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Cape Town - South Africa's Tommy Oosthuizen is supposedly challenging for the WBA Light-Heavyweight title when he takes on German holder Juergen Braehmer at the Salle des Etoiles in Monte Carlo on November 7 in what promoters Golden Gloves a little optimistically have proclaimed "The Night of Champions."
But wait a minute. The WBA also proclaim unbeaten Russian Sergey Kovalev as their undisputed Super Light-Heavyweight champion. So how can Braehmer be defending the WBA's Light-Heavyweight champion when Kovalev is the undisputed champion?
Well in the hazy, crazy world of boxing champions almost anything goes and while as many as seven or eight different associations all
proclaim their own version of world champions, the previously conservative and respected WBA have taken the art of make-believe to
new heights by naming their own super world champions, undisputed world champions, disputed world champions - a category in which Braehmer seemingly belongs - and unified champions.
So even if the unbeaten, once exciting and talented Oosthuizen, who has experienced some stormy, career-threatening downers in and out of
the ring in the last couple of years, should manage to overcome the rugged and durable Braehmer, who has been beaten only twice in his 49
bouts, the question needs to be raised as to where does the South African nicknamed "Tommy Gun" in his early, halcyon boxing years rankin status in comparison to Kovalev?
Even by the WBA's own calculations, the winner of the Braehmer-Oosthuizen fight will continue to be rated number two Light-Heavyweight behind Kovalev - not forgeting, at the same time, that all the other sundry boxing associations consider it their birthright as well to name a World Light-heavyweight champion among those in the myriad of divisions.
And remember there are now 17 weight divisions in professional boxing instead of the eight when boxing truly packed a punch in the days of
Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard and such-like.
This means that there could now theoretically be as many as 140 or 150 so-called world champions at a given time instead of the hardy eight
boxing heroes of the past that were once in place - with the WBA now adding to the confusion with their multi-champions in various
divisions.
