(CNN Philippines) — The Mayweather-Pacquiao bout on May 2 (May 3 PHT) will determine an undisputed world champion, something that veteran analyst Quinito Henson believes will do a lot for the world of boxing.
“Professional boxing is in a situation where the integrity of the sport is being questioned, it is in doubt,” said Henson.
“There are four major prestigious governing bodies in professional boxing, believe it or not those four bodies recognize a total of 74 world champions and there are only 17 weight divisions. That is an anomaly.”
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Since the 1980s, a lot of governing bodies have been formed which have all been categorized as part of the alphabet soup of boxing because of their abbreviations.
The increase in the number of sanctioning bodies have also increased the number of so-called ‘world champions’ for every weight category available, which in turn cheapens the value of the title.
“You can’t have 74 champions, and only have 17 weight divisions,” said Henson. “You’re supposed to only have 17 world champions if you have 17 weight divisions.”
Henson also pointed out that currently there are numerous champions in each division: “You have the WBA (World Boxing Association), for instance, that in one weight category they have a super champion, they have a regular champion, they have an interim champion, and that’s ridiculous.
“We’re sick and tired of seeing 5, 6, or 7 champions in one weight division.”
For Henson, the farce of multiple ‘world champions’ in a single weight division is something that has plagued the sport for years and that fight fans only “want to see undisputed champions out there.”
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On Sunday (May 3), two of the this generation’s greatest fighters will finally meet inside the ring to unify the WBA, World Boxing Organization (WBO), and World Boxing Council (WBC) world welterweight titles.
“The fans wants a legitimate, undisputed champion, and at least for the welterweight division we’re going to see that,” said Henson.
