Has the decline of the Heavyweight division helped or hindered boxing?

[bzkfn]

I was thinking about this, because many consider the decline of the Heavyweight division as a disaster for boxing and the casual fan. For years, heavyweight was considered to epitamise everything a fan looked for in boxing, and as this is a sport about who is tougher, nothing could compare to watching two of the world's strongest and physically dominating fighters beat the crap out of each other.

However, looking at the other side of the coin, the division's decline has offered more exposure to the lower weights, and has showed that the bigger men are not the only ones to bring excitement to the sport. We've been treated to some superb fights this year, the majority of which feature from 154 or below.

Do you think that the bigger fights will continue at the lower weight classes to continue the trend?

[Trainer Monkey]

Hard to say,I mean everyone knew who guys like Hagler,Robinson,Leanord,Duran,etc etc
Wont really be able to say until the division rebounds

[Kirkland Laing]

Hindered.

We're getting great fights because of the competition from MMA. If the heavyweight division had another Tyson come along interest in boxing in general would explode from the heavyweight division downwards.

[eagle]

I think when the Heavies were strong not many casual fans looked below welter for good fights. Now guys at 122 and lower such as Marquez and Vasquez are getting good exposure they may not have gotten in the past.
A top Heavy would be good tho.

[Galaxy]

I think when the Heavies were strong not many casual fans looked below welter for good fights. Now guys at 122 and lower such as Marquez and Vasquez are getting good exposure they may not have gotten in the past.
A top Heavy would be good tho.

Yeah sort of a double edged sword. A strong heavyweight division brings exposure to the sport but takes opportunities away from other deserving fighters in the lower weights!

[Spicoli]

A weak Heavy division,Or perceived weak division will cause alot of these fighters to mix it up eventually and hopfully give way to 1 or 2 top guys that clean it up.I put no more emphasis on Heavy division than any other weight class but the Networks and media sure do.
One of the best fighters in the last few decades ,Ricardo Lopez, was often reduced to co-feature status or did not even make the air on some cards early on In favor of Lesser talents that had "bigger names".
Even when the division was Stacked with Holyfield,Lewis,Foreman,Moorer,Bowe Etc. Michael Carbajal and Humberto Gonzalez did very well and helped put The lighter weights in the spotlight.
Talent will rise to the top and I think the media and some fans are being brought around to the realization that "so goes the heavys so goes Boxing" is no longer applicable. Its Great.
The lighter weights are were its at for us.....at least until HBO or Showtime has Eddie Chambers as Heavyweight champ Lol...

[bzkfn]

Sorry...my analysis went off the boil because I had someone trying to talk to me at the same time I wrote this yesterday.

While I know there was exposure at the middles & heavies, it got me thinking that back when Tyson/Holyfield/Lewis were around, would a fight like Marquez-Vasquez have be as acclaimed as it has been?

It's an interesting subject. The heavies certainly don't interest me right now.

[Jimanuel Boogustus]

It's an interesting subject. The heavies certainly don't interest me right now.

The champions dont interest me, thats for sure.
Im only concerned with 'who's comming from cruiser' and 'what prospects are getting fights they deserve'.

I suppose that suggests that i am looking along the time-line a little. Something only a boxing fanatic would do (at this moment in time).

I think that even though the lower classes are getting much more exposure, i disagree that this extra coverage is really putting boxing back in the mainstream. I still have this opinion that most of the fighters out there are still lightly regarded.

Only a heavyweight can gravitate the sort of attention towards boxing to regard it as a mainstream sport.

Even Dela Hoya alone couldnt save boxing without Lewis, Holyfield AND Tyson

[bzkfn]

It's an interesting subject. The heavies certainly don't interest me right now.

The champions dont interest me, thats for sure.
Im only concerned with 'who's comming from cruiser' and 'what prospects are getting fights they deserve'.

I suppose that suggests that i am looking along the time-line a little. Something only a boxing fanatic would do (at this moment in time).

I think that even though the lower classes are getting much more exposure, i disagree that this extra coverage is really putting boxing back in the mainstream. I still have this opinion that most of the fighters out there are still lightly regarded.

Only a heavyweight can gravitate the sort of attention towards boxing to regard it as a mainstream sport.

Even Dela Hoya alone couldnt save boxing without Lewis, Holyfield AND Tyson

Maybe I should have posed the question "Has the decline of the Heavyweight division helped or hindered the sport for boxing fans?" We've had one of the best years of boxing in a long time, without a heavyweight in sight!

As for what you say about the prospects, I understand what you mean. But really, there are possibly 3 or 4 that I've seen that have a chance to do something amazing. I had high hopes for Chambers, but the Brock fight was kind of boring, and it discoraged me on him. Povetkin will likely stop him in his tracks. I have to admit, until the Byrd fight I hadn't realised just how good Povetkin is. It's really good to see him dispose of such quality opposition after only 14 fights. Compare that with Roman Greenberg who hasn't had a meaningful fight yet.

[Jimanuel Boogustus]

"Has the decline of the Heavyweight division helped or hindered the sport for boxing fans?"

Oh I see!!!

Well then my answer is that it has helped. Simply becuase as a fan, you want your fix. And you know it dosen't matter how low you'll go to get it

[Wacko3205]

I was thinking about this, because many consider the decline of the Heavyweight division as a disaster for boxing and the casual fan. For years, heavyweight was considered to epitamise everything a fan looked for in boxing, and as this is a sport about who is tougher, nothing could compare to watching two of the world's strongest and physically dominating fighters beat the crap out of each other.

However, looking at the other side of the coin, the division's decline has offered more exposure to the lower weights, and has showed that the bigger men are not the only ones to bring excitement to the sport. We've been treated to some superb fights this year, the majority of which feature from 154 or below.

Do you think that the bigger fights will continue at the lower weight classes to continue the trend?

Great question...tuff answer all the way around the board.

I say that it's done both good & bad for boxing.

Bad because 200+ had a lot of buyers & the fall & lack of rise in the big men put a bit of a hurt on the casual fan's appeal. Good because it brought in to focus the lighter weights & has then showcased some of the greatest match ups of recent years.

[DaxxKahn]

The heavyweight division in actuality was once BOXING!....There was the HW title then everything else...pretty much the rest of the sport only existed to die hard fans....At one time even your average housewife that never seen a boxing match could name the HW champion....When Ali retired in the early 80's for good it left the division with a dull Larry Holmes...Dull does not mean bad BTW just boring in the appeal effect.....Boxing focused to the smaller guys...EG Leonard Duran Hearns etc...as Trainer Monkey mentioned....Then when they started to fade after the series of superfights between the lot ended...Mike Tyson burst on the scene....His KO power was easy to market so once again other divisions were provided less attention.....Things like that happen for 2 reasons....1 people love to see knockouts and in the HW division you are almost guarenteed to see them more then then smaller guys...or I should say people love to see two big guys knocking each other out would be a more appropriate way to say it.....Focus stays on the HWTS because when you get a good HW that people follow even his opponent will be marketable for at least 1 fight......It almost does the promoters job for them.....this is why the HWT division has always been so popular....There has always been the good big fights at the lower weights just not as promoted by the powers that be.....

When guys like Leonard who if he did not come along after his olympic gold medal win and all american smile the attraction to the WW and MW divisions during the mid 80s would not have been so big I can promise....He was an olympian so again the promoters job was half done for them...they just jumped on the wagon.....Same for DLH when he arrived......he was marketable......


You can get one guy in the HW division that is marketable....EG another Tyson type or a guy who gets into wars but has a great camera presence during interviews......then get yourself 100 fat slobs who shovel S*** for a living...line them up as oppnents then the HW division would once again be the crown jewel of boxing.....all the other fights would still take place but they would not recieve the attention.....


In truth the HW division has not died...it just does not have the personality to make it fan friendly.....There have been worse eras for HW boxing then this one....much worse but they always had the name to make it seem as though it wasn't