All in all the future of boxing is still unsure ,but there is hope.

Boxing is not defined by the HW division - its just that the casual fans mainly flock to it and when a glamorous champ comes along - all of a sudden boxing is popular again.
You talk to almost any trainer at any gym in any Boxing town and they will tell you Boxing is alive and well.
Contrary to what people think - MMA has actually helped Boxing.

Here's a good article that summarizes a lot of my own views.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Boxing-Versus-MMA?-Its-No-Contest!&id=686926

No, he was ****.

lol, I agree, but that doesn't diminish his accomplishments in the eyes of the boxing world.

Got to be honest. I hate HW boxing. It's slow, it's plodding -- and has basically been since time immemorial. Sure, there's a few eras that contain a few gems, but apart from the early 70s and 90s, HWs have been nothing to write home about.

That said, the currently era has been particularly abysmal -- and would be worse if it weren't for the Klitschkos. The Klitschkos are ATGs who would probably fare well in an era of boxing. The only reason why they're not regarded right now as living legends is because of the competition they've faced.

As far as HWs are concerned, there's nothing to see for the next two years -- so for the most part, don't bother with them.

That said, here's the top prospects in the HW division:


Robert Helenius
Tyson Fury
Seth Mitchell
Mike Perez
Joe Hanks


There's a few wild cards in the mix like Amir Mansour, but these are the fellows who have caught my eye.

I enjoy watching Tyson Fury, he's Personable and he gives it a go. He also gets Chinned but has yet to be floored, so he knows how to survive. He's also far from the finished article but in 2 years as he matures, we'll know more.

I saw David Price in the seats at Cleverly v Bellew. He's an Olympic Bronze medallist and there is some, er, "competitive feeling' between him and Fury. Price is also 6ft 9ins - about the same as Fury. It certainly seems odd to have such tall blokes competing so the circus is not too far away.

In the build-up to Vlad v Haye, some boxing commentators were calling Haye "a small HW". Good Lord. The height and damn near the weight of Ali...so, no, he had the tools but wasn't good enough.

Back to Fury. His Dad is a former pro HW and 6ft 4ins. He's also of Irish Traveller stock and a Bare-Knuckle fighter. Which rather puts things into perspective. He did not win a pro title...and Tyson may not either however thanks to TV/DVD etc, he will not likely develop into the 'lost legendary, Giant, Fighter of Renown. 'Cos we can see him and assess his performance.

Anyway, there's still plenty to watch outside of the HWs. What is telling is that the extraordinary lock that US fighters had on the World Title...have gone. Quite sad really owing to their Hunger, Skill, Athleticism which is no longer to be seen.

Perhaps we should now reassess Tony TNT Tubbs, as most seeming to modelling their Physiques on his but without his hand speed, combinations and skill.

I understand why people like HWs for the same reason I understand they like homerun hitters in baseball. Just like some fans only care about baseball because they want to see a ball hit out of the park, some fans only care for that one punch knockout.

But just as there's more to baseball than homerun hitters, there's more to boxing than heavyweights. I can appreciate the Nishiokas of the world, just as I can appreciate the Ichiros.

I understand why people like HWs for the same reason I understand they like homerun hitters in baseball. Just like some fans only care about baseball because they want to see a ball hit out of the park, some fans only care for that one punch knockout.

But just as there's more to baseball than homerun hitters, there's more to boxing than heavyweights. I can appreciate the Nishiokas of the world, just as I can appreciate the Ichiros.

In fairness, there are plenty of knockouts in the lower divisions. Middleweights and Welterweights have a particularly interesting mix of speed and power which makes them so appealing.. People just need to have it shoved down their throats before they start to appreciate it.

In defense of Lennox Lewis - I wasn't his biggest fan and he did have a bit of a suspect chin. However, you can't ignore the fact that he was about as technically sound a boxer as you can get..he had that awesome reach and even his jabs looked like they would knock the average boxer into next week.
I had a chance to get his autograph too..years before he became champ I saw him out shopping at Farview Mall with his gf in Kitchener, Ontario ( that's where he grew up and trained, its the city where I was born) about three or four days before X- Mas.
Instead I just kind of stared at him like a dummy.
I was one of the first people in the mall to recognize him and an hour later he got swarmed in the food court, he spent a while signing autographs for people.
He is one HUGE man..let me tell you.

But just as there's more to baseball than homerun hitters, there's more to boxing than heavyweights. I can appreciate the Nishiokas of the world, just as I can appreciate the Ichiros.

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ2asUCbN9JO4PYdNwuRLLjLJHKeBu3r EAF4Hq7Oa7xVID36At6kg

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ2asUCbN9JO4PYdNwuRLLjLJHKeBu3r EAF4Hq7Oa7xVID36At6kg

Okay, you have to explain this allusion to me.

Okay, you have to explain this allusion to me.

**** baseball

**** baseball

Oh, that's what it means. Hmm. Well in the UK it's called Rounders and is only played - occasionally - in primary school when the teacher decides to take everyone outside on a sunny day. It's played mixed sex.

When you start Secondary School - from 11 years to 18 years (max), it's only played in Girls Schools.

Thought you'd want to know that...: )

Oh, that's what it means. Hmm. Well in the UK it's called Rounders and is only played - occasionally - in primary school when the teacher decides to take everyone outside on a sunny day. It's played mixed sex.

When you start Secondary School - from 11 years to 18 years (max), it's only played in Girls Schools.

Thought you'd want to know that...: )

Rounders are card players here.

That little story made me lol.

I understand why people like HWs for the same reason I understand they like homerun hitters in baseball. Just like some fans only care about baseball because they want to see a ball hit out of the park, some fans only care for that one punch knockout.

But just as there's more to baseball than homerun hitters, there's more to boxing than heavyweights. I can appreciate the Nishiokas of the world, just as I can appreciate the Ichiros.

I'm not sure about the knock out appeal of HW boxing. I guess even now I can find real heavyweight power exciting, in boxing or MMAA.

I know when I was a kid and I used to watch boxing with my dad, the HW division held more appeal for me because it seemed somehow more elite. In a real fight, my infant mind reasoned, the greatest HW fighter was the greatest fighter of all... he could crush the littler guys. Admittedly, this was twenty something years ago, when the HW division was set on fire by Tyson, and you had Hollyfield, Mercer, Bowe et al. So HW boxing was a bit livelier than it is right now.

Hence, I thought that HW was the only division worth watching, because I mistakenly thought boxing was 'just' fighting, and that the only goal was to be the worlds best fighter.

I think amongst casual fight fans this kind of mentality might persist.

Well, if you think back, John L. Sullivan used to walk into Bars and declaim "I can lick any bum in the house". He meant it.

It's a bit like being the best fighter in school except it's the World. "The Richest Prize in Sport" is another title - although not often heard these days. The Great Reg Gutteridge (UK boxer commentator) used the term and it was common currency in the Boxing Press or Sports pages of the tabloid/Broadsheet newspapers.

In common parlance, most people would think of the World HW Champ as the best fighter in the World. Wrestling - leaving aside Gene LeBell v Milo Savage in the early 1960s - was viewed mainly as Entertainment. Particularly for women - who seem to love watching sweating men assault each other. In truth, leaving aside the 'agreements' most wrestlers would be severly hurting the average bloke. Mock them at your peril.

The Japanese arts, say, Karate + Judo, had mystique but few well known exponents. Karate only got going in the UK in the 1960s, whereas Judo had a much better pedigree following the founding of The Budokwai under Gunji Koizumi. Yet is was a niche art.

Boxing tends to be summed up as "As go the HWs, so goes boxing". In other words, HWs are very much in the Shop Window, and that is how you draw in the customers into the shop to look at the 'smaller' models.

To finish, most people are now aware of Ali v Inoki (I saw it at the time on UK TV - God it was boring) and Ali was also featured in a TV special; over here, Ali has been very popular for years. Anyway, he was interviewed by Dickie Davies and Ali said that he was looking at fighting a Karate guy but the stipulation was that he would have to wear boxing gloves (in a manner of speaking) on his feet. Ali commented, "I will eat him up". He meant it too - well, he was never short of Confidence. The interview took place after he'd KO'd Big George but before The Thrilla in Manila.

Cheers

Well, if you think back, John L. Sullivan used to walk into Bars and declaim "I can lick any bum in the house". He meant it.

It's a bit like being the best fighter in school except it's the World. "The Richest Prize in Sport" is another title - although not often heard these days. The Great Reg Gutteridge (UK boxer commentator) used the term and it was common currency in the Boxing Press or Sports pages of the tabloid/Broadsheet newspapers.

In common parlance, most people would think of the World HW Champ as the best fighter in the World. Wrestling - leaving aside Gene LeBell v Milo Savage in the early 1960s - was viewed mainly as Entertainment. Particularly for women - who seem to love watching sweating men assault each other. In truth, leaving aside the 'agreements' most wrestlers would be severly hurting the average bloke. Mock them at your peril.

The Japanese arts, say, Karate + Judo, had mystique but few well known exponents. Karate only got going in the UK in the 1960s, whereas Judo had a much better pedigree following the founding of The Budokwai under Gunji Koizumi. Yet is was a niche art.

Boxing tends to be summed up as "As go the HWs, so goes boxing". In other words, HWs are very much in the Shop Window, and that is how you draw in the customers into the shop to look at the 'smaller' models.

To finish, most people are now aware of Ali v Inoki (I saw it at the time on UK TV - God it was boring) and Ali was also featured in a TV special; over here, Ali has been very popular for years. Anyway, he was interviewed by Dickie Davies and Ali said that he was looking at fighting a Karate guy but the stipulation was that he would have to wear boxing gloves (in a manner of speaking) on his feet. Ali commented, "I will eat him up". He meant it too - well, he was never short of Confidence. The interview took place after he'd KO'd Big George but before The Thrilla in Manila.

Cheers

I think it depends where you go in the world.

East Asia and Latin America have always preferred the little guys to the heavyweights. For instance, good luck finding anyone notable above Middleweight in Japan, but they have a whole lot of champions between Strawweight and Lightweight. A notable example would be the Kameda Bros., who are the biggest draw in Japan.

Mexico is the same way. There's more champions from Mexico than any other country right now. Yet, apart from Chris Arreola, Mexicans are practically invisible in the heavyweight scene.

Now, there's no doubt in my mind that with few American heavyweight prospects, Americans have shown little interest in boxing recently. However, I think this is beginning to change. Here's why:


The legend of the Gatti-Ward Trilogy has grown in the past 10 years. A sequel to The Fighter is in the works, as is a biopic about Arturo Gatti.
It's commonly assumed now that it's the little guys who are the best boxers. Pacquiao and Mayweather's superstar status only confirms this.
Previously, TV rarely broadcast the little guys in favour of the HW division. However, recently the HW division has been completely snubbed in favour of the little guys.
The Internet has revealed an untapped market. Guys like El Chocolatito, who would have toiled in obscurity, are now receiving a cult following, as his videos get passed around virally on YouTube.


Don't get me wrong. There's a portion of America that will never tune into boxing unless there's an American heavyweight contender. But at least there's now a bigger audience for the little guys than there was before.

Middleweights and Welters have always drawn respectfully..Zale-Graziano , Robinson - LaMotta , Hearns-Hagler, Leonard- Duran etc. etc. there's been plenty of awesome action that's been well-recognized over the years.
In the early to mid 80's( before Tyson came along) when HW's sucked, people came out for Leonard, Hagler, Duran , Arguello, Pryor and Hearns in droves...
Light Heavyweight has always been an underappreciated weight class in my opinion.