Why we love Heavyweight Boxing… Again.
In case you didn’t get the memo, heavyweight boxing is back. Not since growing up in the ’90s and watching Tyson fight Holyfield, can I remember such a buzz around boxing’s crown division. You need the perfect storm to mix the right kind of boxers, to meet at just the right time and build this kind of drama. After years of flying under the radar, this past year brought the resurgence of the big boys of boxing and by the looks of it, things are just about to get wilder — No pun intended.
last week we saw the Bomb Squad, aka the Bronze Bomber return to the ring in fashion. With the WBC belt around his waist, 41 knockouts and the scariest right hand in boxing history, it’s really hard to understand why Denote Wilder isn’t more famous. Still undefeated, the fact it took him that long to get the recognition he deserves has more to do with the stagnation and state of boxing then the way he finishes his fights.
Wilder’s recent rematch against Luis, King Kong, Ortiz sent a clear message. The Cuban boxer is a nightmare matchup for everyone and it’s not surprising that no one wants to fight him. Wilder not only took on the challenge the first time, beating him in a tough bout, he was also crazy enough to agree to the rematch, just months before the biggest fight of his career. The confidence in his ability to knock out everyone and the style which he delivered against Ortiz, solidified him in the pole position for this 4-legged, heavyweights race.
We’ve now entered an unofficial semifinal playoff tournament to establish one champion, one face and one name for heavyweight boxing. On one side you have Wilder, a genetic freak athlete who only started boxing at 20 (to support his daughter’s struggle with autism) and will face his biggest rival to date, Tyson Fury.
With a rare draw decision the first time around, a crazy fight and a bonkers ending, this is already turning out to be one of boxing’s great rivalries. The rematch, planned for February next year, is promising to be that monster fight that boxing desperately needed.
Facing him, a man who comes from a rich linear of boxers, named after Mike Tyson and self-proclaimed ‘Gypsy King’. At 2.06 (6’9), Tyson Fury can dance in the ring, move like a lightweight and talk like a character from a Guy Richie movie. Fury’s story, sharing his struggle with depression, self-destruction, and his suicidal demeanor, alongside his phenomenal skills, unique style and undeniable charisma, makes him the most entertaining boxer today. The way he rose from the dead in the 12th round, beating the count down in the last second (1st to survive Wilder’s right hand) and continued to outbox him, left the world in shock, desperately waiting for the rematch.
On the other side, we have Andy Ruiz Jr. vs. Anthony Joshua rematch this Saturday. For years, Joshua was considered boxing’s biggest talent, Olympic gold medalist and the poster boy for boxing. That’s until earlier this year when he lost to Ruiz in one of the biggest upset since Tyson’s loss to Buster Douglas.
Ruiz was supposed to be a tune-up fight, no one believed he has a real chance to win. Just the optics alone fooled everyone with Joshua looking like he’s carved out of stone while Ruiz is rocking a chubby dad bod. This wasn’t how it was supposed to turn out but Ruiz flipped the script and turned it into a classic Rocky movie.
Still a huge underdog, Ruiz will try to make the impossible happen twice. Only this time, no one will be tricked by his sloppy appearance. The insider rumor is, Joshua got KO’d in training, leaving him badly concussed, just days before the first fight. Believe it or not, one thing is sure, Ruiz earned Joshua’s respect along with everyone else who now recognizes the man can box.
If everything goes as planned (and that’s a big “if“ for boxing), the winner this Saturday will face the winner of Wilder VS Fury to unify the belts and give heavyweight boxing a real champion again.
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