Kings and Queens of the heavyweight division

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By Damian Poole: There are those who talk the talk and then there are those who walk the walk. In this article, I am going to cover who the real Kings of the heavyweight division are and those who are the drama Queens and there is always a Joker in the pack.

What makes a boxing “King” in the heavyweight division? Someone who is willing to step up and accept any challenge that is put before them and does not act out just to get some attention or social media publicity but inspires others not just in boxing but in public consciousness. Someone who has the heart of a warrior and never gives up. And finally, someone who is an ambassador for the beloved sport we call boxing.

My list of the “Kings” from the Heavyweight division

1. Wladimir Klitschko

2. Anthony Joshua

3. Tony Bellew

4. Joseph Parker

Wladimir Klitschko is one of the oldest boxers in the heavyweight division at the moment and he is also one of the most, if not the most experienced boxer. He is a very respectable man, never belittles his opponents, or talks trash outside of boxing. He is a true ambassador and family man with an impressive boxing credentials many should look up to. Wladimir Klitschko now in his 40s. He is still a major player in the top 5 heavyweights who will surely be remembered as one of the all-time champs with Mike Tyson, Lenox Lewis, Evander Holyfield, etc.

Anthony Joshua is the new star of the heavyweight division. He is a boxer that grew up in a tough area and had to hustle to survive it. Anthony has had a run in or two with the law for the distribution of cannabis which nearly ended his career before it even started. His discipline and perseverance when it came to boxing allowed him to turn his life around for the better. This also gave him the tools needed to become Gold Medallist at the 2012 London Olympic game. Then later on becoming the IBF and IBO World champion. Anthony Joshua conducts himself in a respectful manner in and out of the ring. He never bad mouths or unnecessarily trash talks his opponents. He just lets the gloves do all the talking, that is why the truth hurts.

Tony Bellew is naturally a welterweight boxer but he stepped up to the heavyweight division to face David Haye. Everyone thought that this would be a slaughter fest for Liverpudlian. Both boxers were talking trash during the build-up of the fight with no love lost between them. I personally did not think Tony would last past round three against the more agile and harder punching David Haye. Tony for the most part held his own and occasionally got the better of the injured David. Tony showed he had determination, warrior instincts, and spirit against all the odds even with a broken hand. After the fight, I was expecting a lot of gloating from Tony. But to be honest he was very humble and magnanimous even praising David’s brave performance.

Joseph Parker is a new star in New Zealand, capturing the WBO belt against Andy Ruiz in 2016. Parker became the first heavyweight boxer from New Zealand to win a major world championship belt, inspiring a new generation of potential young Kiwi boxers. Parker reminds me of Wladimir Klitschko in how he conducts himself. He stays out of trouble, does not draw any unnecessary attention to himself, and trains hard. This Kiwi has a bright future in boxer and deserves a spot on my list.

What makes a boxing “Drama queen” in the heavyweight division? Someone who conducts them self in a disrespectful manner, who is politically and socially incorrect who’s not an ideal role model or idle for the next generation. Someone who is not willing to take chances and face the best to test one’s self. Someone who does not acknowledge their own faults or limitations. Finally, someone who just looks for an easy payday.

My list of Queens in the Heavyweight division

1. David Haye

2. Tyson Fury

3. Charles Martin

4. Dereck Chisora

David Haye. As much as I enjoy watching David in the boxing ring, He really is a typical drama queen of boxing. After he lost to Wladimir Klitschko he blamed his performance on a broken toe…really? Who does such a thing? He would have earned more respect by putting his hands up and saying “I was beaten by the better man” or “I was not good enough”. In the past David has landed himself in trouble for saying some stupid things. His most disrespectful comment came about during the build-up to the Audley Harrison fight. David said, “This fight will be as one-sided as a gang rape”. And more recently threatened to ‘cave in’ Tony Bellew’s skull in where he was fined by the British Boxing Board of Control. Not exactly role model material.

Tyson Fury is another boxer with a loud mouth, constantly on his social media accounts spouting his dribble, and poisonous words towards his counterparts. But it is not just the boxing community where Tyson has been vocal. He has also made damming comments outside of the ring. Going as far as comparing homosexuality and abortion to pedophilia, using anti-Semitic comments directed towards the Jewish community, and expressing sexist views about woman. Not long after Tyson beat Wladimir Klitschko, he was stripped of all his belts and titles when he got himself in a spot of bother with the British Boxing Board of Control, testing positive for cocaine. Tyson claimed he had taken “lots of” the class A drugs in order to deal with a bipolar disorder. Having a mental problem is one thing and all the help should be given when needed. His conduct outside of the ring is just un-sportsman like and it puts a nasty stain on boxing.

Charles Martin should really be called “Quick Money”. He won the vacant IBF belt in January 2016, beating Ukrainian, Vyacheslav Glazkov in the third round. Only 3 months after winning the IBF belt, Martin faced Anthony Joshua at the London O2 Arena and reported to earn himself a hefty £6 Million ($8.5 million) in the process. Unfortunately for Martin, this fight would be a total mismatch as he was knocked down twice before the fight was stopped in the 2nd round. Martin did not look that stunned when he was knocked down for the second time. Somehow, he managed miss the count and the fight was waved off by the referee. Personally, I think he chickened out and could have made the count. Martin showed a lack of ambition to win and clearly took this fight to cash out in my opinion. Charles Martin’s reign as IBF heavyweight champion was the second shortest in boxing history at just 85 days.

Dereck Chisora is a bad boy of boxing in and out of the ring. During the press conference for the Dillian Whyte fight, Dereck seemed to get irate over nothing and threw a table at Whyte. The British Boxing Board of Control held an emergency meeting and decided the British heavyweight title held by Whyte would no longer be on the line, while Chisora was fined £25,000. In 2012 the WBC suspended Dereck indefinitely following his brawl with fellow Briton David Haye after the title fight against Vitali Klitschko in Germany. Chisora also slapped Vitali in the face and spat water at his brother Wladimir before there scheduled fight. Outside of the ring, Chisora was pulled over for driving without insurance or a MOT certificate. He was alleged to not have a valid driving licence as well. He was given six points on his licence, meaning a six-month driving ban. In 2015 Dereck was ordered to serve 60 hours community service after threatening to kill a man in a car park after losing his temper. These are not the actions of an ambassador of boxing or someone I would want to represent British Boxing.

Now some of you might be wondering why I haven’t mentioned or included Deontay Wilder in my Kings and Queens list. Well the truth be told, Deontay is such a unique case that he deserves he own category. Deontay Wilder is the “JOKER” of the pack. That’s rite you heard it here first, His resume, his attitude, and how he conducts himself in and out of the ring is a total joke!! Let’s have a look at Deontay’s so called boxing resume. At first glimpse Deontay’s boxing record looks impressive at 38-0-37 KO’s. But after looking more closely in finer detail you will see Deontay has had a seriously padded boxing career. To date, after 38 fights the only name on Wilders boxing resume is Bermane Stiverne who is not listed in the top 15 by the WBA, IBF, or IBO rankings. It’s not like Bermane has a great boxing record either with no one worth mentioning on his record. Only the WBC has Bermane ranked at No. 2 on the list. This is not surprising as the WBC have been guilty of mollycoddling Deontay with weak mandatory defences and countless voluntary defences. I’m just stating facts!!!

Let’s compare the Joker Deontay Wilder to a true boxing King such as Anthony Joshua (19-0-19 KO’s). After only 16 fights, Anthony Joshua became IBF champion in defeating Charles Martin. Who was Deontay Wilder facing in his 16th fight? Reggie Pena… who the heck is Reggie Pena? You know a boxer is a nobody gate keeper when no one takes the time to make them a Wikipedia page. Anthony Joshua’s last fight was against the supremely talented and former IBF, IBO, WBA world champion Wladimir Klitschko who ruled the heavyweight division for over a decade. Anthony destroyed the Ukrainian in the 11th round, sending him to the canvas three times to secure the WBA belt. Who was Deontay’s Last opponent? Gerald Washington. While a massive step up from Reggie Pena, Washington is still a gate-keeper who spent more time as a NFL football player than a boxer. I watched the Deontay vs Gerald fight and I have to admit, surprisingly Gerald totally out-classed and boxed Wilder with his jab alone. Deontay looked lost and did not know what to do with himself. I had Gerald ahead on the scorecards until the 5th round when Wilder’s only saving grace in the form his trademark windmill right hand power punch ended the fight for Gerald Washington.

Deontay is no stranger to ducking a fight, in fact Heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte has recently called Deontay’s bluff. Dillian, who was beaten by Anthony Joshua in 2016 called Deontay out and reported to offer him $4.5 Million plus TV revenue. But Deontay has turned down the biggest offer in his boxing career stating he wants $7 million instead, basically pricing himself out. That’s nearly more than Charles Martin got against Anthony Joshua, Last time I checked, Dillian Whyte is no Anthony Joshua, so how can Deontay Wilder make such ridicules claims? The latest news is Deontay will be facing his left-over scraps in Bermane Stiverne whom he already defeated in 2015 with little interest shown by Television executives in broadcasting the fight. I seriously doubt Deontay would make any more than $1.4 from Bermane rematch even thought he could earn over $4.5 facing Dillian Whyte, so what conclusion can one take from this other than Wilder is Ducking! Deontay’s last fight against Bernard Washington earned him $900,000 with the fight watched by an average audience of 1.76 million viewers.

Deontay also has an interesting habit of calling out boxers when they are already tied up to other fights. For example, Deontay has called out Joseph Parker knowingly he has to face Huge Fury or lose his WBO belt. So that was a safe call out for Deontay to make without being put in any serious danger of the challenge being accepted. Just lately Deontay has been calling out Anthony Joshua but Deontay knows that Anthony has a rematch clause with Wladimir and then a mandatory defence against Kubrat Pulev. So, Anthony will not be available till mid-2018. But with Deontay harping on about wanting the impossible fight. I think he believes that this will make him look serious about the fight. Truth be told…he would not take the if it was offered to him. To be even more honest, not many people would want to fight Deontay. Not because he’s a feared boxer but because he’s a nobody a nobody boxer especially in his own country. Deontay struggles to be seen on PPV and when his fights are broadcasted on free TV he barely manages over 1.5 million viewers.

As I’ve said before to summarize, the kings of the heavyweight division have the attributes of a warrior, the heart of a lion and the soul of a hero. They are not looking for a payday to sustain their lavish life style. They are part of this sport because of the love they hold for this sport. They want to make a legacy and be part of the history set before them by likes of Muhammad Ali. The Queens just see this sport as an extension of their social life to gain popularly and fame to boost their over inflated egos. To them boxing is just a job, they are not interested in legacy or being a part of history, they just want to be seen and heard for all the wrong reasons. And then we have the Jokers or should I say Joker… Deontay. This guy should not even be in the sport let alone representing an iconic and influential country such as the USA. This is a country that has contributed so much to boxing and shaping the sport as we know it today. Either way, I’m very excited to see what the future brings in the boxing world.