GLOVE2FACE: Boxing's new home

I sat back the other day and thought about all the great boxers we have still fighting, as well as the good upcoming fighters that will take over after the greats call it quits, and I’m not all that impressed. I don’t see a fighter capable of keeping the sport afloat like Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquio, and Bernard Hopkins were able to do, among others.

It’s true that neither of them could’ve demanded so much attention from the public without other key fighters, but I don’t see the spirit or attitude in this new class that is needed to stir up enough drama to make me consistently come out of pocket to support a fight, especially since it might end with the real victor losing to his victim simply because the fight takes place in someone’s backyard.

Don’t get me wrong, there are some potentially great fighters in this new class, but there’s not enough to carry the sport. I’m only talking about carrying the sport, if I start talking about transcending it, I’d have to add a couple cuss words and a lot of exclamation marks.

I’ve been watching boxing for the better half of 20 years and the last 7 or 8 years, other than 2009, have been the worst of them all. I started watching boxing when Tyson had the world feeling obligated to order his PPV fights, and then turning around, after his one punch knockout, being mad, because of the fifty dollars they paid for a fight that lasted all of thirty seconds. Later that night his entire fight could be seen on the evening news. Four months later, everyone does it again.

I’m use to the competition being stacked, and you always had the good guys and the bad guys, as well as stiff rematches and trilogy‘s. 2009 was a great year for boxing, and I hope it continues, but it wasn’t great because of the amount of great fighters, but because of the amount of great fights.

Great fights don’t have to have two great fighters; it doesn’t even have to have one. All a great fight needs is a great match up. It can be a match up of styles, heart, the will to win, etc.

Out of all the great fights in 2009, more than half of them weren’t even on PPV.

This is simply my observation and my wish for the old days to be replicated. More of 2009 won’t be bad, but it won’t help in the long run.