Boxing Poised to Take a Big Swing

Is boxing on its way back?

The “sweet science” has taken its blows over the past decade or so but it seems at least to this fan that it is beginning to turn the corner. 2007 saw many highlights in the sport of boxing and 2008 does not show any signs that boxing will be slowing down.

The real jumping off point for boxing came last May 5 when Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather squared off in the highest grossing fight in boxing history. And while the fight, dubbed by promoters as “The World Awaits,” still has some fight fans waiting for the unrealistic expectations fans had for the fight to be met—it is undeniable that De LA Hoya v. Mayweather delivered a much needed shot in the arm to the fight game. HBO’s innovative coverage of the fight especially their creation of a television series dubbed “24/7” brought fans closer to the lead-up to a major fight than they had ever been before. The fact that it was a good, solid, clean, fight did little to subdue the frustration of those casual fans who threw down $54.99 expecting “The Rumble in the Jungle,” Hagler v. Hearns, and Ward v. Gatti all rolled into one—but for those more expert fans the fight was a competitive one that thankfully did nothing to embarrass the sport. And a lack of embarrassment as sad as it may sound is a step in the right direction after the Mike Tyson era.
The fall also saw a series of competitive and exciting fights that continued to give those fans anteing-up $44.99 or more per show their money’s worth. September’s Jermain Taylor v. Kelly Pavlik’s eight round thriller that saw Pavlik take a step on to boxing’s big stage with a knockout victory while at the same time giving Taylor his first defeat. In addition, Mayweather returned to boxing’s main stage in December where he knocked out British favorite Ricky Hatton in a competitive and at times very exciting bout. This past weekend Kelly Pavlik once again defeated Jermain Taylor in a unanimous decision in a fight that most in attendance seem to agree was a competitive one.

This coming weekend boxing’s spotlight returns to what used to be its main stage-a heavyweight championship bout. With every Tyson embarrassment the heavyweight division lost a bit more of its respect and while American fans rightfully shifted their focus towards lower weight classes what has emerged is an international hold on the heavyweight crown—a title that for decades was considered something owed to someone born in America as much as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is.

The two participants in this weekend’s heavyweight unification bout are Ukrainian born Wladimir Klitschko (49-3) and Russian born Sultan Ibragimov (22-0-1). The fight seeks to unify the heavyweight championship for the first time since 1999 when Lennox Lewis was able to. Luckily for fight fans the night’s events will be broadcast on HBO and you will not need to fork over $44.99 or more to take in the match. And to add to the night’s events HBO will be airing a documentary on Joe Louis before the fight. The documentary should serve as a perfect display of where the title once was and where it is now.

The fight is not drawing nearly as much attention as De La Hoya v. Mayweather did or even Hatton v. Mayweather was able to but it has the potential to provide the sport something it hasn’t had in years—a competitive and exciting heavyweight title fight. And with a setting of Madison Square Garden, known around the world as the “Mecca of boxing,” boxing couldn’t ask for a better host. All the cards are in place for boxing to take another big step forward—all that is needed is for both fighters to show up willing to mix it up.

Boxing has come a ways over the past year but there are few things that it could benefit more from than a great fight from the heavyweight division. And while there is no guarantee that the match up will provide such entertainment at least the bout gives us something to look forward to while we wait for Floyd Mayweather to first strap on wrestling trunks at March’s WWE Wrestlemania XIV and then hopefully take on Oscar De La Hoya one more time in the fall.