Decline in competition and loss of motivation: why the introduction of the 18th weight category is bad for professional boxing

The fight between Russians Dmitry Kudryashov and Evgeny Romanov could become an important event in the history of professional boxing. On May 21 in Khimki, some of the country's strongest representatives in the first heavy and heavy weights will come together, and the winner will become the first holder of the title in a new weight category - bridgerway (from 90.7 to 101.6 kg). At the end of 2020, it was introduced by the World Boxing Council (WBC), named after a young native of Wyoming, Bridger Walker. In the summer of last year, the boy protected his sister from a shepherd who attacked her, after which he was awarded the title of WBC Honorary Champion.

The title fight between Kudryashov and Romanov will be one of the first in this category.

Her official debut took place in early April, when Cuban Geovani Bruzon defeated Mexican Herman Garcia to win the WBC Bridger Latino title.

Prior to this, the WBC was engaged in the formation of the list of representatives of the new weight.

At the same time, three other influential organizations have not yet recognized bridgerwaite, as evidenced by the lack of mention of it on the official websites of the WBA, WBO and IBF.

On the one hand, the introduction of the next weight category in boxing can be called a logical step.

If only for the reason that at the moment the division looks extremely uneven.

So, in the interval from 61.2 to 79.3 kg, seven divisions fit, and above this threshold there are only two.

The limit for the first heavy weight is now 90.7 kg, while the heavy weight does not have it at all.

Unsurprisingly, some heavyweights may feel that they are in more challenging conditions than the same lightweights. And this is not only about the fact that more categories simplify the road to the belt and high fees. Smaller athletes either have to go through grueling weight races to meet the division limit of 90.7 kg, or compete with the giants. For comparison, Alexander Povetkin and Andy Ruiz are 188 cm tall, while the current WBC title holder Tyson Fury is 18 cm taller.

In this case, you can remember Mike Tyson and David Tua. The first was the undisputed heavyweight champion, and the second was for a long time considered one of its brightest representatives. And this is despite the fact that the growth of both was only 178 cm, and the day before the battle, both did not always reach the 100 kg mark. Surely both would be much more comfortable to fight in bridgeway than to compete with Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis and Hasim Rahman, who are noticeably superior to them in anthropometry.

Recently, many have been discussing the prospects of Alexander Usik in the most prestigious category. Many former athletes and experts have already expressed the opinion that it will be extremely difficult for a Ukrainian to achieve success due to his dimensions (191 cm), which can hardly be called outstanding for a given weight. The same Fury, Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder and Dillian White are noticeably higher, which can play an important role during the battle.

But if Usyk was never a massive boxer and for many years fit into the limit of the first heavy weight without any problems, then for the same Romanov things were different.

With a height of 183 cm, his weight before contractions never fell below the bar of 96.3 kg.

This suggests that it would hardly have been comfortable for him to play in a division below, as a result of which he had to compete with high opponents.

Until now, a record difference was recorded in the battle with the Spaniard Gabriel Engema (197 cm).

Thus, the introduction of a new division should help not the tallest and heaviest athletes to perform at a comfortable weight and fight opponents of similar size.

This would allow many to achieve much greater success and gain recognition in the eyes of the fans.

However, behind the obvious pluses, there are no less obvious minuses.

And the main one lies in the lack of talent - divisions that are not overcrowded with star boxers can lose many prominent representatives, which will reduce not only entertainment, but also the level of competition.

The leading athletes will be dispersed in three weights and will keep the titles they have earned, only occasionally thinking about unification fights.

There are already a number of problems in boxing that have a negative impact on its development.

Take at least an excess of major organizations and championship belts.

Each division has at least four world titles, not counting temporary and regular titles.

All this devalues ​​the significance of the trophy and hits the popularity of its owners.

In addition, contracts with various promotional companies and streaming services significantly complicate the organization of box office battles, which also deals a noticeable blow to the attitude of fans to the sport. If in mixed martial arts fans can regularly watch duels between the strongest fighters on the planet, then in boxing they have to watch duels between athletes of different levels for several years and wait until an agreement is reached on holding a truly outstanding duel. Suffice it to recall the epic around the battle between Joshua and Fury, as well as the incessant talk about the battle between Dmitry Bivol and Arthur Beterbiev.

Even now, the first heavyweight and heavyweight division cannot be called the richest in boxing talent. After Usyk left, a star comparable to him did not appear in the 90.7 kg division, and the current belt holders can hardly be considered popular athletes. This is confirmed by their Instagram audience. So, the first place in the number of subscribers is taken by the WBO champion Lawrence Okoli (164 thousand), the second is the triumphant of the World Boxing Super Series and the owner of the IBF title Mairis Briedis (84 thousand), and only 5 people follow the best WBC athlete Ilonga Makaba on Instagram. thousand people.

In the heavy category, the situation is much better, but also far from ideal. All attention is focused on the quintet of Fury, Joshua, Wilder, Ruiz and Usyk, while their pursuers are noticeably inferior. And this is given the fact that Povetkin, Dillian White and Derek Chisora ​​repeatedly fought with the stars, which contributed to an increase in their recognition.

Among other things, there is a risk that the introduction of a new division will contribute not to the emergence of new stars, but to stagnation in related categories. So, one of the reigning champions can go to bridgerwaite, win the second belt, and then defend each of them in turn. Given that in boxing, elite athletes usually fight no more than twice a year, this can lead to stagnation in both weights and provoke the establishment of temporary and regular titles. All this will again create confusion, which will be extremely difficult for an ordinary fan to understand.

In general, the current situation in boxing indicates that the leaders of organizations should think about reducing the number of divisions, rather than introducing new ones. Suffice it to pay attention to Saul Alvarez, who over the past few years managed to win belts in four different categories. At the same time, outside the middle, he practically did not fight with stellar rivals. These include only Billy Joe Saunders and Sergei Kovalev, and even then for their previous merits. Rocky Fielding, Callum Smith, Avni Yildirim and Daniel Jacobs can hardly be considered the elite.

Thus, Canelo managed to collect belts in three divisions, practically avoiding serious rivals. And this speaks of the excess number of both championship titles and categories. Most of these boxers could well compete in the same weight, because the difference between them is no more than three and a half kilograms. In this case, the level of competition would noticeably increase, and stars like Alvarez would not have to constantly adapt to new conditions.