The sport of boxing is in a great place, with most of the biggest fights coming to fruition.
We have, after all, recently been treated to a thrilling undisputed clash between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, a showdown that, at one stage, seemed unlikely to materialize.
Better yet, fans are all holding their breath in anticipation for the mouthwatering heavyweight rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury on December 21.
That said, there are still several issues with boxing which, in all honesty, only ever seem to be in place to assist those who wish to line their pockets.
Shawn Porter gives verdict on Michael Eifert becoming mandatory challenger for Artur Beterbiev
Boxing’s mandatory system should, at least in theory, reward those who are most deserving of a world title shot.
For a fighter to be ranked number one in the world by a sanctioning body – either the WBC, IBF, WBO or WBA – they must prove, first and foremost, to be worthy of such a feat.
And yet, Michael Eifert, whose best win came against a faded Jean Pascal last year, has become the mandatory challenger for Beterbiev’s IBF strap.
Most boxing aficionados, even, will struggle to find familiarity with the German’s name, with two-time world champion Shawn Porter left none the wiser.
“Especially when we’re looking at a name that we don’t really know… what we can say – and I hate that I have to say it – but what we can say is that, whatever percentage is supposed to go to the sanctioning body, they’re going to get all of that now,” Porter said on ProBox TV.
“I believe [the money that goes to sanctioning bodies] is why the mandatories are put in place. Some mandatories simply don’t make sense. I think, in order to be a mandatory, you have to be top three in the sanctioning body [and] have relevancy to your name.”
Oleksandr Usyk and Canelo Alvarez forced to relinquish IBF titles
The IBF are notoriously strict when it comes to enforcing their mandatories, refusing to allow any champion to get off the hook.
This became evident when, shortly after being crowned the undisputed heavyweight champion earlier this year, Usyk was forced to hand his IBF trinket to interim champion Daniel Dubois.
Canelo Alvarez, too, has recently been forced to relinquish his belt, with mandatory challenger William Scull instead facing, and indeed beating, Vladimir Shishkin for the full title.