Professional Boxing: The State of the Heavyweight Division

With ten or twenty years of significant heavyweight boxing almost lost due to the inconsistency of the sports four existing champions, heavyweight fighting ‘ain’t what it used to be.’ Boxing fans cry out in desperation as the sport thirsts for a star to emerge on the scene. World Boxing Council (WBC) champion Hasim Rahman (41-5-2), has yet to land an explosive performance to catapult his name to the moon. International Boxing Federation (IBF) champion Chris Byrd (39-2-1), still remains the slickest of the four, but lacks the punch, intensity and charisma to charm his viewers. Newly crowned World Boxing Association (WBA) champion Nikolay Valuev of Germany (43-0-0), although holds the most impressive record of the group is still an unknown variable. Even with 43 consecutive victories 31 by KO, the location of his fights across seas have blunted his recognition in the US. Last but not least, newly crowned World Boxing Organization (WBO) champion Sergei Lyakovich (23-1-0) looked the most impressive after giving preceding champion Lamon Brewster now (33-3-0) more than the imaginable inside of 12 action packed rounds. Unfortunately for Lyakovich, the lack of competition in the division and the corrupted politics of the sport will leave him without many lucrative deals to consider.