The feeble challenge of Ray Austin

Pathetic.

That’s the first word that came to mind if I had to describe Ray Austin’s challenge of Wladmir Klitschko this past weekend.

Ray Austin was Klitschko’s mandatory. Apparently, as the premier heavyweight champion he has no clout as being able to pick his opponents. I don’t blame him for taking the fight. The guy had an arena full of Germans screaming for him and he made at least a million for less than two rounds of work. Nice work if you can get it.

But how in the hell did Austin qualify as a mandatory? The fact that Don King led him into the ring Saturday night provides the first and only clue we’ll need.

Austin is a non-descript thirty-six year old heavyweight whose high water mark in boxing was appearing on Cedric Kushner’s “Thunderbox” series a few years ago. He did some prison time, ended up working in a manufacturing factory for twelve hours a day then achieved some marginal success in boxing. He does not possess the talent to be on HBO. His ring walk lasted longer than his time in the ring, being blasted into unconsciousness by Klitschko's first serious punch.

I know this has been said before but…What in the world has happened to the American heavyweight? Bert Randolph Sugar frequently comments that the best American heavyweight in the world is “the linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens, Ray Lewis.”

Implicit in his statement is an assertion that the majority of today’s big men go into football not boxing. He may be right. But the biggest hit to American boxers in general is the depletion of our amateur boxing program. It needs a major overhaul and has to be promoted similarly to the way it was in the 1970s. Amateur boxing still thrives in other countries (the former Soviet Union, Cuba). Yes, I know this is a viewpoint that has been pointed out endlessly but watching Ray Austin’s feeble attempt it really made me think how pathetic Americans have become in boxing, particularly in the heavyweight division. Who do we have? James Toney? Hasim Rahman? Calvin Brock? Ugh!

So what we are seeing is the logical conclusion to the negligence of our amateur boxing programs. What is happening in the heavyweight division will eventually have a spill over effect to the rest of boxing’s divisions. The lower weight classifications are dominated by Mexicans and Pan-Asians. The heavier weight classifications are dominated by Europeans (ugh..) That leaves the middle divisions, middleweight through welterweight. We still have notable Americans in these divisions but it will be interesting to see how long that even lasts. They are starting to grow them bigger in Mexico.