Ring Magazine on the Road to Sanity

[marbleheadmaui]

Wait a minute. Explain that to me a little more.

At the end of the year in baseball, basketball, and football, the two best teams play eachother to be champion (e.g. the Steelers may have been the AFC champs, but there is no debate that the champs last year were the Packers). There is only one champion every year. No one cares who the division champ was unless to say that the Steelers were in second place of the league at the end of the year. In those sports, the best play the best for the ring at the end of the year. The point of the divisional and league champion is only to aid in determining who will be in the final contest, and, thus, the complete champion at the end of the season.

Comparing them to boxing is difficult. There is no system to determine who the champion is for each weight class. The WBA and WBO super middleweights aren't competing for the ultimate boxing championship (the S6 was an attempt at doing something like that by the way). After the Andre Ward v. Carl Froch fight, who is the champion of the super middleweights? The winner or Lucian Bute? What if Lucian Bute fights Kessler and Pavlik? Ward loses to Glen Johnson. What then? For example, who is the champion at 140 right now? Amir Khan or Tim Bradley (err Eric Morales since the WBA stripped Tim Bradley). Who was the champion at heavyweight before Haye fought Klitschko? Vitali, Wladimir, or Haye? Moreover, the WBA (or WBC, I can't recall which) frequently strips fighters of their belts if they unify.

Boxing in the Olympics is much more comparable to american baseball, football or basketball. Geographic champions compete to the best at the end of every four years. There is a first, second, and third place.

Ok, you're missing the point. You don't have to get all anal over the details on the differences in the sports champions. The point is there are a number of Champions in all the sports not just in the Final End all Superbowl or World Cup etc. It's called demographics or whatever. Marketing the bigger than life World Champion image sells easier than the grudge match between town/state/country rivals.

Simply not true. NOBODY beleives division champs and Super Bowl winners are remotely comparable.

[Jimanuel Boogustus]

I agree that having 4 belts often stops (or is a reason why) the best fighters fight each other less frequently these days... And therefore I also understand the importance of the role that lineage plays... But 'Lineage' isn't a wholy owned subsidery of Ring Magazine ay?

[marbleheadmaui]

I agree that having 4 belts often stops (or is a reason why) the best fighters fight each other less frequently these days... And therefore I also understand the importance of the role that lineage plays... But 'Lineage' isn't a wholy owned subsidery of Ring Magazine ay?

Absolutely agree. Ring is merely the best of today's options if we are seeking a third party view untainted by our own biases.

[Jimanuel Boogustus]

Damit Jaz you just beat me to it.

Now everyone is going to think I am your less articulated Alt!