An often mentioned theory for why the quality of the heavyweight division has plummeted in recent years is that the 200lb+ athletes have far more lucrative and safer options now than they did 30+ years ago. It's said that the best heavyweight boxer in the world is probably a point guard or running back. This leaves boxing as a distance 4th or 5th option for athletes who maybe couldn't cut it in any other sport. Given this trend, what will be the future of the heavyweight division? Some possibilities: 1. The heavyweights will get physically bigger, with giants who are too big for most other sports populating the HW division and finding success that they wouldn't otherwise have in earlier eras against more mobile and athletic heavyweights 2. The heavyweights will get physically smaller, with more boxers successfully duplicating RJJ's feat and moving up from much smaller divisions and outmaneuvering the superheavies and eventually forcing them out of the division 3. The heavyweights will stay the same in size, but become more global, with most future heavyweights coming from countries where being a boxer is the best option for 200lb+ athletes (but keeping in mind that the salaries for european basketball players is on a massive upswing, which could lead to competition for large talent) 4. That this is just a temporary lull and that the heavyweight division will naturally improve itself without any radical evolution or change as each division goes through cycles 5. That, in fact, the heavyweight division is fine now, just under-appreciated because the dominant fighters aren't American. 6. Something else or some combination of the above....?
I'm not sure that I agree with people who say that the US isn't producing HW champs cos they are all in other sports. I think that is doing the skill of boxing a disservice. There is a lot of divisions that the US isn't dominant, for instance, the europeans aren't using football (soccer) as an excuse for not dominating lower divisions. That being said, I think that we are currently in a period where HW is poor. I can also see it being that way for awhile until HW's start acting like athletes instead of slobs. Just my opinion though
The reason that America isn't producing good fighters is the death of amatuer boding on America. I am sure that a lot of guys trying to be point guards or running backs would love to be fighters if they were allowed to take it as an after school activity.
