The Changing Heavyweight Landscape
The Changing Heavyweight Landscape
The IBF WBC Heavyweight landscape is changing, but is it for the best?
By Kendrick E. Johnson
Since Tyson Fury shocked the world in November by defeating Wladimir Klitschko to become the WBA, IBF, WBO, IBO and The Ring magazine unified heavyweight champion, the landscape of the division has changed.
With Fury being stripped of his IBF title 10 days after winning it, due to his rematch clause with Wladimir Klitschko preventing him from facing the IBF's mandatory challenger, boxing now has three heavyweight champions of the world: Fury, Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder (36-0, 35 KOs) holding the WBC belt and newly crowned Charles Martin (23-0-1, 21 KOs) holding the IBF belt.
In January, Wilder kicked off the year by the brutal knockout of bruising Polish challenger Artur Szpilka (20-2). The knockout was so brutal, Szpilka was out cold seven to 10 minutes after the fight, and there’s a good chance it will be in the running for the 2016 “Knockout of The Year Award” at year’s end. For Wilder, the knockout served as his way of putting the wide open heavyweight division on notice.
“I don't care who it is. It doesn't matter who is in the ring with me,” Wilder told Floboxing.tv via phone. “I love a fighter who's not scared because it gives me the motive to knock him out. I don't play around because you don’t play boxing, and I mean business.”
Next up for Wilder, is the WBC mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin. Once the fight becomes official, Povetkin will become the biggest challenge to date for Wilder. Wilder plans on fighting three more times in 2016.
With Fury tied up with his rematch with Klitschko and Wilder due to fight Povetkin, Martin is scheduled to fight British fighter Anthony Joshua (15-0, 15 KOs) at the O2 Arena in London, England on April 9th. Many boxing experts are interested to see which fighter will reign supreme as the fight will be the biggest of their young careers.
“Wilder would have been the No. 1 option if we could have gotten him,” said Martin’s promoter Leon Margules to RingTV.com. “That would have been great – two American heavyweights. [But] everybody has their obligations. We didn’t want to fight any meaningless, keep-busy opponent.”
If Golden Boy Promotions heavyweight fighter Luis "The Real King Kong" Ortiz (24-0, 21 KOs) has his way, he’ll be joining Fury, Wilder and Martin at the top of the division soon due to currently being the WBA Interim Heavyweight champion. In the world of boxing, Ortiz is just a political move away from being elevated to full champion in the world of boxing politics.
The man who, to some people in boxing circles view as the “Boogey Man” of the division due to the 36-year-old Ortiz registering three spectacular knockouts in his last three fights. Is preparing for his next fight against former world title challenger Tony "The Tiger" Thompson (40-6, 27 KOs) on March 5 which will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark.
Another spectacular knockout win by the Ortiz will definitely increase his growing profile and force all three belt holders to take notice.
"This fight is just another stepping stone on my path to becoming the unified heavyweight world champion," Ortiz said via Interpreter. "I came to the United States to chase my American Dream and fighting at the nation's capital is a dream come true. My life is coming full circle, and I know that this fight will put me a step closer to achieving everything I have worked so hard for in my career."
Since Tyson Fury shocked the world in November by defeating Wladimir Klitschko to become the WBA, IBF, WBO, IBO and The Ring magazine unified heavyweight champion, the landscape of the division has changed.
With Fury being stripped of his IBF title 10 days after winning it, due to his rematch clause with Wladimir Klitschko preventing him from facing the IBF's mandatory challenger, boxing now has three heavyweight champions of the world: Fury, Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder (36-0, 35 KOs) holding the WBC belt and newly crowned Charles Martin (23-0-1, 21 KOs) holding the IBF belt.
In January, Wilder kicked off the year by the brutal knockout of bruising Polish challenger Artur Szpilka (20-2). The knockout was so brutal, Szpilka was out cold seven to 10 minutes after the fight, and there’s a good chance it will be in the running for the 2016 “Knockout of The Year Award” at year’s end. For Wilder, the knockout served as his way of putting the wide open heavyweight division on notice.
“I don't care who it is. It doesn't matter who is in the ring with me,” Wilder told Floboxing.tv via phone. “I love a fighter who's not scared because it gives me the motive to knock him out. I don't play around because you don’t play boxing, and I mean business.”
Next up for Wilder, is the WBC mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin. Once the fight becomes official, Povetkin will become the biggest challenge to date for Wilder. Wilder plans on fighting three more times in 2016.
With Fury tied up with his rematch with Klitschko and Wilder due to fight Povetkin, Martin is scheduled to fight British fighter Anthony Joshua (15-0, 15 KOs) at the O2 Arena in London, England on April 9th. Many boxing experts are interested to see which fighter will reign supreme as the fight will be the biggest of their young careers.
“Wilder would have been the No. 1 option if we could have gotten him,” said Martin’s promoter Leon Margules to RingTV.com. “That would have been great – two American heavyweights. [But] everybody has their obligations. We didn’t want to fight any meaningless, keep-busy opponent.”
If Golden Boy Promotions heavyweight fighter Luis "The Real King Kong" Ortiz (24-0, 21 KOs) has his way, he’ll be joining Fury, Wilder and Martin at the top of the division soon due to currently being the WBA Interim Heavyweight champion. In the world of boxing, Ortiz is just a political move away from being elevated to full champion in the world of boxing politics.
The man who, to some people in boxing circles view as the “Boogey Man” of the division due to the 36-year-old Ortiz registering three spectacular knockouts in his last three fights. Is preparing for his next fight against former world title challenger Tony "The Tiger" Thompson (40-6, 27 KOs) on March 5 which will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark.
Another spectacular knockout win by the Ortiz will definitely increase his growing profile and force all three belt holders to take notice.
"This fight is just another stepping stone on my path to becoming the unified heavyweight world champion," Ortiz said via Interpreter. "I came to the United States to chase my American Dream and fighting at the nation's capital is a dream come true. My life is coming full circle, and I know that this fight will put me a step closer to achieving everything I have worked so hard for in my career."