Why One Champ Per Division Will Never Again Work

[BIGPOPPAPUMP]

There are far too many champions in the sport, it is often said. We need to return to a time when there was only one champion per division if we are to bring the mainstream back into the fold. Nobody knows who the real champs are anymore, because everyone and their mother seems to carry around a title belt today. [details]

[El_Cholo]

the way it works at the minute is brutal, interim champs, champ in recess, emeritus etc etc, its got to the point where the Ring champion should be declared the best in any division.

[Bhopreign]

Sad to have four titels in each division, when casual fans hear there are four champs they give you a weird look. But with the rate guys fight today, one belt would be held up so long, so hearing the phrase title fight almost every other week doesnt sound overly bad.

[la pantera]

the way it works at the minute is brutal, interim champs, champ in recess, emeritus etc etc, its got to the point where the Ring champion should be declared the best in any division.

Totally agree...I don't mind 4 major titles but to have interims and all the rest of the minor belts is way too confusing. The Ring belt helps recognize the best in each division.

[Lord_Krachah]

I have to totally disagree. If there is one champion, he can not go the way of erdei. He has to fight the other good contenders. The failures you mention jake are only possible because we have so many champions in each division. Nobody has to fight anybody at all. That is especially disgusting because boxing is a global sport. It does not make money sense to pit someone like hasegawa against agbeko for example. If there is only one champ title fights will matter again. And the posters above me miss the point regarding the infrequent fighting champions. With only one champ all the other fights beneath title fight will come back (regional titles, eliminators....). Boxing can not matter without an answer to the question every sport in existence asks: Who is the best?

[el malo]

I have to totally disagree. If there is one champion, he can not go the way of erdei. He has to fight the other good contenders. The failures you mention jake are only possible because we have so many champions in each division. Nobody has to fight anybody at all. That is especially disgusting because boxing is a global sport. It does not make money sense to pit someone like hasegawa against agbeko for example. If there is only one champ title fights will matter again. And the posters above me miss the point regarding the infrequent fighting champions. With only one champ all the other fights beneath title fight will come back (regional titles, eliminators....). Boxing can not matter without an answer to the question every sport in existence asks: Who is the best?

i agree 100 percent, we need one champ per division. if pavlik cant defend his crown because of injury within a year he should be stripped and the top 2 ranked contenders should fight for the championship. and then make pavlik the mandatory afterwards if he is cleared to fight.

[Iceta]

It's hard for me not to agree with some aspects about this article. I think JMM showed guts by fighting Floyd Mayweather, but I still view it as him going after the fame and cash more than legacy. He tried his hardest to win when he got in there, but one thing that is turning me off is of how he is calling out Hatton and not going back to 135 and defending his title against all comers. The only two fights he had at that division were against Juan Diaz who got handled by Campell and Casamayor who lost to Santa Cruz and went life and death with a more green version of Katsidis.

Now I'm a huge fan of JMM, but I am starting to question how much motivation he has left to be at the top. Did he just cash out against Floyd or is he going to get his career back together and fight like a champ? If he has no intention of going back to 135, then the two next best fighters need to fight for the crown. I also think Bradley and Alexander are way better than Ricky Hatton. And how about Carlos Baldomir? I think what the point of this article is, that the linear champion is not always the best representative of a certain weight division.

[Boxingwizard]

It's hard for me not to agree with some aspects about this article. I think JMM showed guts by fighting Floyd Mayweather, but I still view it as him going after the fame and cash more than legacy. He tried his hardest to win when he got in there, but one thing that is turning me off is of how he is calling out Hatton and not going back to 135 and defending his title against all comers. The only two fights he had at that division were against Juan Diaz who got handled by Campell and Casamayor who lost to Santa Cruz and went life and death with a more green version of Katsidis.

Now I'm a huge fan of JMM, but I am starting to question how much motivation he has left to be at the top. Did he just cash out against Floyd or is he going to get his career back together and fight like a champ? If he has no intention of going back to 135, then the two next best fighters need to fight for the crown. I also think Bradley and Alexander are way better than Ricky Hatton. And how about Carlos Baldomir? I think what the point of this article is, that the linear champion is not always the best representative of a certain weight division.

He obviously did it for the cash, do you know how much money he got? He lost the fight but at the end of the day he got a million + dollars.

[DC Fight Fan]

There should only be one champion per division period. In Pavlik's case, if he is unable to defend the title within the calender year he should be stripped.

If a fighter is stripped on a medical then the 1 and 2 contenders shall meet to determine the new champion. Once Pavlik is able to return he should be granted an immediate bout for the title with the current champion. If Pavlik chooses tune ups instead then he will have to work his way up the rankings.

A champion must defend every 6 calender months unless medically unable. When he defends he must defend against the #1 contender, if not he will be stripped. If the #1 contender does not take the fight with the champion then he will be removed from the rankings. During this time the rest of the fighters in the rankings should be fighting eachother and jockying for position in the rankings. Extend the rankings to 25 in order to give the new kids some exposure.

If a champion fights above his weight class he will go one exemption on the 6 month defense rule. He still must defend within the calender year or be stripped. If that champion wins above his weight class and decides to pursue the championship in the next weight class he will be stripped and enter the rankings accordingly at the next weight class.

I know it's a lot but it can be done. Greed just needs to be taken away to do it.

[Butterball]

Why One Champ Per Division Will Never Again Work

That doesn't even make grammatical sense