What Happened to American Heavyweight Boxing?
by Evans on Dec 2, 2008 9:17 PM EST
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PrintThis was the one boxing division always dominated by the United States of America (USA). There have been numerous America champions in the past such as Jack Johnson, Rocky Marciano, Larry Holmes, Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson. However, currently there are no American heavyweight champion boxers. All of the current heavyweight’s champions are from countries outside of the USA. What happened to American heavyweight boxing?
Throughout the history of boxing the USA has dominated heavyweight boxing. For example, the best heavyweights in history of the sport are mostly American such as Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis, Mike Tyson, Rocky Marciano and George Foreman. These boxers helped make boxing very popular in their era when they dominated the sport. Mike Tyson helped keep boxing popular in America by his utter dominance of the division in his prime. He represented how a powerful heavyweight American boxer can create excitement and give a reason for the casual sports fan to watch boxing.
On the other hand, America no longer dominates heavyweight boxing. There are multiple champions in the heavyweight division and none of them are American. Heavyweight division is currently being dominated by eastern European fighters and there are hardly any American fighters even in contention for a shot at the title. Wladimir Klitschko and Vitali Klitschko are heavyweight champions that are from the Ukraine. Likewise, heavyweight champion boxer Nikolai Valuev is from Russia. Similarly, most of the best upcoming heavyweight boxers are from outside America such as David Haye from England and Alexander Povetkin from Russia.
However, the heavyweight division does have a few American heavyweights in the division that may one day be champion. The best young American heavyweights currently are Chris Arreola, Eddie Chambers, and Kevin Johnson. Kevin Johnson is unbeaten with a record of 21-0-1. He has good boxing skills and a nice jab. But, he lacks power with only 8 KOs and that may be a problem as a fighter in the heavyweight division. Moreover, Eddie Chambers is a good prospect. He is 30-1 with his only loss coming against another young prospect Alexander Povetkin. He has fast hands, good boxing skills and decent power. Likewise, Chris Arreola whom many considered to be the best American heavyweight boxer today is a very good heavyweight prospect. He is 25-0 with 22 KOs. He has excellent power and good size at 6-4. He additionally is fun to watch and is an offensive minded fighter that knocks people out.
To conclude, heavyweight boxing is like the rest of professional sports in that there is just now better competition because the rest of the world is just as good as America. But, there will always be a few good America heavyweight fighters. However, the skill and ability of the fighter matters more than where the fighter comes from in this day and age of boxing. All things considered, the division will never again be utterly dominated just by American fighters like it was in the past. The reign of Americans ruling heavyweight boxing has officially ended.
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Cant rain all the time.
The American HW division is a poor state and probably worst in my lifetime. The elite have already been beaten up once or twice and the up and coming are nothing much to soil yourself over. Dont get me wrong , good fighters for sure, Arreola (exciting) & Chambers (skilful) could make a dent but Europeon figthers will dominate next few years at heavy. I want a American HW champ, most of boxings revenue is generated in Uncle sam, Big name and attraction.
Because i got time on my hands today and no work ;) I just compared Boxing monthly Magazine Dec 98 to Dec 08 HW rankings. 98) Holyfield, Grant, Donald, Byrd & Rahman- my god some of these are active.
08) Ruiz & Thompson. Bit of a drop in quality. You need a name.
Things come in cycles, you got crap heavys, we had them years. Someone always comes along. Eventually & Hopefully.
Mainstream is brought to you ..
Underground you got to go there...
Same ol' story
Athletic big men in the United States can make more money and for far less risk in other sports. In other words, the boxing talent pool has been drained to provide us with linebackers and centers.
I also wouldn't discount college scholarships for football and basketball
The fact that very good athletes can get college scholarships for playing football, basketball, and other sports, I would suspect, is a strong allure for kids, and more importantly for their families. The education can then be used as a sort of insurance policy in case the kid doesn’t make it to the pros.
Boxing, as a way to rescue kids from the street, is really only useful for those kids with no hope of going to college, like Mike Tyson as a more recent example.
Despite the quality, or lack thereof, of schools in poorer areas, kids now have far greater opportunities to get out of poverty through a college education, than the Fraziers, Alis, or Foremans had growing up in the 50’s and 60’s.
the scholarship thing is an overlooked point
that’s true, there is college boxing, but it’s limited to military schools and a couple schools in Michigan. That is an absolute killer. Wrestling thrives in the big 10(11) and the big 12 and has a cult following. The military schools are not real options for most young boxers, how many 18 year old boxers do you know that have a 3.5 gpa and a ‘relationship’ with their U.S. Senator?
If boxing was a true scholarship sport, even to the limited extent wrestling is, it would have a much more viable presence in the heavyweight division. Today, parents decide what sports their kids should play in part based on what sports offer scholarship opportunities.
I think college is a significant reason…
I think compared to other sports, a boxer doesn’t get paid enough for what they do.
It also doesn’t help that USA boxing has not really helped develop boxers in the amateurs.
USA Boxing is only going to get worse
Now that they have this absurd requirement that you move to Colorado Springs for a year, the Olympic program is only going to get worse. MANY of the top US Amateurs didn’t even bother fighting in the qualifying tournament because of the restrictions. For instance, the best US amateur heavyweight didn’t compete in any qualifying tourneys.
Vogt early, Vogt often.
Funny thing is
I’m in Colorado Springs and the only boxing is at the Olympic Training Center. All the other gyms have either closed down or have converted to MMA gyms. Now anyone that isn’t an amateur or isn’t eligible to train at the OTC have to go to Denver. I think after the showing of the boxing events at this past Olympics… how the hell can you compete in that when no one really understands how you score points? There are a few of us that train and spar in a buddy’s basement…. but thats about all we got since the MMA gyms don’t really focus on boxing at all and the trainers want nothing to do with boxing.
The key is just getting boxing back on the map again. Hopefully, these gifted athletes that may not have a “ground game” or “wrestling” experience will see that they can still strive and succeed in combat sports. There is just a stigma right now in this country that its MMA or nothing.
Whoever the next big thing is in boxing, hopefully it isn’t Brock Lesnar, I look forward to seeing them perform and I’ll support them.
by Gunslinger20 on Dec 15, 2008 9:48 PM EST up reply actions
There is just a stigma right now in this country that its MMA or nothing.
In some places, yeah, especially places that have no real boxing history. I know up here (southwest Michigan) there’s really no boxing gyms, but there are suddenly a few places to train MMA. Most of which used to be tae kwon do places.
"Yesterday I was lying, today I am telling the truth." -- Bob Arum
by Scott Christ on Dec 16, 2008 2:54 AM EST up reply actions
That happened here too
A lot of the Tae Kwon Do and Karate schools switched “formats” so to speak and these schools are bringing in anyone w/ a yellow belt or above in BJJ to teach. I can’t get away with saying this on a site like Bloody Elbow but now more so than ever… I’m seeing MMA as a fad and its gonna lose steam sooner than some will think.
I started out in a boxing gym… then that gym turned into a boxing/muay thai gym….then it became a boxing/muay thai/mma gym… then muay thai/mma….then mma…. then bankruptcy. My old coach got kicked out of his gym when they decided to let go of the boxing trainers. He was asked to be a "hands"trainer for the MMA fighters…. 74 year old man screaming “FUCK YOU” at the top of his lungs just brings a tear to my eye and a smile to my face.
by Gunslinger20 on Dec 16, 2008 3:47 PM EST up reply actions
Dont worry...
You got Hasim Rahman fighting the man this weekend.
Go Rahman Go ;)
Surely a early shower for the rock?
How do you all see this one going?
Mainstream is brought to you ..
Underground you got to go there...
if, God knows, Rahman clubs him with a good one
…hey, you never know.
"Yesterday I was lying, today I am telling the truth." -- Bob Arum
by Scott Christ on Dec 11, 2008 10:39 AM EST up reply actions
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