Why Are People So Hung Up On The British,european,commonwealth Route?

[surreal deal]

As a spinoff from the other thread,am i the only one who finds this traditional,old fashioned road to the top stuff a load of bollocks?
The reason-Americans dont have to do it.
Repeat-Americans dont have to do it.Why the fuk should we?:huh

Theyre top fighters generally dont bother with NABF,USBA,interstate titles etc.They get a good run and after 20ish fights get a WORLD title shot.

Theyre top guys are fighting each other at World level,why should our top boys do it at a lower level?

Why the hell should we have our prospects knocked off at a lower level and lower payday.
Id sooner 2 of our top boys fight a WBO fight than a EURO or CW belt myself.
With 4 belts around now,why bother with regional belts?The top Americans never did.

[D-MAC]

As a spinoff from the other thread,am i the only one who finds this traditional,old fashioned road to the top stuff a load of bollocks?
The reason-Americans dont have to do it.
Repeat-Americans dont have to do it.Why the fuk should we?:huh

Theyre top fighters generally dont bother with NABF,USBA,interstate titles etc.They get a good run and after 20ish fights get a WORLD title shot.

Theyre top guys are fighting each other at World level,why should our top boys do it at a lower level?

Why the hell should we have our prospects knocked off at a lower level and lower payday.
Id sooner 2 of our top boys fight a WBO fight than a EURO or CW belt myself.
With 4 belts around now,why bother with regional belts?The top Americans never did.

It used to mean a good deal more, but not so now.

Its just a way to advertise something as a title fight, and have some guy walk into the ring with a nice shiny belt held above his head; British Joe Public isn't too up on individual boxers (except the hyped prospects) and how skillful they are, so a sparkly bit of kit combined with a "name" title puts bums on seats.

[mike464]

Because is doesn't involve Mickey Mouse titles.

[surreal deal]

I stuck a post at the end of your Enzo thread.Have you seen it yet?

[surreal deal]

Because is doesn't involve Mickey Mouse titles.
I personally think British and Commonwealth ARE Mickey Mouse.
Most of those champs are forgotten if that is the limit if their success.

[ishy]

I personally think British and Commonwealth ARE Mickey Mouse.
Most of those champs are forgotten if that is the limit if their success.

The Commonwealth title means nothing now. However all British fighters should aspire to win the Lonsdale belt. Unfortunately it has lost a lot of its prestige in recent years.

[mike464]

If we ignore British titles we get people like Khan going straight for WBO titles without even proving they are the best in Britain.

[D-MAC]

I stuck a post at the end of your Enzo thread.Have you seen it yet?

Shit man, I thought that thread had disappeared into the abyss.

Sorted it now.

When you said Enzo thread I thought "but Flint hasn't even posted in this thread...oh wait...he means me!":lol:

[scurlaruntings]

Its because in the old days it was a solid indication of HOW good a fighter you were. If you won the Lonsdale you were the best in Britain. If you won the EBU you were the best in Europe. If you won the commenwealth you were one of the best fighters in the world and certainly ready for Global honours. The problem is the commenwealth for all intents and purposes doesnt exist anymore and the title is too diluted to mean anything. The EBU still has value and gives you a high ranking with the WBC. Because of the plethora of meaningless belts that can be fought for the Lonsdale has only historical significance and has been devalued. But as a rule if you have a fighter that wins all 3 he`s defintly a fringe contender and ready for world honours. Plus as a rule you would also have faced all domestic contenders. WBU WBF champions can do as they please. There are no mandatories and if there are there meaningless.

[BigEars]

Because if you fall short at World level you've still achieved something, due to history and prestige these titles(well maybe not the Commonwealth so much anymore) still mean something. Usually you have to beat a very good fighter to win the European title aswell.

After the 4 'World titles' thought of as the highest, the European is the next strongest belt.

Bar the very bottom weightclasses(where the honour goes to Japan) Britain probably has the strongest national title in the World. So winning that does bring great honour.

I'd bet Wayne Elcock's British title means more to him than his WBU title ever could.

[brown bomber]

As a former fighter, give me a British title any day over those WBU plastic belts.... As a fighter you fight to have a place in history as much as anything else. As a British champion your are forever part of the British titles history whereas I couldn't tell you part of the WBU, IBO or WBFs recent history.

[GazOC]

As said before. every title was a progression and meant you were becoming a better fighter. As Scura said, it was a good way to gauge how good a fighter was, getting a WBU/WBO title doesn't do that.

[kurt2006]

Why are people hung up about these titles...I tell you why. Look at the farce of the British HW merry-go-round. All our current HWs are jack shit and they have degraded the British title with their b/s stinky performances. Now people ignore them and their titles like they ignored Johnny Nelson when he became the World Boxing Foundation HW title holder.

[rooq]

it works (or doesn't work) both ways. you can just as easily pick up a wbo as the british/commonwealth if you have the right promoter and luck.

i reckon that one of the reasons it doesn't happen in america is because they don't have a single top "domestic" body who's title means you are the "american champion" - instead they have domestic ABC titles with no tradition and are pretty meaningless

[surreal deal]

As a former fighter, give me a British title any day over those WBU plastic belts.... As a fighter you fight to have a place in history as much as anything else. As a British champion your are forever part of the British titles history whereas I couldn't tell you part of the WBU, IBO or WBFs recent history.
Good answer.:good

[surreal deal]

i reckon that one of the reasons it doesn't happen in america is because they don't have a single top "domestic" body who's title means you are the "american champion" - instead they have domestic ABC titles with no tradition and are pretty meaningless
Thats my main point.They dont have to bother with the regional stuff and thus have an easier path to World honours as a consequence.

[DamonD]

It's an old-fashioned progression perhaps, but I like it a lot. It's not like you have to spend years fighting over them either.

But I do like it, both as a kind of progression of a fighter's status and also to move them up the rungs smoothly rather than leaping up to Euro and World belts from the start. Some guys can do it, others would be better off with the progression.

To this day, I'm disappointed Frank Bruno never considered the British HW title worthy of his time. Almost all the other British HW contenders and champs over the years have but he and Duff wasn't interested.

[GazOC]

To this day, I'm disappointed Frank Bruno never considered the British HW title worthy of his time. Almost all the other British HW contenders and champs over the years have but he and Duff wasn't interested.

Bruno not fighting for the British title was because Lawless trained most of the other HWs for eligible for that title. There was no point in Bruno winning it and stopping Lawless' other fighters, who were clearly inferior to Bruno, from earning money from the title.

[power play]

Bruno not fighting for the British title was because Lawless trained most of the other HWs for eligible for that title. There was no point in Bruno winning it and stopping Lawless' other fighters, who were clearly inferior to Bruno, from earning money from the title.

bruno couldnt beat mason who was british champ at the time. but had a much better career than mason.

[surreal deal]

Bruno not fighting for the British title was because Lawless trained most of the other HWs for eligible for that title. There was no point in Bruno winning it and stopping Lawless' other fighters, who were clearly inferior to Bruno, from earning money from the title.
I half agree with Powerplay.Im not sure Mason & Horace Notice were inferior to Bruno.
Certainly not as indulged though.

[robpalmer135]

first off the titles are open to mandatorys, which means you should fight decent level oppasition, and do not step back.

[surreal deal]

They actually do but it is never advertised the same as british and euro belts but you'd be surprised the amount of useless titles boxers in Americas pick up as well.

Example to get an IBF shot you would have usually won the NABF etc (same company) also the USBA..the wba I believe etc
Interesting thanks.
I hope its the case,seems only fair.

[rooq]

They actually do but it is never advertised the same as british and euro belts but you'd be surprised the amount of useless titles boxers in Americas pick up as well.

Example to get an IBF shot you would have usually won the NABF etc (same company) also the USBA..the wba I believe etc

or there are the dodgy regional titles, like the wbo nabo, which a suprising number of top boxers have fought for, e.g. margarito, JMM, luevano.

[Beeston Brawler]

I think the easiest way to get title shots is to go for the interalphabetty route - after all you are paying them a sanctioning fee for a pointless trinket.

However - they will pretty much sanction anyone without AIDS for an interalphabetty fight, at least the regional commissions such as the BBBoC and EBU vet fighters and rank them accordingly.

I would imagine most fighters would feel very proud of becoming a national champion as well, much more so than becoming an inter-continental champion (whatever the fuck that means).

[robpalmer135]

yeh the wbc and wba generally rank eurp champs in the top 10.

[scurlaruntings]

yeh the wbc and wba generally rank eurp champs in the top 10.The EBU champ normally gets a number 1 ranking with the WBC.

[widdy]

any british fighter worth his salt would want to fight for the british title,just to show and know in his mind he is the best britain has to offer at his weight,and also defend it to win the lonsdale belt outright
then he can go on to win euro belt and world title,if he is good enough,if he aint then he can still be the best at domestic level
You get people like khan skiping it,and getting sparked when he has won fook all,and to be honest most true boxing fans want to see who is the best in britain,thats one if the reasons khan was disliked so much

[FLINT ISLAND]

Colin Jones went down the British Commonwealth European - cleaning them all up.

He werent able duck fighters behind a mickey mouse paper title.

He had to take each step up the ladder.

The sport is different today

As being World Champion has been cheaped tenfold by all the paper titles

It dont mean much anymore - cos fighters dont compete for the traditonal belts

Just go for a paper World title - and then you can say you champ of the world

[AlFrancis]

Colin Jones went down the British Commonwealth European - cleaning them all up.

He werent able duck fighters behind a mickey mouse paper title.

He had to take each step up the ladder.

The sport is different today

As being World Champion has been cheaped tenfold by all the paper titles

It dont mean much anymore - cos fighters dont compete for the traditonal belts

Just go for a paper World title - and then you can say you champ of the world

I fully agree.

[widdy]

Yeah but being the british champ does NOT make you the best in Britain.

Example , whoever the light welter British camp is (lynes I think) is not better than Witter, Hatton etc Same with Euro

im not saying lynes for instance is better than hatton,but hatton has passed british level,has proved himself.
im talking domestic level before you go on to world level,to be british champ should mean the world to him,being better than british domestic fighters,not british world title holders who have passed(most of them)domestic level,hope this makes sense:huh

[Beeston Brawler]

To be honest, I wouldn't mind a change of tack with regard the possession of British titles whilst at world level.

[elle]

Yeah but being the british champ does NOT make you the best in Britain.

Example , whoever the light welter British camp is (lynes I think) is not better than Witter, Hatton etc Same with Euro champs


Lynes isn't camp :lol: or British Champ - understand he had to vacate that Title to defend the European against Branco when he held both.

He is looking to re-capture the British Title against Barnes in November.

[Beeston Brawler]

Something in which he will succeed.

Easily.