The heavyweights now and in the future

Part 1: Heavyweights

Boxing, like life, has winners and losers, younger and older fighters, better and worse fighters. In this series I’ll use a metaphor to show where I believe the top three boxers in any division are at in terms of longevity. Oh, and I’ll pick the top three boxers. Apologies if I hurt feelings if I omit their favorite from the Top 3.

The metaphor is feet out the door. One foot out, two feet, both feet or no feet. Please remember it’s not always about physical decline. Some boxers are going out the door because they aren’t really that into boxing. The words “Tank Davis” immediately spring to mind, for example. But Gervonta will have to wait, part one is about the big dudes, the heavyweights.

There hasn’t been a best fighting the best doctrine in a long, long time. Decades. Even when boxing was ‘prime,’ one of the greatest, George Foreman, never fought Earnie Shavers – though he certainly would have won if he did. But what a firefight! Point is, some fights don’t get made for reasons we will probably never fully know. 

Today’s fighters just aren’t the same as even 20 years ago. Today, like one of the Charlo brothers said – huge points for honesty – it’s not about the best fighting the best. It’s about what makes the most money. Frankly, even in the 70’s, often called boxing’s greatest decade, fighters fought nowhere near as often as fighters in the 40’s. Early in his career, Ray Robinson averaged 3-5 fights a month. That will never happen again. In fact, I feel within ten years boxers will average one fight or less a year. I feel within 15 years, or less, there is a great possibility that boxing may be phased out by the various “safety brigades.”

Heavyweight: With Oleksandr Usyk’s huge victory over Fury there is a unified, four-best heavyweight champion. Amazing. Usyk is, to quote a wise dude, a bad man. In the boxing context, of course. Oh–the heavyweight division doesn’t have any awesome young talent coming up. Prove me wrong. 

Usyk: At 37, don’t expect the amazing Oleksandr to hang around very long. He can only go down and even in his fantastic win against Fury, both men were a bit past their absolute physical peak, particularly the (younger) Fury. That Usyk is still so great at 37 is miraculous. Undefeated, unified champ, pride of his country, and a great person by any definition, I’d love to see him hang em’ up now. Rating: One foot out the door.

Fury: Tyson says and I believe, he was diagnosed with brain damage and brain swelling after his third fight with Wilder which he should never have undertaken anyway, before surgery on both elbows. He now says he doesn’t have brain damage. I don’t know how you “shake off” brain damage. The Fury that halted Wilder in early 2020 would easily defeat any other heavy in the world, Usyk included. But years of on/off partying, terrible decision-making, meddling, huge family, and manipulation by politics put him in a bad space. He’s lost his incredible, fast-twitch quickness. His trainer and cut men, and brutally, his promoter, Frank Warren have said so. After dual elbow surgery, he can’t hit as hard as even two years ago when he put out Wilder’s lights. He says he’s terrified to leave the sport and has no qualifications besides boxing. Disaster looms. Both feet should be out the door. Long before he got hurt, Tyson said he feared the effects of boxing. Unfortunately, I believe he’ll fight on. One foot out the door.

Anthony Joshua: I was impressed with Joshua as I haven’t been in the past, when, after knocking Ngannou senseless, he said it wasn’t some huge moment. He’d done what he was supposed to do. He made it clear that he’s finishing up his career. Eddie Hearn says the KO artist of the past is gone, which I believe, Ngannou aside. He fought at a high-level versus Usyk, but clearly lost both times. Forget the ‘split’ decision. One foot out the door and Ant doesn’t deny it.

Coming in part 2, Cruiserweight and sigh – Bridgerweight.