Multiple world champions and the best of the best refusing to face each other, these are just a few problems present in the great sport of boxing.
Politics, money, and big personalities have muddled what is a relatively simple sport that sees two fighters put their all into 36 minutes of fierce competition.
But there is one sporting concept which can benefit boxing, tournaments.
Boxing and tournaments are no stranger to one another. The Super Six World Boxing Classic, the World Boxing Super Series and now Matchroom’s Road to Undisputed are some of the most well-known examples where fighters and promoters put their differences aside to achieve greatness.
With boxing often flip flopping between the epitome of athletic prowess and the laughing stock amongst casual sports fans, the sport often needs something to grab the full attention of its audience.
Tournaments are the best way of doing that.
Take the World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) as an example. The concept is very simple, eight of the world’s best fighters go head-to-head in quarter-finals, semi-finals and eventually a final where the winner will more often than not be crowned the number one fighter in a certain weight class.
The first edition of the cruiserweight competition, which was spread across 2017 and 2018, produced some memorable encounters including Oleksandr Usyk’s foray into ‘enemy territory’ to face Russia’s Murat Gassiev in the final. Usyk produced a perfect performance to win the fight on points to unify all four 200lb world titles and cement himself as the world's number one cruiserweight.
For boxing and sports fans across the world, this year or so of hard-hitting cruiserweight action gave them something to invest themselves in.
Like an engrossing television series, after each fight, fans were eager to find out what would happen in each passing contest and when Usyk was eventually crowned the winner, there was a rapid growth in his fanbase which has gotten even bigger since beating Anthony Joshua to become the new unified world heavyweight champion.
Undisputed super-lightweight champion Josh Taylor and hard-hitting bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue are just some of the names to benefit from the WBSS tournament format in subsequent seasons.
Taylor cemented himself as one of, if not, the best man to lace up the gloves at 140lbs, while Inoue’s heavy knockouts during the 2018-19 tournament turned the Japanese fighter into a viral sensation.
Once again, a consistent format where fans can watch the best fights on a regular basis where the winner cements themselves as the number one name in a specific weight division makes boxing an easier sport to follow for the casual fan.
Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn often echoes the need for all weight divisions in boxing to have their own undisputed champion and seems to be leading charge like the Sauerlands before him with ‘The Road to Undisputed’ tournament in the women’s 140lb division.
WBC champion Chantelle Cameron and IBF title holder Mary McGee meet this Saturday, and Kali Reis and Jessica Camara who meet on November 19, exclusively on DAZN, will all be hoping to join Katie Taylor and Claressa Shields as another undisputed women’s boxing world champion.
Hopefully as this tournament progresses, fans will get invested in the fighters, the numerous storylines and the winner becomes a ‘household’ name.
Then, if this format proves to be a success, there is no reason why Eddie Hearn cannot lead the charge for similar tournaments to be made across various weight divisions and help popularise boxing further.