Now that Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury have provided such a jolt of positive momentum to their sport and the heavyweight division, the impetus is on everyone else to maintain the energy and press on.
On Tuesday’s episode of ProBox TV’s “Deep Waters,” analyst Paulie Malignaggi said knowing the sport’s refrain is, “as the heavyweight division goes, so goes boxing,” there should be deep interest in making a series of quality bouts among the division’s rich depth of talent.
“There’s a good top 20, and while there’s not a definitive ‘next guy,’ there’s a lot of quality fighters around the weight class and it can be fun as long as they’re fighting each other,” analyst Paulie Malignaggi said. “That’s what I hope to see.”
Malignaggi said the proof of his theory came in Saturday’s bout between the top two heavyweights, when Usyk (22-0) heroically prevailed after trailing on the scorecards after seven rounds, knocking down Fury in the ninth and winning a split decision by one point on the decisive scorecard to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era.
“One of the (most) tremendous matchups in recent memory,” Malignaggi said. “Rarely do you see that in boxing. Boxing will give you No. 1 versus No. 6 and say it’s an even fight even though you know who’s going to win, and say, ‘It’s OK, you can deal with it. It’s entertainment.’”
Malignaggi said he took solace in the fact that Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh not only funded Usyk-Fury, but he placed a competitive heavyweight bout between unbeaten Frank Sanchez and Agit Kabayel, with Kabayel (25-0, 17 KOs) producing a surprise knockout victory.
“You can create drama and create new fans by making these kind of fights in the heavyweight division,” Malignaggi said.
Perhaps most importantly, given the growth of sports betting in the U.S., the competitive fights are creating value for those wagering on the underdogs.
Beyond a roster that includes veteran former champions Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder, Andy Ruiz Jr. and Joseph Parker, the next great heavyweight appears to be Uzbekistan’s Bakhodir Jalolov (14-0, 14 KOs), the 2020 Olympic super-heavyweight champion.
“Big, strong, powerful with an amateur pedigree,” said “Deep Waters” analyst Chris Algieri. “That’s the kind of guy I can see taking over the division.”
Another candidate is IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia (25-0, 19 KOs) of Australia, who won Saturday.
“I could see how he struggles to make cruiserweight – he can pack on to 220 and campaign at heavyweight and do quite well,” Algieri said.
Veteran trainer Teddy Atlas said he remains intrigued by whether Ruiz Jr. can reconnect with the fighter who stopped Joshua and won three belts in 2019, only to squander that by overinflating for the rematch.
And American Jared Anderson needs to prove he belongs in the conversation by defeating Wilder should the former champion from Alabama defeat China’s Zhilei Zhang June 1 and set up a Wilder-Anderson showdown Aug. 3 in Los Angeles.
Malignaggi said as it appears that Eastern Europeans are positioning to take over the division, it’s also critical for American fighters to remain competitive.
“People talk about Anderson … I don’t know if he’s going to be able to live up to everything,” Malignaggi said.
Whatever happens with Anderson, the matchmaking is essential.
“The sport will be healthy as long as those solid fights keep coming,” Atlas said.
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