Reason #1 - Less is More
Can anyone even name all of the titles and weight classes that exist in professional boxing off of the top of their head? I will bet anyone on the street $1,000 that they couldn't, on the spot, cash money. If you look it up, there are 18 different weight classes ranging from as little as 85 lbs (called Paperweight class....no joke) to Heavyweights. 18 different weight classes! And there are 4 widely regarded sanctioning bodies in boxing: WBA, WBO, WBC, IBF.
Now you do the math. That equates to 72 champions between the four major groups. 72 different champions! Granted, some boxers have fought for and won multiple organizational championships to try and unify the belt, but that is more of a rarity these days than it used to be in the past. I would up the ante to $10,000 if anyone can name me the IBF junior featherweight champion without having to use your iPhone or Internet search engine. Oh, one other thing to note. Of the 18 different weight classes between the four sanctioning bodies, the names of the weight classes are not even consistent. Case in point, the WBA, WBC, and IBF all use the title Cruiserweight to classify fighters in the division of 176 lbs - 200 lbs, while the WBO calls this weight class Junior Heavyweight. There are 9 other contradictions between the 18 weight classes in all. Confused yet? Yeah, me too.
On the other hand, MMA is much more simplistic in its approach. There are 7 major weight classes with unified weight limits across the sport. Now MMA is similar to boxing in the sense that there are multiple organizations that promote fights and have their own championships: UFC, Strikeforce and Bellator to name the most prominent ones. But all the weight classes are the same between each organization are the same. A middleweight in the UFC has the same weight limit as one in Bellator. And let's keep it real, now that Zuffa has purchased Strikeforce, it will not be long before that promotion and all of its fighters get rolled up under the UFC's banner. At that point, no one is going to argue who the true champions of the sport are. Bellator is already seen as a minor league promotion. Soon enough, their best fighters will migrate over to the UFC to test themselves and to get the recognition they feel they deserve. I give it 18 months at most until Zuffa will gobble Bellator up as well.
When that happens, and believe me it will, then there will be no debate about who the best cage fighter in the world is. As for boxing, their outdated and convoluted system is their own worst enemy. But unfortunately, the Boxing elite is too intent on holding on to its traditions rather than evolving with the times. Less weight classes would equal less confusion, and would in turn create more interest and better fights. It's how MMA has been able to market itself and its champions so well while keeping a large stable of fighters relevant and it's one of the reasons that boxing is dying.
Can anyone even name all of the titles and weight classes that exist in professional boxing off of the top of their head? I will bet anyone on the street $1,000 that they couldn't, on the spot, cash money. If you look it up, there are 18 different weight classes ranging from as little as 85 lbs (called Paperweight class....no joke) to Heavyweights. 18 different weight classes! And there are 4 widely regarded sanctioning bodies in boxing: WBA, WBO, WBC, IBF.
Now you do the math. That equates to 72 champions between the four major groups. 72 different champions! Granted, some boxers have fought for and won multiple organizational championships to try and unify the belt, but that is more of a rarity these days than it used to be in the past. I would up the ante to $10,000 if anyone can name me the IBF junior featherweight champion without having to use your iPhone or Internet search engine. Oh, one other thing to note. Of the 18 different weight classes between the four sanctioning bodies, the names of the weight classes are not even consistent. Case in point, the WBA, WBC, and IBF all use the title Cruiserweight to classify fighters in the division of 176 lbs - 200 lbs, while the WBO calls this weight class Junior Heavyweight. There are 9 other contradictions between the 18 weight classes in all. Confused yet? Yeah, me too.
On the other hand, MMA is much more simplistic in its approach. There are 7 major weight classes with unified weight limits across the sport. Now MMA is similar to boxing in the sense that there are multiple organizations that promote fights and have their own championships: UFC, Strikeforce and Bellator to name the most prominent ones. But all the weight classes are the same between each organization are the same. A middleweight in the UFC has the same weight limit as one in Bellator. And let's keep it real, now that Zuffa has purchased Strikeforce, it will not be long before that promotion and all of its fighters get rolled up under the UFC's banner. At that point, no one is going to argue who the true champions of the sport are. Bellator is already seen as a minor league promotion. Soon enough, their best fighters will migrate over to the UFC to test themselves and to get the recognition they feel they deserve. I give it 18 months at most until Zuffa will gobble Bellator up as well.
When that happens, and believe me it will, then there will be no debate about who the best cage fighter in the world is. As for boxing, their outdated and convoluted system is their own worst enemy. But unfortunately, the Boxing elite is too intent on holding on to its traditions rather than evolving with the times. Less weight classes would equal less confusion, and would in turn create more interest and better fights. It's how MMA has been able to market itself and its champions so well while keeping a large stable of fighters relevant and it's one of the reasons that boxing is dying.
no 18 different weight classes, 17 weight classes... :)
ReplyDeleteyes,there are 17 different in boxing weight classes
ReplyDelete