THIS week, the Boxing News social media channels posed the question, “Who is the next heavyweight star?” The majority response was, “Who cares?” However, there are a few promising heavyweights on the rise. One of them is Jared Anderson, who recently defeated Charles Martin over 10 rounds. This match is one of the only notable heavyweight bouts to have taken place in 2023. Surprisingly, no world championship has been defended halfway through the year, and there is no definitive date scheduled. Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, Deontay Wilder, and Anthony Joshua have all faced challenges in securing significant fights. Despite this, the current leading heavyweight boxers have produced exciting and memorable fights since the dominance of the Klitschko brothers ended in 2015. Matches involving Fury, Wilder, Usyk, and Joshua have thrilled fans, but there has been a lack of world-stopping events in recent years. The highly anticipated matchups between Fury and Joshua, Fury and Usyk, and Joshua and Wilder have never materialized. The reasons for this lack of top-tier matchups in the heavyweight division can be attributed to various factors, including social media, rival promoters, and multiple titles. The current era of heavyweight boxing has been plagued by the separation of talent and a lack of collaboration. The excessive power and wealth of promoters and boxers have led to negotiation difficulties and a lack of compromise. Additionally, the existence of numerous sanctioning bodies has contributed to the problem, as boxers prioritize defending their individual titles rather than facing the best opponents. As a result, marketable heavyweights can earn substantial amounts of money fighting less significant opponents while still retaining their world champion status. Despite these challenges, the collective boxing community must take responsibility and work towards facilitating better matchups in the future.
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