OPINION: We’ve Currently Got the Best Heavyweight Scene For 30 Years
We’re currently enjoying the best heavyweight scene since the 1990’s.
When you look at the list of active heavyweights, there can be no doubt that heavyweight boxing is BACK!
When Lennox Lewis retired in 2004, there was a power vacuum in the heavyweight division. The belts were distributed, and for a long time the Klitschko brothers dominated a stagnant, boring division. For a decade between 2004 and 2014, there was little in the way to get excited about.
Joshua, Fury, Wilder and Whyte hadn’t reached their peaks. The domestic scene had David Haye, Chisora and David Price as the big names. Globally, we didn’t have much to get excited about. Shannon Briggs was chasing Wladimir Klitschko all over the place, but that was it. Heavyweight boxing was on life support.
2015 Changed Everything for the Heavyweight Scene
Tyson Fury was rapidly rising through the ranks, and reached the mandatory challenger status for the WBO belt. In the build up, Fury’s Batman antics, poking fun at his weight and the constant mind games made the fight a whole load more interesting.
The actual fight was very forgettable, but the moment when Tyson Fury outpointed Klitschko in Germany was when things began to change. The belts were scattered again, and it gave rise to a new generation.
Fury’s well-publicised issues after the fight were awful, but in a strange way it benefitted the heavyweight scene. It allowed the belts to be scattered again, giving rise to lots of new champions and fights to be made. The belts were spread at a time where Joshua, Parker, Wilder, Whyte and Povetkin made for a burgeoning competitive scene.
It allowed us to witness one of the best heavyweight title fights we’ve ever seen… Anthony Joshua vs Wladimir Klitschko…
It didn’t stop there though. Fury’s return, his trilogy with Wilder, and the arrival of Usyk kicked things off again.
Current Heavyweight Landscape Looks Healthy
The talent depth in the heavyweight scene is remarkable. At the very top you’ve got Usyk – there’s little doubt he’s king of the hill right now. The chasing pack is where things get interesting…
Fury, Dubois, Joshua, Parker, Zhang and Hrgovic have serious credentials. Any of them are deserving of being called world level. Following closely behind you’ve got the up and coming fighters in Wardley, Bakole, Kabayel and Okolie. On top of that you’ve got the old guard of Chisora and Wilder. Domestically, Frazer Clarke, Moses Itauma and Johnny Fisher are making names for themselves. You can even include a sprinkling of Francis Ngannou if you like!
To close out the year we’ve got Fury Usyk 2, and for 2025 the rumours of Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury FINALLY facing each other are picking up speed. There’s a lot to look forward to with the current heavyweight scene.
After a spell in the doldrums, the glamour division of boxing is back!
