Dishonorable Mentions: The Heavyweights
Photo by Lucas Noonan/Premier Boxing Champions
It’s been nearly two decades since the heavyweight landscape of the 1990’s was the talk of boxing.
Names, young and old, like Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson, Tommy Morrison, David Tua, George Foreman, Riddick Bowe, Evander Holyfield and so many more made up arguably the richest heavyweight era of all-time.
Now, the heavyweight division is desperate for life. An influx of young, brash talent in Tyson Fury and prospects Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker has helped.
Deontay Wilder was supposed to be the future too.
Instead, Wilder has been granted voluntary title defense after voluntary title defense by the WBC—most recently against Artur Szpilka who was outboxing him before being caught by a monster right hand. He’s entertaining but not carrying himself like a true champion.
In 2014, the WBA suggested Ruslan Chagaev was a world champion too after barely beating Fres Oquendo, a 41-year-old Puerto Rican.
Chagaev, 37, was a competent contender in his heyday, even beating the monster Nikolay Valuev in 2007 for a world title. But how the WBA can even begin to call a man like Chagaev a champion is the first example of the WBA’s insolence.
