No Place for Cruisers in Heavyweight Boxing
This past Saturday night saw yet another nail brutally driven into the coffin of heavyweight boxing as Vitali Klitschko predictably dominated challenger Tomasz Adamek in their WBC Championship bout. The fight screamed mismatch from the get go, with pundits making frequent references to David and Goliath. Adamek, the former light heavyweight, did not look the 6’2” he was billed as and certainly looked to be giving up in excess of forty pounds in weight. Try as he might (and he did try, valiantly) he was utterly outmatched in this unedifying contest. One has to admire the Klitschko brothers, both of whom have learned to use their impressive physical attributes perfectly, maximizing their strengths and minimizing their weaknesses. Nevertheless, this fight like the much-hyped bout between Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye earlier this year was, at best, tiresome to watch.
The plain fact of the matter is that the modern heavyweights have become so big that frankly stupid fights are being made. Back in the seventies, even George Foreman was usually no more than 20-25 pounds heavier than his opponents. These days, with the heavyweight division including any boxer of 200 pounds or more, ludicrous mismatches seem to be more and more frequent. Something needs to be done and the only sensible solution that I can see is a wholesale redefinition of weight limits. The weight limits, as they are currently set by most boxing organisations, are woefully out of date. The light heavyweight limit of 175 pounds just does not reflect reality anymore. That is 15 pounds lower than the average man’s body weight today, according to the most recent data that I was able to find online! Even allowing for couch potatoes distorting the average, it is clear that something is out of whack.
I would personally advocate the minimum weight for heavyweights being reset to 230 pounds. I would put cruiserweights at 210, light heavyweights at 200, super middleweights at 190 and just keep going down by 10 pounds for each weight class below this until welterweight, which would now be 160. After this, I would keep going down in 5-pound units, to reflect the greater difference a pound makes at lower weights. Others might offer different scales. The problem, of course, is that this would require all of the alphabets to acknowledge and agree to the new limits, and would mean that most of the championships would have to be declared vacant and fought out once more. Then again, think what a money-spinner that could be!
This redefinition of boxing, long overdue in certain weight classes (the light heavyweight limit has remained the same for almost one hundred years), would give the sport a chance to re-launch itself. With the right hype and marketing push it would be a real chance to win back some of the viewers that the sport has lost. Sadly, I can’t see it happening as the governing bodies in boxing are generally incapable of acting in concert and rarely show anything resembling vision. Nevertheless, something has to change because, as it stands we know that a good big ‘un will always beat a good little ‘un. For some reason, however, we seem to be determined to keep testing that theory.
Looking Back at Haye versus Klitschko
The biggest fight in this year’s boxing calendar turned out to be something of a damp squib, really. While one cannot help but admire the skills and tactical nous of Wladimir Klitschko, his victory over David Haye was never really exciting and left this observer, at least, distinctly cold. Jim Watt’s post fight assertion that all of the viewers had been thoroughly entertained was optimistic, to say the least. What really worries me, however, is where heavyweight boxing goes from here. I, like basically every other boxing writer alive to day, have frequently had cause to lament the decline of boxing’s showpiece division. This fight was supposedly the one fight that could save it and during the build-up, it did indeed seem that way. The buzz for this bout was the greatest for a heavyweight title clash that I can remember in a long, long time. Even people that never watch boxing were talking about it. Now that it is over, however, I cannot help but feel that we are worse off than ever.
Had Haye actually won, the outlook would have been quite promising. Almost certainly, we would have already been enjoying the build-up to another super-fight, pitting Haye against Wladimir’s big brother, Vitali. The certain knowledge that the Klitschkos will never fight each other means that there is no such fight to look forward to now. Not that I am complaining about the result. Wladimir won by virtue of being the better man on the night, better in every department come to that. I honestly think that Haye could not be given a single round. His vaunted speed availed him nothing, as Wladimir proved that, for a big guy, he can throw a shot pretty quickly himself. Every time Haye did manage to tag the big man, Klitschko neatly got himself out of trouble. Haye was never able to follow up. Moreover, Haye’s constant complaining to the referee was tiresome in the extreme and smacked of a man that lacked any real certainty.
No, all credit to Wladimir, who finally laid to rest all the doubts caused by a couple of defeats that, in all fairness, took place years ago. Nevertheless, I could wish that Haye had won. Where do we go from here? Wladimir is already talking about possibly facing the winner of the Dereck Chisora-Tyson Fury bout for the British Heavyweight title. We can answer that by simply asking this question? Could either of those men beat David Haye? No, is the obvious answer. Why then, should either man be put in the ring with a guy that utterly dominated him? Chisora and Fury are part of a group of young British heavyweights that may one day be world level fighters – David Price is the best prospect of all, in my book – but right now they are at domestic or European level. In truth, by the time they are ready, the Klitschkos will probably both have retired.
So, who does that leave? Odlanier Solis may not recover from the injury that he suffered in his fight with Vitali and, even if he does, his credibility was shot to pieces by that incident. The likes of John Ruiz, Ruslan Chagaev and Samuel Peter are finished, either actually retired or thinking about it. Nikolai Valuev has not fought since Haye beat him almost two years ago. Even if his health problems clear up, he may well be more interested in making movies than boxing and even if he hid come back to boxing, he’s simply not that good. A look at the rankings for the big four organizations shows that there really isn’t much quality around. Chris Arreola or Alexander Povetkin might be worth a shot but neither really set the pulse racing. The only really credible contender left out there is Tomasz Adamek, currently recognized as top contender by the WBC and WBO, and scheduled to face Vitali Klitschko in September.
The sad truth is, however, that I can’t see Adamek winning this one. Age looks to be catching up with the Pole, who is a former cruiserweight, like David Haye. He has been gearing up for the Klitschko fight by taking on big guys but looked ordinary in beating giant Irishman Kevin McBride last time out. What is worrying about that is that the only thing McBride has in common with Vitali is size – he is not to be compared with him as a boxer. I expect that Vitali will comfortably beat Adamek and then that will be it. Heavyweight boxing will be without anything even resembling a “money” fight. Indeed, as ludicrous as it may seem, I do worry that Evander Holyfield may end up in a title fight again. His name value, and the “car-crash TV” appeal of such a fight might just see it happen in the absence of any credible challengers. I hope not, because I fear for Holyfield against a Klitschko.
Oddly enough, Wladimir said that his victory over Haye was a victory for boxing but the only hope that I can see for heavyweight boxing now is that the Klitschkos retire. Once they are gone, the belts will be vacant and quickly filled by different fighters. We may then have some unification matches to look forward to again. Until then, the only other possibility is that Vitali retires after beating Adamek and we get to see Wladimir go after the WBC belt, to try and hold all of the big four at once. That might be entertaining. Of course, if Adamek beats Vitali then all of this will change, so here’s hoping!
As for Haye, if I were him I would stick to the decision that he already made and retire. The rematch that he is already talking about seems pointless to me; broken toe or not, I can see no reason why Haye should do any better the second time around. Going into this fight we all had questions. Could Haye cope with the size difference? Could Wladimir take Haye’s power? Could Haye take Klitschko’s? Could Wladimir cope with Haye’s speed? All of the questions were definitively answered on Saturday. However, Haye will be tempted to fight on, not just for money and wounded pride but because he probably, quite rightly, fears that he will not get the respect he deserves if he retires now.
Any assessment of David Haye’s career must start with his cruiserweight accomplishments. As a cruiser, Haye was beaten only once, relatively early in his career, by a respected former champion in Carl Thompson. He then went on to rule the division, unifying the WBA, WBC and WBO titles. Only then did he step up to heavyweight, at which point he won, and successfully defended twice, the WBA title. His second defeat came on Saturday. It’s a fine career, one to be proud of. The problem is that it is Saturday’s defeat that people will remember more than anything else about David Haye. That is why I think that he may go on. If he does, he may surprise me. He is still young and maybe he would be able to beat Klitschko in a rematch. I doubt it, though. I think he should stay smart, retire young, enjoy his money and be satisfied with a legacy that, really, is respectable enough as it is.
Why One Fight Didn’t Happen and Another One Shouldn’t
The first thing I want to look at this week is the cancellation, once again, of the proposed fight between David Haye and Wladimir Klitschko, along with the restoration of the fight between Klitschko and Dereck Chisora. The unification match between Haye and Klitschko had never looked more likely to happen. Travel companies were already advertising package deals for the fight in the boxing press. Then, at the very last moment, Klitschko announced that he would fight Chisora after all. For most fight fans, it is all extremely frustrating. Worse still, Haye could not simply switch his sights to Vitali Klitschko, since the older brother had already signed to fight Cuban heavyweight Odlanier Solis in March.
The big question now is this: whose fault is it? Most people seem to be blaming Haye, largely as a result of earlier failures to bring this fight off. I, however, think that it is Wladimir that is the problem here. His story simply does not add up. He claims that the fight foundered on Sky’s insistence that they would not show the fight within a fortnight of their broadcast of Amir Khan’s next bout. Sky, for their part, retaliated that, firstly, they had no say in the negotiations for this fight and that, secondly, they have shown boxing pay per view events within three weeks of each other just last year and would have been entirely willing to show the fight two weeks after Khan’s. They would be right to do so; any British boxing fan with the disposable income would pay for both fights.
Even if we accept that, however, Klitschko’s story still rings dubious. He claims that Haye is ducking him, since he offered Sky (and Haye) the alternative of a July fight but that the British fighter would not take it. Given that Wladimir has already agreed a fight with Tomasz Adamek in September, this would see him fight three times in the space of less than six months. If he were Chris Eubank, this might be believable but the fact is that Wladimir has not had three fights in that kind of time frame since he became a world champion over a decade ago. In fact, it is only in three of the last ten years that he has had three fights in a calendar year at all, each time spread out over a period of nine or ten months. Are we seriously to believe that he would do so at this stage of the game?
Haye looks like he will make a mandatory defence against former champion Ruslan Chagaev, an uninspiring bout if truth were told. In fairness, though, Haye can honestly say that he is fighting Chagaev because there is no other fight out there for him. Wladimir is taking on Chisora when there are other options. It seems that Klitschko junior sees Chisora as a safe option, a comfortable warm-up for the real business of facing Adamek. He may be right. Perhaps Chisora will just be too inexperienced and will be overpowered by the WBO, IBF and IBO Champion. Klitschko is good; no one would deny that. I believe that he is good enough to beat Haye. At the same time, Haye is good enough to beat Klitschko and certain variables favour the Englishman. Haye has far superior speed to Wladimir and has genuine knockout power. In his last few fights no one has gotten near Klitschko but the facts are that Haye stops people and Klitschko has been stopped five times. I can see why Klitschko would not want this fight and Haye’s insistence that he retires this year, no matter what may have convinced Klitschko that he can simply wait him out.
This may all work out well for Haye, however. If he beats Chagaev, as he should, then assuming Vitali Klitschko comes through his fight with Solis Haye can pursue a fight with him, possibly the last fight in the careers of both men. In the meantime, it is my hope that Chisora surprises Wladimir and beats him. Chisora has said that he wants to beat Wladimir and then face Vitali but if he should emerge victorious a fight with Haye would be a British box-office sensation, very hard to turn down. It is (just) possible that the Klitschkos will find themselves frozen out as the really big money goes elsewhere. Wouldn’t that be funny?
On to other news and at the anachronistic BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards Carl Froch was once again talking up the possibility of tempting Joe Calzaghe out of retirement to face him. I don’t think for a minute that this fight is actually going to happen but even so, here is my analysis of why it should not go ahead. Put simply, the negative consequences of defeat outweigh the positives of victory for both men, at least in my view. Obviously, the fight would be huge in Britain if it did happen. Both men would stand to make a lot of money and TV broadcasters would be lining up to screen it. However, Froch is still in the Super Six tournament, which means that his next fight, against Glen Johnson is already sealed. If he should win that, and I think he will do so quite comfortably, as Johnson is now well past his prime, that means he will be set for another fight in the final. That probably ties up Froch for most of 2011, which makes Calzaghe another year into his retirement when the fight supposedly happens.
The main lure for Froch is recognition. The two-time WBC Super-Middleweight Champion is Britain’s best kept boxing secret today. He has beaten the likes of Jean Pascal, current Light-Heavyweight king, another former world champion in German Arthur Abraham and former undisputed Middleweight Champion Jermain Taylor, with his only loss coming in a close twelve rounder against Mikkel Kessler. By rights, he should be as celebrated as David Haye and Amir Khan. A lack of TV coverage has hurt him badly, however, and he is probably better known abroad than he is at home. A fight with Calzaghe would finally thrust him into the national consciousness and it is that that Froch understandably craves. For Calzaghe, the only real draw appears to be financial, although like many fighters before him, he has confessed to finding it difficult to adjust to life without boxing. There may also be some satisfaction to be had from finally shutting the mouth of a man that has called him out for the last five or six years.
So, let’s say the fight goes ahead. One would have to favour Froch, being younger and currently in the game, regularly fighting top class opposition. Froch is a stronger puncher but less gifted technically than Calzaghe. The Welshman would certainly have the edge in hand speed but would the years of retirement have slowed that legendary speed a touch? Calzaghe looks to be keeping himself in great shape but would probably want the fight at Light-Heavyweight or, as Froch has suggested, at a catchweight. This would mean that Froch would either have to step up to a new weight class or give away a reasonably substantial amount of weight. While Froch would be favourite, this would be no easy fight. Calzaghe’s chin is strong and he has never been beaten. There is a reason for that.
If Froch were to beat Calzaghe, the win would look very nice on his CV but there would be many that would say he had only beaten a man that had retired. Paradoxically, the easier Froch’s victory would be, the less credit he would gain for it. Moreover, if the victory were hard-fought, knowing the British love of a scrappy loser, most of the adulation would probably still go to Calzaghe. Worse yet, if Froch were to lose, he would have lost to a man that retired. The obvious conclusion that many would draw would be that, without Calzaghe, the Super-Middleweight division had become meaningless. Froch’s stock in this country would probably never recover from such a loss. Calzaghe, on the other hand, would be lionised in victory. The undefeated Super-Champion would have stepped out of retirement to beat the WBC Champ! The danger is that such a victory would tempt him to carry on still further. Jean Pascal is another man that has expressed a desire to fight Joe. If Calzaghe could beat Froch, why could he not beat Pascal? With each fight, Joe would further risk his pristine record and his health. Time catches up with everyone. Sooner or later, he would fall. If, on the other hand, Calzaghe simply lost to Froch, he would have come out of retirement only to lose that unbeaten record that he is so rightly proud of. Once the 0 comes off one’s record, it can never be restored. That alone is enough reason to stay retired.
Carl Froch is lucky that he never faced Joe Calzaghe. He may see it as something missing from his career but in my opinion Calzaghe in his prime would have slaughtered Froch. The Nottingham man’s warrior spirit would surely have carried him to the end of the fight but Joe would have been hitting him for fun for the whole twelve rounds. Froch may believe otherwise – indeed, as a champion boxer he should – but in any case, beating Calzaghe now would not give him the glory it would have brought in 2007. It would be worthwhile only for the money and the publicity. Froch needs to remember that Calzaghe himself toiled away in obscurity for years, deserving more credit and recognition than he ever got. It was only for the last three years of his career that Calzaghe was celebrated the way that he deserved to be. If Froch keeps beating his peers, his contemporaries, then that recognition will surely come in the end. Winning the Super Six and then pursuing a unification fight with Lucien Bute or his successor should be Froch’s only goals right now, not trying to provoke a response from a man whose time is past.
Marshall Law 