Above: Malik Zinad (right) seemed very interested in both the WBA and IBO titles that Dmitry Bivol brought to their fight in June. Unfortunately for Zinad, he would walk away with neither. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

FISCHER’S FAQs 

Back by popular demand, I present to you, dear readers, more Frequently Asked Questions. I used to get questions (comments and rants) via email during the many years of my twice-weekly mailbag column, but these days fans mostly share their thoughts with social media posts or comments under articles. So you can imagine my surprise when I received a question in the form of a two-minute voicemail left by Darren Garcia of Yonkers, New York.

I can’t recall if I’ve ever met Darren and I have no idea how he got my phone number, but I missed his call, which I received on May 20 (my birthday). However, I listened to his message with interest and I’m happy to share it here. 

IS THE FIVE-BELT ERA COMING?

“I’m just curious and asking, now with Oleksandr Usyk as the undisputed world heavyweight champion and considering the fact that he’s the first one in 24 years and considering the fact that the IBO title was also on the line, does that make the IBO title now part of the undisputed crown? Have we moved into the five-belt era with Usyk ushering [it] in? Or is the IBO just not gonna, you know, be given its fair due?

“Last time something like this happened was when Bernard Hopkins fought Oscar De La Hoya. Hopkins (was three-belt era undisputed) with the IBF, WBC and WBA (middleweight titles). De La Hoya was the WBO (160-pound) champion. After their fight, since all the belts were on the line, we entered the four-belt era with Bernard Hopkins being the first four-belt undisputed champion.

“It’s only safe to assume that the same thing will happen with the IBO. But again, I’ve seen similar situations and other organizations where that has not happened. 

“So, I’m just curious, is the IBO now part of the undisputed crown and has Usyk ushered in the five-belt era?”

My Reply to Darren:

The IBO belt is definitely part of Usyk’s undisputed championship. He won it with his first decision victory over Anthony Joshua in September 2021 and he’s made sure to bring it into the ring with him ever since. The fighter and his management team recognize the IBO title and want to include it with the other belts he’s earned. If it was good enough for Joshua to hold, you better believe it’s good enough for the Ukrainian star.

Wherever Oleksandr Usyk goes, the IBO belt (center) goes with him. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

However, that doesn’t mean the general boxing public will acknowledge the IBO. 

Many great fighters over the decades, from Roy Jones Jr. to Manny Paquiao to Wladimir Klitschko, have held the IBO belt, but hardcore fans – primarily Americans – continue to regard it as a “minor belt.” If you recall, the IBO was one of the belts that Lennox Lewis held following his rematch victory over Evander Holyfield that earned him undisputed heavyweight champion status during the three-belt era. Lewis wore the IBO strap with pride until his retirement in 2003, but it remained invisible to U.S. boxing media and fans. 

Having said that, as you stated, it’s only safe to assume that the five-belt era is coming.

The WBO was snubbed by the American boxing press and by most fans upon its inception in 1988 and throughout the 1990s. It wasn’t considered a major title in the U.S. even during the first half of the 2000s. It didn’t matter that high-profile American fighters – including a young Oscar De La Hoya and entertaining heavyweight standouts Ray Mercer, Tommy Morrison and Michael Moore – held the belt during the ’90s.

The 2004 Hopkins-De La Hoya undisputed middleweight clash did a lot to establish the Puerto Rico-based organization as one of the major sanctioning bodies, as you noted. Joe Calzaghe, the longtime WBO super middleweight beltholder (who was recognized as a legit champ in the U.K.), also helped with his title unification bouts vs. Jeff Lacy in 2006 and Mikkel Kessler in 2007. 

Perhaps all the IBO needs to be “put over,” using pro wrestling vernacular, is to be included in a few more high-profile title unifications. There’s a big one on the horizon.

Dmitry Bivol, The Ring’s No. 2-rated light heavyweight and the WBA titleholder, also holds the IBO belt. His anticipated showdown with The Ring’s No. 1-rated light heavyweight, Artur Beterbiev, will not only crown a new Ring champ but will connect the IBO with all the other major straps. Two pound-for-pound-rated undisputed champions, Usyk and the Beterbiev-Bivol winner, could do a lot for the IBO’s profile.  

Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn displays the IBO belt between Maxi Hughes and Kid Galahad at the weighin for their lightweight fight in September 2022. (Photo by Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing)

I’m fairly certain that the boxing industry would welcome a fifth belt. Promoters and networks/streaming platforms do not appear to believe in the old saying “Less is more.” They clearly think “More is more,” because we keep getting more fights (regardless of matchup quality) on each card, more hours for each broadcast (who cares if the main event begins after midnight on the East Coast?), and more belts – “youth,” “U.S.,” “Latin,” “continental,” “international,” “intercontinental,” “silver,” “gold,” “interim,” “world,” “super,” etc. – on the line.

Many commentators and pundits get into the act. They’ll mention a sanctioning body belt before they acknowledge the Ring Magazine championship (looking at you, Chris Mannix). 

The PR flacks of the promoters and networks are always looking for ways to make the next “big thing” – be it a fighter or a matchup – “special.” They want to find ways to connect today’s fighters with the legends of the past while also setting them apart from the greats. 

“How can we make this next fight a ‘first’ or historical?” they ask. “Oh, I know, we’ll say the winner of this next one will be the first undisputed champion of the five-belt era (or the second, if Usyk ultimately attains that designation).”

I think it will happen before the end of the 2020s. The industry is desperate for attention and to them it’s easier to complicate things than it is to simplify (even though fans – especially the casual fans the sport needs – want things to be more straightforward). 

And, to be honest, I’m curious to see if there’s a breaking point with the relatively small group of hardcore fans that continue to watch and support the sport. Will anyone say, “Hey, come on, no offense to the IBO, but this is crazy, this is too much”?

I know the industry will never let the belts go – it’s a dysfunctional and long-term codependent relationship it has with the sanctioning bodies – but my hope is that the fighters will eventually get fed up and drop them in favor of pursuing what I and many others view as the one true world championship in the sport: the Ring Magazine title.

ERROL SPENCE

The next FAQ is about Errol Spence’s placement in The Ring’s pound-for-pound rankings, taken from the comment section the Ring Ratings Update posted on July 4. Spence, who hasn’t fought since being brutally defeated by Terence Crawford almost one year ago, is currently rated No. 9 in our mythical rankings. There’s a dedicated group of fans that cannot tolerate the former unified welterweight champ’s P4P presence. I address the issue at least once a week on social media or in the RRU comment sections. I’ll be relieved when Spence is dropped for inactivity after July 29.

From OlMongoose (posted July 5):

A question to the Ring Rating Panel: Do you believe that there are only eight fighters in the world better than Errol Spence?

The argument against. I was in short pants the last time he actually won a fight. He hasn’t looked “pound for pound” in years and years, his record is good but it’s not great enough to be held in the discussion for this long without a fight/win, and he was completely and utterly – historically even – outclassed in his last outing over a year ago. I think that the number in front of him is not 8 but more like halfway to 80, really. The panel is in serious risk of losing credit with its insistence on Spence. Pull the trigger, guys.

Ever since Errol Spence Jr. (right) took a beatdown from Terence Crawford, his place in the pound-for-pound top 10 has been questioned by many. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

My reply to OlMongoose:

Apart from the eight currently rated ahead of him, who would you seriously rank ahead of Spence in the P4P? He lost to a great fighter in Crawford, he didn’t get killed. The biggest knock on Spence IMO is not that he lost to a generational talent; there should be no shame in that, but rather his inactivity. However, inactivity is a problem with almost all of this era’s top fighters. I hope you Spence-obsessed fans aren’t in education, because you would likely fail a straight-A student after he got a D or an F on one test.

OlMongoose’s reply to Yours Truly:

Thank you for the reply. I get what you are saying and I agree and disagree with your points. I agree that fighters should not be penalized for a loss in fights that they do well in (Loma’s two losses jump to mind here).

I agree that activity is “the” issue with so many fighters today; some are worse than others (the Charlos and Spence are, arguably, leading that group among still popular fighters today). Spence’s inactivity matters because it is more than the “normal”; it’s a fairly extreme case (3 fights in 4 years).

My list of fighters with a case over Spence are: Kenshiro Teraji, Sunny Edwards, Kazuto Ioka, Junto Nakatani, Vasiliy Lomachenko, Shakur Stevenson, Teofimo Lopez, Devin Haney, Sebastian Fundora, Tim Tszyu, Zhanibek Alimkhanuly, David Benavidez, Jai Opetaia, and heavyweights, if we want: Agit Kabayel, Daniel Dubois, Joseph Parker, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.

Activity matters, and places on your coveted list, I think, should be rewarded to guys that fight quality fights in hard matches – win, lose or draw. Thanks again.

My response to OlMongoose:

Hey OM, thanks for your replies. Here’s my opinion regarding your list of fighters over Spence: 

Kenshiro Teraji – Maybe. He’s mainly just proven to be the man at 108, and he’s begun to struggle there.

Sunny Edwards – No. He’s proven to be No. 1 at flyweight. The guy who beat him AND proved to be the man and Ring champ at 115 deserves a high P4P rankings and has it.

Junto Nakatani

Kazuto Ioka – Maybe. He’s got HOF credentials but is coming off a close loss to a solid beltholder and was lucky to the get the draw in the first bout with Josh Franco, who was solid but not elite. 

Junto Nakatani – Yes. I agree with Junto being ahead of Spence. [Proofreader’s note: This might be a good place to remind readers that The Ring’s ratings are decided by a panel, as OlMoongoose alluded to. As such, panelists’ individual lists, including the Editor-in-Chief’s, may vary.]

Vasiliy Lomachenko – Maybe. He’s clearly on the slide. Just because he can beat George Kambosos doesn’t mean he’s still P4P. I thought he beat Devin Haney, but he also struggled with Jamaine Ortiz prior to that bout.

Shakur Stevenson – Maybe. He looked like the goods at 130 but has yet to show/prove he’s really elite at 135.

Teofimo Lopez – No. I like Teo, I think he’s a super talent and very accomplished for his age, but he’s a hot-and-cold performer and he didn’t really shine vs. Steve Claggett. 

Devin Haney – Maybe. He will likely be reinstated when Spence is dropped for inactivity.

Sebastian Fundora – No. Come on! He’s a great guy, but he’s one fight removed from being KTFO by a fringe contender! He’s proven to be No. 1 at 154, nothing more. 

Tim Tszyu – No. He’s proven to be a top 154-pounder, nothing more.

Zhanibek Alimkhanuly – No. He’s proven to be No. 1 at arguably the WEAKEST division in boxing, nothing more, and he may no longer be able to make 160 pounds.

David Benavidez – No. He’s proven to be the No. 1 contender at 168 and a contender at 175, which is notable, but not pound-for-pound level. 

Jai Opetaia – No. He’s the cruiserweight champ and that’s fine for now; let’s revisit his merits when he’s undisputed at 200 and beats a solid heavyweight or two.

Agit Kabayel, Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker – No, no and no. They are heavyweight contenders, nothing more.

Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua – No and no. They do have worthy resumes. There’s no shame in losing to a great fighter like Oleksandr Usyk. But keep in mind that Fury almost lost to Francis Ngannou and AJ did what he was supposed to in smashing the MMA fighter and Otto Wallin.

Activity DOES matter, but activity alone DOES NOT place you on our coveted list. Who you fight and how you perform MATTERS more. Thank you again for your comments. Keep ’em comin’. This is fun. Reminds me of the mailbag days.

Doug Fischer is Editor-in-Chief of The Ring Magazine. Got something to say for future editions of “Fischer’s FAQs”? You can email Doug at [email protected].

Follow him on Twitter and IG @dougiefischer.

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The cover art for this issue was created by Brian Harty using reference photos by Al Bello/Getty Images, Patrick Smith/Getty Images and Sarah Stier/Getty Images.