, current fans will suooort guys regardless if they ducking or not.. look at the excuses guys like GGG or Crawford get guys who’ve held belts but fought absolute trash, look at the excuses a guy like tank gets somebody who only fights trash.. I think the devaluing of belts is on fans who need to make excuses for why they got not a champion