Boxing’s Future Looks Very Russian

ivan_drago.jpgThis being a pro boxing-oriented blog, I confess I’d never seen world amateur boxer ratings until today, via Boxing Along the Beltway/D.C. Amateur Boxing. The man who provided the rankings to D.C. Amateur Boxing, the U.K.’s Michael Smith, appears to have been a well-regarded authority on the matter for any number of years.

In the latest world rankings, in every weight class but one — where Russia had the #3 boxer — Russia has either the #1 boxer, #2 boxer or both in the “junior” category. I don’t know if that trend necessarily indicates that Russia, already the dominant power in the heavyweight division, is soon going to be taking over the sport as a whole; its amateurs don’t do quite as well in some of the other, non-junior rankings. But I thought it was interesting and worth sharing. The rest of the rankings are interesting, too, so read ’em and enjoy. Or weep.

About Tim Starks

Tim is the founder of The Queensberry Rules and co-founder of The Transnational Boxing Rankings Board (http://www.tbrb.org). He lives in Washington, D.C. He has written for the Guardian, Economist, New Republic, Chicago Tribune and more.

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