Boxing

[Doc_Piptorious]

heard a thing on talkshyte the other day and they said 19 of the boxers ali fought have now died.

Not really a surprising statistic given his first pro fight was 54 years ago and his final pro fight was 33 years ago.


I would wager that a large number of the 19 would be boxers that Ali faced in the first seven years of his pro career (basically up to when he was suspended from boxing in 1967).

[Tee]

Watched 'I am Ali' yesterday. Made me cry, love this guy so much and it will be a very dark day when he leaves. Wish him the best and pray for his good health.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Watched 'I am Ali' yesterday. Made me cry, love this guy so much and it will be a very dark day when he leaves. Wish him the best and pray for his good health.

His memory will burn bright long after the man himself has entered Valhalla.

He will pass on when his time comes, and he will leave behind a legacy that will continue to fascinate and inspire people for decades to come. The good, nasty, and brilliant aspects of the man are going to get passed from generation to generation.


He will die having been loved by those he loved, and having had the adoration of millions. Rather than it being a dark day when his time comes, it should be a time to reflect on his achievements in and out of the ring, and also to crack a smile at the memory of a man who was an original in so many ways.

[Zapater]

Kovalev's next bout will be against Jean Pascal. I think that Pascal is a bit underrated but he hasn't been the same in recent years. I'm sure Kovalev will take him apart, but it'll be a good level of challenge, especially if Pascal can produce his best form. There's some decent fights at there at the weight, but Kovalev seems a cut above. Him and Stevenson would be interesting mind.

[Chris]

Rigo was put on his arse twice apparently today though come back to win in a good fight by all accounts.

[Vermilion]

Nice one for Eubank Jr. A title fight to aim for after his loss.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Nice one for Eubank Jr. A title fight to aim for after his loss.

Hate those interim titles.

[spud_gun]

Nice one for Eubank Jr. A title fight to aim for after his loss.

Tough fight for the lad.

[Vermilion]

Hate those interim titles.

Know what you mean, but hopefully it'll be a stepping stone to better things, all part of his experience, if it's on offer.

Tough fight for the lad.

Yeah? Don't really know much about his opponent tbh, after losing to that Billy Boy fella i thought they'd get him a next fight that was easier, get another win before pushing on again.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Know what you mean, but hopefully it'll be a stepping stone to better things, all part of his experience, if it's on offer.

I'm not knocking him if he takes the fight. But Is a joke to have an Interim WBA middleweight champion of the world at the same time as there is also a WBA middleweight champion of the world.


Having and interim champion at the same time as a proper champion just helps to further dilute the divisions.

Is just a bugbear of mine that has continued to fester over the decades as new belts and new sub belts were introduced

[Vermilion]

I'm not knocking him if he takes the fight. But Is a joke to have an Interim WBA middleweight champion of the world at the same time as there is also a WBA middleweight champion of the world.


Having and interim champion at the same time as a proper champion just helps to further dilute the divisions.

Is just a bugbear of mine that has continued to fester over the decades as new belts and new sub belts were introduced

Totally agree, nearly all sport has gone that way in modern times, whether it be with football and 4 teams making CL, or an inordinate amount of titles and belts in boxing, all boils down to money in the end as far the reasons go.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Totally agree, nearly all sport has gone that way in modern times, whether it be with football and 4 teams making CL, or an inordinate amount of titles and belts in boxing, all boils down to money in the end as far the reasons go.

Yep it is all down to money


It's far from a new thing as the boxing titles got split a long time ago, but in more recent years the use of interim title holders at the same time as there is an actual title holder just grinds my gears.

Nowt will be done about it of course as there is far too much money to be made by having more "champions", and I have little doubt that they will find other ways to create even more "champions" in the years to come.


And people will continue to wonder why boxing has gone from being a sport where nearly everyone in the world knew the names of the main champs to being a sport whose champions often prompt the response of "who?" even from people who follow boxing.


The dilution of world titles is one of the big reasons behind the decline of the sport as a mainstream attraction imho.


Sure the likes of Mayweather will attract crowds and the general public will get fooled from time to time into thinking that bouts like Froch-Groves are actually big deals, but it is sad how far the sport has slipped from the public consciousness in the past 20 to 30 years in particular. Like many things these days it has become very much a disposable attraction.

[Darth Marty]

1 belt per division is how it should be.

$$$ talks though eh.

[Tee]

1 belt per division is how it should be.

$$$ talks though eh.

Will never happen though.

[spud_gun]

The alphabets can have as many titles as they want. What people should take more heed of is lineal champions and also learn to differentiate between belt holders and World Champions.

For example the Wilder vs Stiverne fight next week for the WBC title. Whoever wins will be the WBC belt holder but they're not the Heavyweight Champion.