Last night I did something I haven’t done in quite a while. I watched boxing. I have always been the type when channel surfing to avoid anything that resembles boxing, amatuer or professional. However, for whatever reason, last night was different. Maybe it was because I was tired or maybe dillusional. Regardless, I watched it and to tell you the truth I kind of enjoyed it. There is still something to be said for having guys stand 12 rounds and trade vicious jabs and uppercuts. However, the days of Muhammad Ali and George Foreman are long gone. For that matter, the days of Holyfield and Tyson are gone as well. The question that remains is; are those days gone forever?
Leading up to the last major fight that saw Oscar Del Hoya face off against Floyd Mayweather, skeptics were unofficially dubbing this the “Battle to Save Boxing”. It was thought that this fight could revive boxing to the days of its former glory. While the fight was not particularly spectacular, the ratings and revenue eclipsed all previous records, showing that boxing was in fact not dead and that the sport still had a strong following. However, the match took place over 2 years ago and in that time boxing failed to build on the fight’s success, eventually giving MMA, specifically the UFC, the opportunity to catch up to, if not surpass boxing, as the fighting sport of choice.
UFC 105 airs for free tonight on Spike TV
With that being said, there is a reason why boxing was so popular. However, to obtain the once former glory that the sport enjoyed a few, if not all, of the following areas should be addressed:
1. Unification – Boxing must, and this is a strong must, unify all of its belts. It has to be one of the only sports where there are mutiple champions in the same category. The federations and boards need to put their differences aside for the greater good. There is a piece of the pie for everyone, let’s not be greedy. By unifying the championship belts, the focus will be centalized instead of having the fan’s attention pulled in various directions, as it is currently.
2. Heavyweight Division: As history has shown, the heavyweight division is the bread and butter of boxing. With the likes of Ali, Holyfield, Lewis and Tyson serving as memories of the past, boxing has been left with a heavyweight division that is as about as interesting as watching grass grow. That being said, there is a sense of urgency to restore the division to what it used to be. The world needs another rags to riches story, a kid from the slums, anything that will captivate fans.
3. Fan Support: With the UFC bombarding fans with reality shows and free fight cards on top of the monthly pay-per-view events, boxing needs to get back on the main radar wave of society. Whether that is through free events on UFC fight nights or through reality shows of their own, the point is boxing needs to make a concerted effort to connect with the fans.
4. Personality: While I am not expecting boxing to suddenly produce the next Cassius Clay, there is a need for someone, anyone with a little bit of spunk and flare in boxing. Like stars of any other sport, boxing needs to put its athletes in the Hollywood spotlight.
5. UFC: Tonight, most eyes are on the fight between Couture and Vera at UFC 105. As mentioned before, UFC has surpassed boxing in the minds of the everyday fan. As a result, boxing needs to directly counter any move made by the UFC. If UFC has a pay-per-view, boxing should hold a major card for free. If the UFC has a reality show on semi-primetime, boxing needs to have one on during prime-time. The point is that before the gap widens, boxing must make an effort to eat away at the popularity of the UFC.
Tonight Manny Pacquaio fights Miguel Cotto in one of the biggest boxing fights in recent memory. Did anyone else know about this?
It remains to be seen what the outcome will be for boxing but I can guarantee that if changes are not made it looks like it could be down for the count…for good.
Top Cheese 