The Middleweight Division Could Make a Comeback

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MIDDLEWEIGHT HISTORY

Until recent decades, the 160-pound division was home to the most colorful and formidable fighters in the history of the sport. “The Michigan Assassin” Stanley Ketchel, “The Pttsburgh Windmill” Harry Greb, and “The Toy Bulldog” Mickey Walker. These men were the legends that helped attract the public’s attention to the competitive weight class in the early part of the 20th Century, making it second only to the heavyweight division.

In the 1940s, Tony Zale cleared up the confusion that plagued the division in the ‘30s after Walker abdicated his title to campaign at heavier weight classes. “The Man of Steel” did so by beating all of the top contenders of the day, and following his service in World War II, he and Rocky Graziano engaged in one of the sport’s most savage and storied ring trilogies ever. Neither middleweight was the same following their rivalry that lasted from ’46 to ’48, but they helped set the stage for more rivalries and even bigger stars in the 160-pound ranks for decades to come.

In the 1950s, the star was Sugar Ray Robinson. As a welterweight who sometimes moonlighted as middleweight in the ‘40s, Robinson was epitome of “pound for pound”. As a full-blown middleweight in the ‘50s he was awesome but not unbeatable. He lost the middleweight title three times in the ring, and won it five times, but he was the ever-present celebrity of the division during this Golden Age of the sport and he had a hall-of-fame supporting cast: Jake LaMotta, Randy Turpin, Carl “Bobo” Olson, Gene Fullmer and Carmen Basilio.

The 1960s lacked a single super star like Robinson, but the division continued to be a major attraction because of solid and popular champions – Fullmer, Dick Tiger, Joey Giardello, Emile Griffith and Nino Benvenuti – who traded the title in rousing bouts and rematches.

Carlos Monzon was the king in the 1970s. Marvin Hagler was the man in the 1980s. Hagler’s showdown with Sugar Ray Leonard 20 years ago elevated the middleweight division to the center of the sports world at a time when the heavyweight division hosted a shooting star named Mike Tyson.

And then, in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, all the tradition and excitement of the division seemed to sputter out and fade away despite the presence of hardnosed technicians like Mike McCallum and James Toney, fabulous talents like Michael Nunn and Roy Jones Jr., and strong supporting cast of players like Julian Jackson, Reggie Johnson, Gerald McClellan, John David Jackson, and Quincy Taylor.

Toney or Jones could (or should) have been the dominant middleweight of the ‘90s, but both were ultimately too damn big for the 160-pound limit. Bernard Hopkins with his narrow frame, fanatical discipline and obsessive training and dietary habits stuck it out in the middleweight division and turned out to be the best 160 pounder of the ‘90s, though no one would notice until the turn of the Century. Hopkins, a late bloomer, would not develop into a complete package until the late ‘90s by which time the division had lost much of its luster due to a fractured title and mediocre title holders like William Joppy and Keith Holmes.

Although Hopkins would finally unify the major titles in 2001’s landmark middleweight championship tournament, most of his physical prime was spent battling promoters and lobbying the media to force the powers that be to give him a chance to prove his worth. Even in his mid-30s, Hopkins was good enough to restore some attention to the division with significant title defenses, however a lack of name opponents and a lack of activity (he only fought once in ’02 and twice in ’03, all of which were meaningless bouts) due to his usual legal battles and promotional squabbles.

By the time Hopkins got back on track in ’04 with his signature victory over Oscar De La Hoya, he was no longer “The Executioner”. Age had made him a wily old vet who controlled younger, faster or stronger challengers with the kind of ring generalship that only the purists could appreciate.

Jermain Taylor, the big strapping Southern gentleman who spoke softly but carried a big right hand, was supposed to be the savior of the division but… well, we know what happened with him.

Here’s the deal: if Taylor can beat Pavlik (particularly in decisive fashion) and prove his many critics wrong, most boxing observers will forgive him for his poor showing vs. Spinks and last December’s underwhelming title defense against another 154 pounder, Kassim Ouma.

If Pavlik, who is the mandatory contender for the WBC middleweight title that Taylor holds, can live up to his expectations and beat the champ, the boxing world will be his oyster.

Here’s the catch: Even if this attractive middleweight showdown does occur, it’s doubtful that the winner will remain in the 160-pound division. Pavlik has to starve himself for two to three weeks in order to boil his 6-foot-3 frame down to the middleweight limit. It’s no secret that Taylor has struggled to make 160 pounds since BEFORE he won the title from Hopkins. So in the off-chance that the middleweight division gets the defining fight it sorely needs, the chances are good that the winner of that bout will be gone by the start of ’08.

Some are already solid attractions (by today’s standards).

Sergio Mora, the 26-year-old winner of season one of The Contender, continues to improve as a professional and has sold his share of tickets in Las Vegas, L.A. and Sacramento. Despite his somewhat awkward style and lack of punching power, the prime-time network exposure he received on the NBC-televised first season of the unscripted boxing show was invaluable. In the U.S., it’s safe to say that Mora is better known than 90% of the current world title holders.

New York City-based Irishman, John Duddy, an entertaining 27-year-old left hooker with more charm than power, regularly packs Madison Square Garden’s 5,000-seat “Theater” regardless of who he fights.

Another graduate of The Contender’s season one show, Joey Gilbert, a 30-year-old boxer-lawyer, sells more tickets in his home region – Reno and Lake Tahoe, Nevada – than world-class fighters such as the Marquez brothers and Jeff Lacy. Gilbert, a collegiate amateur champ, has improved his once raw technique under the coaching of respected pro trainer Dan Birmingham.

Ronald Hearns, the 28-year-old son of legend Thomas Hearns, is developing into a solid ticket seller in the greater Detroit area after sharing a card with his father early last year that drew more than 15,000 to The Palace in Auburn Hills.

These four boxers are just a few of new faces of the middleweight division. While Gilbert and Hearns are in need of more seasoning, Mora and Duddy are ready to take the next step in their careers and could make for attractive matchups against each other, or vs. well-known junior middleweights such as Spinks (who draws well in his home city of St. Louis), Floyd Mayweather and of course De La Hoya.

Imagine how packed and electric the main arena of Madison Square Garden would be if De La Hoya fought Duddy there on next year’s St. Patrick’s Day. Imagine the ratings and the boost to the sport if such a showdown were shopped to network television instead of premium cable or being offered as a pay-per-view event. Call me crazy, but I think if marketed properly, De La Hoya-Duddy would do American Idol-like ratings on network TV. And best of all, the fight would deliver the kind of action and drama that De La Hoya-Mayweather lacked. Duddy doesn’t know any other way. He’d get caught by every punch De La Hoya threw, bleed all over the ring, and still come forward and remain a threat because of his superior strength and decent power.

Hey, the winner (which should be De La Hoya) could fight Mora in L.A. (the Staples Center) or in Las Vegas on Cinco De Mayo.

You get the picture. There are attractive fights to be made at 160 pounds, and not with the real contenders of the division.

Germany based title holders Arthur Abraham and Felix Sturm have no real incentive to come to the States. They are making good livings in their adopted country. Likewise for Finland’s Amin Asikainen, Canada’s Sebastian Demers (who will challenge Abraham for the IBF title in Germany this Saturday), Spain’s Javier Castillejo and England’s Howard Eastman.

he interest and the potential of the division belongs to its young guns. I present to you 15 up-and-comers, all of whom are under 30. They are based in different metropolitan areas of the U.S. (some of which are major markets). Some hail from different areas of the world, and most (whether due to their ethnic background/national origin or their talent/style or their personality/charisma or a combination of traits) have the potential to become attractions.

Here they are, all 15 of them, all in alphabetical order:

Tyrone Brunson, Detroit by way of Philadelphia, 22, 16-0 (16)

John Duddy, NYC by way of Ireland, 27, 21-0 (15)

Joe Greene, NYC/Brooklyn, 21, 15-0 (11)

Joey Gilbert, Reno, 30, 15-1 (11)

Emmanuel Gonzalez, Florida by way of Puerto Rico, 8-0 (4)

Ronald Hearns, Detroit, 28, 14-0 (11)

Andy Lee, Detroit by way of Ireland, 22, 9-0 (6)

Giovanni Lorenzo, NYC by way of the Dominican Republic, 26, 23-0 (15)

Craig McEwan, L.A. by way of Scotland, 25, 4-0 (3)

James Moore, NYC by way of Ireland, 29, 11-0 (8)

Sergio Mora, East L.A., 26, 19-0 (4)

Peter Quillin, NYC by way of Chicago, 23, 12-0 (11)

Jerson Ravelo, NYC by way of the Dominican Republic, 29, 18-2 (12)

Michael Walker, Chicago, 28, 15-0-1 (9)

Pawel Wolak, NYC by way of Poland, 25, 15-0 (10)

Actually I think 160 is going to be one of the weaker divisions for the next couple years. The best fighters are moving to 168, just like Barrera, Morales et all moved up from featherweight and Cotto, Mayweather etc moved up from light welter.

Taylor will go to 168 soon. Pavlik once he's won a belt will probably follow.

I actually reckon in a year from now it will be the junior middles making inroads into 160, Ouma and Spinks again, maybe even Oscar or floyd

Yeah but the better fighters like Wright and Hopkins are giving way to more exciting fighters like Pavlik, Miranda and Duddy. And I agree completely with the article, put Duddy - Pavlik (I think, instead of De La Hoya because DLH would not go for that) on network TV and my God, those numbers would be HUUUUUUUGEEEEEE for boxing.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by amat

Yeah but the better fighters like Wright and Hopkins are giving way to more exciting fighters like Pavlik, Miranda and Duddy. And I agree completely with the article, put Duddy - Pavlik (I think, instead of De La Hoya because DLH would not go for that) on network TV and my God, those numbers would be HUUUUUUUGEEEEEE for boxing.

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Come on Duddy aint going to make the middleweight division better. He's Irish and he likes getting punched in the face. Don't make him a champ.

I guess they are exciting to watch though, can't argue with that.

Don't see any great champions coming through though is what I meant.

Pavlik is the only one and I reckon he'll follow Taylor and the rest to 168 lb

Of course he's not going to be champ. But he's got one hell of a fanbase. Ray Mancini had the same type of style, and he brought a ton of fans to the game. He was one of the biggest stories in all of sports when he was set to square off with Arguello. People can get behind people like Duddy, and if Pavlik does become champ. I guarantee Duddy gets a fight with him, and that would be a hell of a fight. Two white guys who come to fight, that would the kickstart of all kickstarts for boxing. In the meantime, the Irish guy with the real talent, Andy Lee could accelerate his way through the ranks.

Maybe I'm delusional, but seeing Kelly Pavlik on ESPN really got me thinking back to when Arum pushed Hagler so hard. Or when he made De La Hoya the biggest star since Ray Leonard.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by amat

Of course he's not going to be champ. But he's got one hell of a fanbase. Ray Mancini had the same type of style, and he brought a ton of fans to the game. He was one of the biggest stories in all of sports when he was set to square off with Arguello. People can get behind people like Duddy, and if Pavlik does become champ. I guarantee Duddy gets a fight with him, and that would be a hell of a fight. Two white guys who come to fight, that would the kickstart of all kickstarts for boxing. In the meantime, the Irish guy with the real talent, Andy Lee could accelerate his way through the ranks.

Maybe I'm delusional, but seeing Kelly Pavlik on ESPN really got me thinking back to when Arum pushed Hagler so hard. Or when he made De La Hoya the biggest star since Ray Leonard.

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Nah on reflection I think you and Gamo were right. I was looking at it merely from a great champions perspective but you're right for entertainment value Pavlik, Miranda and Duddy rival all the guys in any division.

cc's to you both :)

Come on Duddy aint going to make the middleweight division better. He's Irish and he likes getting punched in the face. Bilbo

LOL ;D

Cc back Bil. I never really used to like 16 but recently have taken a liking to it and that article shows why. So many prospects,some exciting fighters and a lot to look forward to.

The welterweights seem to have the better matchups over the years. Middleweight is always guys moving up from welt. I would have loved to have seen Marvin Hagler move up and fight Spinks.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bilbo

Actually I think 160 is going to be one of the weaker divisions for the next couple years. The best fighters are moving to 168, just like Barrera, Morales et all moved up from featherweight and Cotto, Mayweather etc moved up from light welter.

Taylor will go to 168 soon. Pavlik once he's won a belt will probably follow.

I actually reckon in a year from now it will be the junior middles making inroads into 160, Ouma and Spinks again, maybe even Oscar or floyd

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I agree other than Pavlik Taylor Miranda who have we got ?? mostly prospects who haven't been tested.

I see some of these prospects really stepping up in the next few years. I especially like the look of Giovanni Lorenzo. Have not seen much of Hearns,is he any good?

Hearns is sloppy, 28 years old and not getting any younger with no amateur background. He has pop and speed, but he isn't going to be able to ride his skills to the brink of being a contender like all the rest of the guys. He's fun to watch, a spark plug, but he's basically just power, speed and punching.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BoxingGorilla

Come on Duddy aint going to make the middleweight division better. He's Irish and he likes getting punched in the face. Bilbo

LOL ;D

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Hey bilbo whats wrong with being Irish?