Floyd Mayweather doesn’t go nearly far enough with his ideas to clean up boxing and the situation with too many world champions.
Mayweather has aired his views on four world titleholders in seventeen weight classes [one more with the WBC] on many occasions.
One of those times was before an exhibition in Japan when captured by attending media. He said: “What we’re doing is watering the sport down.
Floyd Mayweather on boxing world champions
“Everybody is champion now. There should only be four champions in each weight class, but it’s more than four.
“Now, in the top ten, you may have twelve fighters in the weight class that’s champion.
“So the sport of boxing, we need to clean this up with all the sanctioning bodies. I’m not just talking about one particular sanctioning body because I was a fighter competing at the highest level at one particular time.”
The view that boxing should have four world champions remains an absurd one, though. Floyd Mayweather grew up in an era where there were multiple world champions. But that’s not what fans and media want.
At least half of the four organizations ruling over boxing belts should merge, in the view of World Boxing News.
One champion is too few, as there would be no need for an undisputed unification if that were the case. Therefore, if, say, the WBA and IBF merged and the WBC and WBO, the sport would be all the better.
Altering to the WIBF and the WBOC, or similar, would bring boxing into a new age and see two champions per division. Those who hold the gold could then push on to massive Pay Per Views for one sole ruler overall.
Four titles are too many
Four belts are far too many, and the dilution Mayweather speaks of proves this.
Mayweather has even offered to be involved. He added: “I feel that I was put in this position to clean this sport up.
“I don’t want to be in boxing if I can’t help if I can’t give back. I don’t want to give back just financially.
“I’m giving my time back, but I’m also going to give my voice. We have to clean the sport of boxing up. There are too many champions in these weight classes.
“Anybody can be a champion in this era. Everybody is a world champion now,” concluded the five-weight world champion.
Cutting down too many wouldn’t give Mayweather the 21 world champions total he defeated during his career. But boxing would undoubtedly be a better place for it.
