Lyle sets the heavyweight division straight

[HattonTheHammer]

I just read the WORST article on this heavyweight division that I have ever seen. And I want to clear the air about how we go about fixing the heavyweight division.

MMA/Boxing - Where did the great heavyweights go? - FOX Sports on MSN?

Sure Valuev-Chagaev II isn't a huge fight when it's for the WBA title and it should be. But the reasons that fight is not as big as everyone wishes is because the WBA has turned itself into the junior Heavyweight division guys like Evander Holyfield and John Ruiz can never get enough shots at the WBA title whereas young guys like Cris Arreola, Alexander Dimitrenko, et al can't move up the WBA rankings, and sure I understand about the fees and all these boxers sometimes choose not to pay, but the WBA rankings are just God awful, it's unforgiveable to have Kali Meehan as your #1 ranked challenger, and even to have Alexander Ustinov in the top 15!

This punk over at FoxSports thinks that just by abolishing the alphabet titles and having Wlad and Vitali fight each other it's going to be some kind of panacea for the division and that is dellusional bullshit!

#1 Abolishing the alphabet title system doesn't mean much UNLESS we have an organized Boxing League for everyone to fall back on.

#2 ENOUGH with this brother vs brother bullshit, I am sick to death of it. Everyone thinks it's the ONLY fight out there in the division. Do you guys remember Hasim Rahman-Monte Barrett Do you remember that they kind of grew up together or at least knew each other and were friends for a long time?? And was that fight exciting HELL NO!!! Why? Because they didn't want to hurt each other. And that's exactly what you could expect from a Wlad-Vitali match up...it would be like an old school boxing match where they agree to go the distance beforehand.

Here are my keys to getting the heavyweights back to being the BIG division it should be.

#1 Develop American fighters, our Olympians are only decent, they don't have any power! That idiot over at foxsports was correct in saying nobody wants Chris Byrd (or Eddie Chambers for that matter) to run the division. If guys like Travis Walker were able to get better trainers/promoters and just be more well rounded fighters or if guys like Cris Arreola showed up IN SHAPE (FFS) the division would be loads better just from that. American fans want someone to root for...Cris Arreola and his bitch tits don't give the average American much hope for him reaching the top of the division. All past American Champs were a) In shape and b) big punchers: Tyson, Holyfield, Bowe.

#2 If you're in the top of the division you HAVE to fight the other fighters in the TOP of the division....no more of this Nicolay Valuev-John Ruiz matchups for no reason whatsoever. Valuev, Chagaev, Ruiz, and all their other WBA buddies need to step in with the rest of the division and stop ducking fights vs the cream of the crop....who knows maybe they would give us some interesting matchups.

#3 The younger heavyweights need to mix it up with the bigger names of the division or with other young heavyweights. Arreola-Witherspoon was a good match up, the fight didn't live up to the hype but it was a step in the right direction. If Alexander Povetkin or Alexander Dimitrenko stepped it up vs a younger fighter it would be nice...I think either of those matched vs Arreola it would be a solid fight and people would be interesting and I find myself wondering why doesn't that happen?

#4 Fans need to chill out a bit, because if there is a heavyweight fight and it's not for a title it doesn't mean the fight is pointless. The average fan seems to understand that for every other weight class but when the average fans see a heavyweight matchup with two guys who may never even see a title much less fight for one, they don't react well to it. Not ALL heavyweights are big fat slobs who throw one punch at a time. There are good solid fights out there at heavyweight and they are awesome to watch. Brian Minto and Vinny Maddalone aren't the most skilled fighters, but they are for the most part in shape and they are exciting fighters, they are big Arturo Gatti's they can kind of box but they would rather brawl and that's good for the sport.

#5 Boxing doesn't lose fighters to other sports or crime, boxing loses fighters because boxing is hard to do as a kid, it's hard to get parents to support it, it's hard to get the foot in the door when everyone is playing soccer, basketball, baseball, and football. Amateur boxing has really let us down, they have fallen down on the job, they haven't been getting kids out to box and they haven't marketed their sport very well. In many circles boxing is for the poor or the dumb, sorry but that is the case in many families. I think boxing would be better off if it helped educate it's amateur participants to make sure they don't put all their eggs in the boxing basket, not everyone is going to be successful as a boxer, they need something to fall back on.

Your thoughts?

This for me lies the key.

Lets face it however good eastern european heavyweights become the likes of north, south america, asia, britain etc is never going to warm to their more technical approach of boxing than we have done with the last 50-60 years of great EXCITING american champions.

Heavyweight contests up until the likes of lewis`s, tysons, holyfields fade into oblivion were always the be all and end all of this sport because they more often than not contained the biggest fighters throwing the biggest punches and delivering good quality scraps.

Nowadays the young dare i say it without starting up a race issue african-american 6foot plus guys are all defecting to the NFL because thats where the money is right now for these guys.

They are being replaced by lathargic technicians from eastern europe and all of a sudden the division has just lost its razmataz.

The sport of boxing needs the heavyweight division more than you could possibly imagine and its up to america to bring back the glory days to the division as it isnt gonna come from anywhere else!!

[Nameless]

I've read something a couple of months ago. Unfortunately, I do not find the source anymore but it was a discussion with Bob Arum (which I hate viscerally) but he said something that makes sense to me:

He says that the reason why HW division is faltering in the Us is mostly because now, the structures to professional sports are much more open than what they used to be before with very good supports for the athletes and such (which is true) and that it was draining a LOT of the top prospects who prefer to give a hit at the NFL or the NBA instead with a program of scholarship and special insurances instead of giving a try at boxing which is not as supported and much more risked. I think that it is effectively a source of the problem because then the pro leagues has to turn even more to what's going on in the olympian ranks. Such sportive structures aren't there in Eastern Countries, Hockey is well developped but that is almost it so their "big guys" potential is not drained by many high elite structures.

[Rantcatrat]

I've read something a couple of months ago. Unfortunately, I do not find the source anymore but it was a discussion with Bob Arum (which I hate viscerally) but he said something that makes sense to me:

He says that the reason why HW division is faltering in the Us is mostly because now, the structures to professional sports are much more open than what they used to be before with very good supports for the athletes and such (which is true) and that it was draining a LOT of the top prospects who prefer to give a hit at the NFL or the NBA instead with a program of scholarship and special insurances instead of giving a try at boxing which is not as supported and much more risked. I think that it is effectively a source of the problem because then the pro leagues has to turn even more to what's going on in the olympian ranks. Such sportive structures aren't there in Eastern Countries, Hockey is well developped but that is almost it so their "big guys" potential is not drained by many high elite structures.

Isn't basketball increasingly becoming like Hockey in that regard?

[Nameless]

I've read something a couple of months ago. Unfortunately, I do not find the source anymore but it was a discussion with Bob Arum (which I hate viscerally) but he said something that makes sense to me:

He says that the reason why HW division is faltering in the Us is mostly because now, the structures to professional sports are much more open than what they used to be before with very good supports for the athletes and such (which is true) and that it was draining a LOT of the top prospects who prefer to give a hit at the NFL or the NBA instead with a program of scholarship and special insurances instead of giving a try at boxing which is not as supported and much more risked. I think that it is effectively a source of the problem because then the pro leagues has to turn even more to what's going on in the olympian ranks. Such sportive structures aren't there in Eastern Countries, Hockey is well developed but that is almost it so their "big guys" potential is not drained by many high elite structures.

Isn't basketball increasingly becoming like Hockey in that regard?

Basketball, just like football drag the big dudes that could make the HW, Hockey not that much because size importance doesn't matter as much. I am not saying it doesn't matter at all but not as much, at least, for the moment, especially because overall, junior programs in the US are mostly focused on football and basketball. Sure, there is some stuff for hockey but it is meaningless compared to the programs established in american football or basketball. Perhaps it'll be the same for hockey someday but that day is not tomorrow neither after tomorrow, if you ask me.