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Do you agree with Buncey???


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[h=1]Steve Bunce: I’d rather have 90 world champions than step back to the bad old days[/h]

 

 

There were dark years in the 1960s and 1970s when not one British boxer held a version of the world championship and the wait between titles was simply too long. Last Saturday, at the O2 Arena in London, Lee Selby added his name to a current list of eight British boxers that now hold a portion, a segment or just a tiny scrap of one of the belts handed out by the four main sanctioning bodies.

 

At the start of the 1960s, two sanctioning bodies formed to compete for the spoils; a third was added in the early 1980s; and the WBO, the last of the quartet, started giving out belts in 1988. However, the lunatic purists in the game have spent 50 years hoping for a return to the criminal, racist and crooked business of boxing that existed in the 1940s and 1950s.

 

There are, at present, in excess of 90 men currently holding one of the various types of world titles at one of the 17 recognised weights. It is ridiculous in many ways but unavoidable because of the television demands and the vicious promotional rivalries that forever keep boxers apart.

 

The WBA, which was formed in 1962 and stripped the then Cassius Clay of his world title shortly after in an early act of madness, has three world titles at each weight: the interim, the regular and the super.

 

Scott Quigg, from Bury, holds the WBA’s regular super-bantamweight title. Above him is the peerless Cuban, Guillermo Rigondeaux, custodian of the super super-bantamweight title. Derry Mathews holds the WBA interim title at lightweight, while Manchester’s Ant Crolla is about to fight Darleys Perez for the regular title at the same weight. Perez, incidentally, was recently upgraded by the WBA from the interim to the regular title fight.

 

Chris Eubank Jnr holds the interim version of the WBA middleweight title, with the super version held by Gennady Golovkin, who is unbeaten, looks unbeatable and has stopped or knocked out his last 20 opponents, including 15 in world title fights. At bantamweight, Jamie McDonnell holds the WBA’s regular title and would, to be honest, have a good chance of beating the WBA’s super champion, Juan Carlos Payano.

 

It is a boxing soap opera, a comedy in many ways, but the merry-go-round produces memorable fights.

 

Selby’s win on Saturday was quite stunning, but even he has to compete as the featherweight world champion with two brilliant fighters: Vasyl Lomachenko, the double Olympic champion who won his WBO title in just his third fight, and unbeaten Nicholas Walters, who holds the WBA Super belt.

 

Selby could fight them at some point, but there is no chance of an elimination process leading to just one champion. It is too easy to forget that when Carl Froch was world champion, and selling 80,000 tickets at Wembley Stadium, he was not the best super-middleweight in the world. Froch lost to Andre Ward, who still reigns.

 

None of the eight British men holding a portion of a world title can be considered the best in the world at their weight, like Lennox Lewis and Joe Calzaghe had been. This pair dominated their weights before they retired and held titles on and off for about a decade.

 

But those eight are considered part of a golden period here; part of a business that is booming, with more fights on radio and television and more world-class fighters than ever before. In addition to the eight, three more will be challenging for world titles in the next six or so weeks and another three or four fighting in September or October. It is possible that in September Amir Khan will get his super-fight with Floyd Mayweather Jnr and that Tyson Fury will force Wladimir Klitschko to defend his heavyweight belts.

 

There may be more world titles than ever on offer but, even if some have jumped the domestic queue to get a title shot, the opposition can still be daunting. Selby had to beat Evgeny Gradovich, which was a tough challenge, and on 11 July in Manchester, former British lightweight champion Terry Flanagan fights Jose Zepeda for the vacant WBO title in another daunting task.

 

Both fights negate the argument that it is easy to win a world title in modern boxing. If extra proof was needed, then take a look online at Saturday’s encounter between Kevin Mitchell and Jorge Linares for the WBC lightweight title. British boxers won world titles in easier fights in the 1970s and 1980s, trust me.

 

It is not perfect having 90 world champions, but it is better than eight at just eight weights, low-key coverage and abuses, inequality and corruption at every filthy level.

 

Source: Independant

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Re: Do you agree with Buncey???

 

There are, at present, in excess of 90 men currently holding one of the various types of world titles at any given weight.

 

Fixed that for him.

 

Both fights negate the argument that it is easy to win a world title in modern boxing.

 

Well, two examples out of thousands does not really negate anything except an absolute, but who talks in absolutes? It may not always be easy to win a world title, but it's never been easier. Adrien Broner is a three-weight world champion - he did it by beating Eloy Perez, Paul Malignaggi and Vicente Escobedo. Tell me those are the elite of their respective divisions. Tell me Oscar De La Hoya is better than any of the Four Kings, or that Pacquiao is the greatest fighter who ever lived.

 

It is not perfect having 90 world champions, but it is better than eight at just eight weights, low-key coverage and abuses, inequality and corruption at every filthy level.

 

Abuses, inequality and corruption aren't present at every level of the sport? Really? When Frank Warren proved able to buy any fighter you could name a WBO ranking with a fortnight's notice?

 

When Mayweather and Pacquiao have no apparent obligation to make any mandatory defences, while others get stripped for not meeting their obligations?

 

When the WBC ignores a guy found guilty of doctoring his handwraps and comes out in support of him?

 

When they take a title away from Sergio Martinez and give it to a vastly inferior fighter because he's called Chavez? When the same Chavez is either not drug tested at all or is found guilty of failing tests but is allowed to continue his career?

 

How about when the sport's biggest superstar fails a drug test, has no credible excuse for the failure but not only escapes punishment, the commission actively hides the evidence until years later? Or when another fighter, having failed another drugs test, has his ban reduced on appeal because he says he doesn't cheat?

 

I don't want a return to the days of the mafia threatening to kill people for not throwing fights etc. but it's not a binary choice - scrap the multitude of belts, have a central governing body, elected by regional ballot, which publishes all its information and is held accountable by law. That may not be a perfect system, but it can surely be no worse than the one we have now?

 

So to answer the title question, I'm keeping an open mind.

Edited by gavpowell
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Re: Do you agree with Buncey???

 

He's a fucking idiot. You can have the 8 titles without the going back to the bad old days. There's absolutely no correlation between the pair. That's like saying I would rather wear a red shirt than wear a blue shirt and get murdered.

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Re: Do you agree with Buncey???

 

...Bunce works for a TV channel...

 

...said TV channel needs to show case world title bouts (which it can then boast about and hype)...

 

...oh no conflict of interest or anything obviously...

 

I have no issue with multiple title holders per se but they NEED TO FIGHT TOP COMPETITION! Sick of the bull crap we saw on Tuesday where the very talented (in fact under-rated) Wanheng Menayothin defended his title against Jerry Tomogdan, or the Cotto Vs Geale crap. Gav's point about Broner is a great one. Last weekend Jorge Linares, another 3-weight world champion, scored probably his best win...and that was against a guy who has failed at world level twice before.

 

To answer the question, do I agree with Bunce? Well once in a blue moon, but this ain't it...

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Re: Do you agree with Buncey???

 

I certainly don't want to go back to eight weight divisions. I think the weights are pretty much fine now. I disagree about all the titles - I can live with 4 recognised sanctioning bodies but when they start adding 'Super', 'Interim' and 'regular' then it is a complete mess. The titles are being completely devalued.

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Re: Do you agree with Buncey???

 

I certainly don't want to go back to eight weight divisions. I think the weights are pretty much fine now. I disagree about all the titles - I can live with 4 recognised sanctioning bodies but when they start adding 'Super', 'Interim' and 'regular' then it is a complete mess. The titles are being completely devalued.

 

I hate that there is so many belts, I know loads of boxers who say they love it as they think its great as they will never win a belt as do the people who create belt after belt.

 

I'd rather there was 2/3 per division and the divisions are fine - I just wish there was no catch weights.

 

Don't forget Silver and what ever else is around.....

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Re: Do you agree with Buncey???

 

Thing Rob summed it up well.

 

At the time when the 4 main bodies all had a champion and boxers were able to avoid each other, people moaned to back to the old days of 1/2 titles.

 

Now that there are multiple belts per org, people wish it went back to the good, but not so great days of just the 4 world title belts :haha:

 

This interim, international, silver, super bullshit is just laughable and one of the reasons the sport is lacking in fans imo. What it allows is a promoter to hype a show on the back of a certain title on the line. A casual observer wouldn't know its not a proper title, the fight will be shit between sub-par fighters and the viewer will think if this is the best the sport has to offer, I'm out!

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Re: Do you agree with Buncey???

 

Fans just want to see quality fights the titles become a side issue for me.The old days of eight world champions lead to fighters being frozen out and corruption and more control of connected fighters.

 

The modern times it has gone too far the other way with the absurd silver titles etc for sure.

 

If the modern fighters get to earn more money and at least have options and opportunities that is surely better than the old days.

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