ALPHABET BODIES DILLUTE ACCOMPLISHMENTS!
Arlington, VA Coming to a cable bill near you on May 5, 2007 is a battle between two men who have captured world titles across the weight scale. Youll likely hear a lot about that in the build-up to Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather. Youll hear six-division World champion in reference to Oscar and youll hear that Mayweather is going for division five. That will sound true based solely on what each man has done in paying sanctioning fees in their career. However, we live in a time where the number of recognized belts in each division (four) dilutes the merit of division hopping accomplishments. Cherry picking by big name fighters dilutes it even more. No matter what numbers one might hear, 24-K is here to set the records straight. Heres the down and dirty: no one in the history of boxing has ever won legitimate, undisputed, lineal World titles in more than three divisions. Going further, of the 426 men across seventeen weight classes who have won lineal titles since the birth of the gloved era at the end of the 19th century, only nine men have captured a triple crown., A GIFT FROM THE FAB FOUR!
To understand where some of the hyper-inflation we see in multi-division title claims comes from, its important to look backwards. In the late 1960s and early 70s, the WBC would fracture from the WBA (formerly National Boxing Assn.) and the era of the permanently split titles was on. By 1980, the pump was primed for the situation to be exploited in the fullest for profit. Thats when three fighters, Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns and Sugar Ray Leonard began a decade long race to see who could capture the most belts. By 1990, and aided by the birth of the IBF and WBO, Hearns and Leonard would both claim to be five division kings and Duran would lay claim to four. The numbers were and remain misleading.
BREAKING DOWN THE REAL TITLE WINS!
One curse of the alphabet bodies is that they allow high-profile fighters to win belts against lower-risk foes. Its been good for the egos of fighters and wallets of promoters but awful for the image of the sport. Looking just at the three men noted above, which titles were legit and which were not? Hearns won a number of belts but only one real World title. His win (KO 2) over Roberto Duran at 154 lbs. made him the recognized king of the class at a time when they were seen as the top two dogs in the yard. A case could be made for two crowns, with another at 175, but Hearns win over Virgil Hill came years before Hill would actually lay claim to the undisputable crown of that class. In the remaining divisions where Hearns claimed gold (147, 160, 168) a little research will show you that the men Hearns beat were not the man to beat at all. Duran won lightweight and welterweight gold, but his titles at 154 and 160 were won at times where the undisputed title was vacant and the men he beat (Davey Moore, Iran Barkley) were both seen correctly as a notch below their fellow titlists.
LEONARD IN COMPANY OF OSCAR, FLOYD!
Of this bunch, it is Leonard who would hold the most real titles. He beat the lineal champions at 147 (Wilfred Benitez), 154 (Ayub Kalule), and 160 (Marvin Hagler); his titles at 168 and 175 both came against a Donny Lalonde who was true champion of neither class. In the here and now, De La Hoya and Mayweather join Leonard (and some other all-time greats) with three titles and some promotional inflation. Oscar defeated the man who beat the man at 140 (Julio Cesar Chavez), 147 (Pernell Whitaker) and 154 (Javier Castillejo). At 130 and 135, Oscar never beat the best fighter in divisions where no real champion existed at the time. His title at 160, won from Felix Sturm, came on a night when Bernard Hopkins was defending his World title in the class and the two met in their next bout. We all remember the result of Oscar versus Hopkins. Mayweather has three legit titles but claimed an alphabet crown at 140 lbs. against Arturo Gatti; the real champion was Kostya Tszyu.
STATISTICAL INFLATION NOTHING NEW!
This isnt solely a knock on modern day hyperbole. Henry Armstrong, who famously held the World titles at featherweight (126), lightweight (135) and welterweight (147) concurrently gets some unreality thrown his way as well. He is often claimed as the first man ever to hold three true world titles at the same time, denying Barney Ross (135, 40, 47) his rightful claim to the accomplishment. It is often also cited that Armstrong was one errant draw decision against Ceferino Garcia from holding the middleweight title as well. This skips the facts that the World title was vacant when that bout occurred in 1940 and Garcias claim was only recognized in California. I know the left coast is arrogant, but even California doesnt claim to be the world.
GIVE CREDIT ONLY WHERE IT IS DUE!
The point here is not to take away from anyones career; it is merely to put the sport in a proper historical perspective. Heck, even my favorite fighter of all time, Whitaker, gets credit for two divisions where he didnt beat the man (140 where he beat Rafael Pineda instead of Julio Cesar Chavez and 154 where he beat Julio Vasquez not Terry Norris). Winning real titles in three divisions is a great accomplishment and it shouldnt be sullied by gimmickry. After all, one day a fighter will be the first to truly capture a fourth crown. It could even be Mayweather (after all, if he beats Oscar and say adds Cory Spinks and Travis Simms hed be undeniable at 154). When that day, that accomplishment, arrives the fighter who pulls it off will stand alone in history and he will deserve his moment. He wont get it unless we set the records straight.
TRUE ROLL CALL OF CHAMPIONS!
Here is your list of the nine real three division champions, and their weight classes, in chronological order:
Bob Fitzsimmons (Heavyweight, 175, 160)
Tony Canzoneri (140, 135, 126)
Barney Ross (135, 140, 147)
Henry Armstrong (126, 135, 147)
Emile Griffith (147, 154, 160)
Ray Leonard (147, 154, 160)
Oscar De la Hoya (140, 147, 154)
Floyd Mayweather (130, 135, 147)
WHAT DO YOU THE FAN WANT TO SEE?
This is a new monthly feature from yours truly. In this series, well take a look at some of the numbers and accomplishments often cited by fighters and fans as measures of greatness. I hope to illuminate which stats are real and which are not. Feel free to chime in below with some claims youd like to see dissected in next months edition.
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Cliff Rold
Note: 24-Karat Rold is featured exclusively at www.RingTalk.com when it comes to boxing. Besides being the managing editor of The Diplomatic Courier, “24-K” also serves as a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Comments regarding this column can be left below.