Via Alex Fesl: A weak champion is a bit of a misnomer. Rarely do boxing fans consider a boxer to be weak, especially a champion. After all, it takes great heart and determination to enter the squared circle.
However, given the current predicament with the WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF organizations claiming their own version of the championship, we’ve seen more and more champions that may not even represent their own. the best talent in their respective weight classes. Often referred to as paper champions, these boxers may not even deserve a top 10 ranking in their division. They seem to rise up the ranks for one organization or another and then find themselves in a position to fight for a world title. It’s an interesting phenomenon when fans are questioning the legitimacy of a boxer’s achievement.
At the same time, this is not an entirely new trend. Some boxers in the past considered weak champions include Primo Carnera, Leon Spinks and Jess Willard, etc. It’s important to note that in the past, boxing used to have one champion per weight class. So while there may be weak champions at times, they probably deserve a better chance at becoming a champion than in today’s four-belt era. Simply put, it was even more difficult then to compete for a title than it is now. Below I describe some recent weak champions/paper champions.
Rolando “Rolly” Romero: Rolly is an interesting character, to say the least. His out-of-ring antics and his tantrums with other boxers have made him a popular figure in the boxing world. Inexplicably, Rolly is now considered a two-time champion, having previously held the WBA lightweight title and now the WBA Ultralightweight title.
In the WBA lightweight title match, Rolly fought Jackson Marinez. Although Rolly won the match 118–110, 116–112 and 115–113, many felt that Marinez defeated the unorthodox Rolly quite easily. Punch stats show Marinez knocking Rolly down by almost 20 punches. Honestly, 118-110 would make more sense for Marinez.
Most recently, Rolly found himself battling against Ismael Barroso for the vacant WBA Ultralight title. In the previous match, Rolly was defeated by Tank Davis. It is very rare for a fighter to be knocked out and then win the title in the next fight. Against Barroso, Rolly was again disqualified when suddenly, the referee stepped in and stopped the match in Rolly’s favor. Barroso took the lead on the scoreboard and was not injured at all. Circumstances were very strange in that war.
Karl Martin: Martin is the embodiment of the paper champion. After hitting a 22-0-1 record after beating multiple champions and laners, Martin found himself in a match against Vyacheslav Glazkov for the vacant IBF Heavyweight world title. Glazkov eventually injured his knee in the third round, and Martin would be awarded the victory. The boxing gods certainly blessed Martin that evening. A few months later, Martin was knocked out by Anthony Joshua. A very short reign of champion Martin.
Bermane Stiverne: Leading up to the final match for the WBC Heavyweight title, Stiverne defeated Ray Austin 28-5-4 to win the WBC Heavyweight belt. Austin was never a top heavyweight and should never have been approved to fight for a disqualifier. He’d been KOed many times before and looked absolutely terrifying in his pre-elimination match against Odlanier Solis, in which he was disqualified for throwing a punch nearly 30 seconds after the bell.
Stiverne would then easily defeat Austin for the WBC Heavyweight title. For some reason, Stiverne would then fight Chris Areola twice, first for the WBC Silver Heavyweight title (whatever it was) and then again for the WBC Heavyweight title that was vacant after Vitali Klitschko retired and vacated the belt. Wondering how Stiverne will go up against Vitali? However, Stiverne then went on to lose to Deontay Wilder by a margin in his first title defense.
Jeff Horn: Horn started his career mainly thanks to Australian boxers at the domestic level. After a few years, he’ll score well-deserved victories over lackluster rivals Randall Bailey and Ali Funeka. Given that, Horn will rise enough ranks to qualify to challenge boxing legend Manny Pacquiao for the WBO Welterweight belt. The fight will take place in Horn’s hometown, Australia.
Pacquiao seemed to dominate the match, leaving Horn injured round after round. Although Horn was aggressive in the affair, he failed to deliver many meaningful punches. Post-fight stats show that Pacman lands almost twice as many punches as Horn. In the end, Horn will win on the scoreboard, most likely by the hometown cooking jury. Horn was then KOed by Terence Crawford less than a year after his fight with Pacquiao.
Let me know in the comments what you think of these warriors. Am I unfair in my criticism, or are these boxers legitimate champions? Who else should be on this list? Comment below.
