Stop saying boxing is dead.
In fact, if you have uttered that in the last two years, you don’t know sh*t about boxing.
Roger Mayweather voice.
While the welterweights have continued to make waves, on the heels of Floyd Mayweather’s retirement, the heavyweights also came back strong.
Let’s have some fun. Rank these 5 fighters:
– Teofimo Lopez
– Tank Davis
– Devin Haney
– Ryan Garcia
– Shakur Stevenson— Andreas Hale (@AndreasHale) January 3, 2021
With Canelo Alvarez switch hitting at a champ level at middleweight and light heavyweight, the game is strong.
However, with the future always in mind with athletics, boxing only feels secure if there is a definitive next generation to carry the torch.
Enter the lightweights.
They have solidified not only a strong variety of high level potential championship matchups but understand the value of social media promotion to guarantee the bag for their respective investors.
With boxing’s major promoters: Mayweather Promotions, Golden Boy Promotions, Top Rank, and Matchroom Sports; all having a lightweight champion, the value for the division has gone way up.
WBA (Regular) lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis’ brutal 6th round uppercut over Leo Santa Cruz cemented the power within the division.
"We can make this fight this week." 🗣️
Eddie Hearn talks about a Ryan Garcia vs. Devin Haney fight. 🥊 pic.twitter.com/CWrT1IMBdB
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) January 7, 2021
Couple that with newly minted WBC interim lightweight champion Ryan Garcia’s crushing left hook body blow to the liver of Luke Campbell to set off the 2021 boxing season and the lightweights look like the next generation of fan favorites.
After @KingRyanG impressive stoppage of Luke Campbell, Lightweight division now one of hottest weight classes in #Boxing
C. Teofimo Lopez 16-0 (12 KO)
1. Vasiliy Lomachenko 14-2 (10 KO)
2. Gervonta Davis 24-0 (23 KO)
3. Ryan Garcia 21-0 (18 KO)
4. Devin Haney 25-0 (15 KO) pic.twitter.com/u3snTiZz4R— Fight Fans (@FightFans) January 3, 2021
WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney had a consistent year of wins in 2019, garnering him the WBC lightweight title. Although he only executed one KO in his last 5 outings, “The Dream” has been cementing his boxer-businessman brand uniquely amid the lightweight fray.
As the youngest promoter in boxing history, Haney has always been on the radar as a young phenom doing it his way. Trained by his father Bill Haney and relocating from the Bay Area to Las Vegas, Haney is on a mission to fight like “Pretty Boy Floyd” and world the business end like “Money May”.
However, at the top of the lightweight heap is the current unified lightweight ling, Teofimo Lopez.
Teofimo Lopez
-Top 10, Top 3, Ring Magazine Champion
-IBF, WBO, WBA Super, & WBC Franchise Champion at Lightweight
-Lineal Lightweight Champion
Wins over M. Nakantani, R. Commey, V. Lomachenko(16-0, 12KOs) pic.twitter.com/f7tXRDR1IY
— IBT Boxing Truth (@IBTBoxingTruth) January 3, 2021
The Brooklynite chased a showdown against Vasiliy Lomachenko via his father-trainer’s call outs.
Passing the Torch! 👊🏽🔥 @jcchavez115
Pasando la antorcha! 👊🏽🔥 @jcchavez115 pic.twitter.com/0CVLkkry4G— Teofimo Lopez (@TeofimoLopez) January 6, 2021
When the fight finally materialized in October 2020, Lopez showed that he had the key to “The Matrix”.
He handed Lomachenko a definitive loss to become the man on top of the lightweight mountain.
"If we can make @Realdevinhaney, let's make Devin." 🔥 pic.twitter.com/eeJHngltnw
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) January 3, 2021
Now the stage is set for the four leaders of the new school to have to see each other.
The WBC has already made Ryan Garcia a mandatory for Devin Haney.
Ryan Garcia has been calling out Tank Davis, believing he can dispatch of the power puncher in two rounds.
Lopez wants the smoke with all these champions and believes he will clean the board of them all.
Boxing is veering back into the era of the top tier matchups that can and will actually be made.
Don’t ever say boxing is dead. It’s actually more alive than ever, COVID-19 precautions and all.
