How the Heavyweight Division came back

Boxing

Posted: Jul 3, 2016 | Updated: 3 years ago

The Boxing Heavyweight division is one of the most iconic fighting divisions in existence. If you look back over the years there are countless elite boxers who plied their trade in the heavyweight division, from Ali to Tyson.

One reason for the public’s adoration for the Heavyweight’s is because of the aura that surrounds Boxing’s bigger guys. People love to tune in and watch these giant’s going to battle, and this helped make the names of these fighters match the size of their ridiculous physiques.

However, there was recently a rough time for the Heavy fighters as the domination of the Klitschko brothers (Vitali and Wladimir) led to a shortage of competition within the Heavyweight realm. As a result of this stifle in contention the viewing public decided to look elsewhere for their fix of fighting action. Just as the Heavyweight division was dying the Welter/Middleweight was bursting at the seams with elite fighters such as Mosley, Mayweather, De La Hoya, and later on Manny Pacquiao. The fans of the sport suddenly had a bigger appetite for the lighter side of fighting and while the Heavyweight division struggled to compete the welterweight class led a crusade to generate millions and millions of dollars. A crusade led by the undefeated Floyd Mayweather.

Recently there was somewhat of a resurgence in the Heavyweight class, which was certainly helped with the retirement of Floyd  Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Money and Pacman hanging up their gloves led to people having a more open view in the world of boxing, and because of this the bigger Boxer’s had a chance to take back the limelight.

One thing that was certainly lacking, even in the early 2000’s when Tyson was still fighting, was a thick contingent of competition. Fast forward to 2016 and this is certainly not the case, with Anthony Joshua, David Haye, Tyson Fury, Deontaty Wilder, and many more boxers providing an elite group of Boxer’s that are part of the Heavyweight class. We have even seen one of these fighters (Tyson Fury) dethrone the long reigning king Wladimir Klitschko.

Its not just the present that is looking good for Heavyweight Boxing, as the future looks fruitful too. Anthony Joshua has stated that his next fighting destination will be the US and it appears that he is on a collision course with Deontay Wilder, which could be a huge bout, as not only will it provide sufficient excitement to reignite the love for the Heavyweight division, it will also bring in plenty of money through ticket sales and Pay Per View purchases. With this success the Heavyweight class would certainly be back and it shows the strides the division has taken forward when all it needs is one fight for it to blow up again.

Overall things are certainly on the up for the Heavyweight division. It has the potential to reclaim the number one spot on the Boxing hierarchy and enough longevity to maintain that position for a long period of time, just like it did all those years ago.

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