This past weekend, millions watched the action out of Minnesota as Georges St-Pierre defeated Jon Fitch to retain his welterweight title, among a slew of high octane fights in the latest of UFC's MMA monthly Pay-Per-Views.
Meanwhile in the world of boxing, another quiet week went by without a major bout, with most of the news coming from the announcement that Oscar De La Hoya intends to fight Manny Pacquiao , in his upcoming final match. As stated by fellow BleacherReport writer earlier this week, the fight comes across as more of a money grab then an actual fight, as De La Hoya would have to fight in a lower weight class and Pac-Man would have to rise to a weight he has never fought before.
With boxing taking a back seat these days to the likes of Dana White, Kimbo Slice, and BJ Penn, many have forewarned the upcoming death of the sport. It is hard to believe that one of the oldest sports still practised today, is on its final legs. What follows is five ways I believe to bring back boxing to the forefront of the sports world.
Enough of the Alpha-Bits
Mixed Martial Arts in undeniably ruled by the UFC, sure there are upstarts like the WEC and Elite XC starting to make noise, but Dana White has a firm grip on the market. Since K-1 went belly-up, the champions crowned in the UFC are considered the world's best.
It is quite a stark difference if you look at the sport of boxing. The IBA, IBC, IBF, IBO, IBU, WBA, WBC, WPBF, WBO, WBU, EBF, all lay claim to world titles. Do you know who Matt Skelton is? Well he has been recognised as the Heavyweight Champion by the WBU since 2005(though it has been apparently vacated). What is wrong with that picture you ask? Well Skelton is known more in the kickboxing community then in the boxing world, his most famous bout being against current WBA champ Ruslan Chagaev.
Many experts believe that the Ring magazines rankings are the true measuring stick of the best boxers in the world, and while it would be intriguing to have just one federation crowning champs, it is also unfeasible in the business sense.
In the glory days of the Hagler, Hearns, Duran, and Leonard wars in the 80s, three organisations where the only ones considered legitimate. Though still unofficially regarded as the top councils, the IBF, WBC, and WBA, will always be marred by the numerous minor factions until the latter are abolished and we return to the way things where.
Bringing Boxing Back To The Masses
In September 1923, Jack Dempsey made his last title defence in front of a crowd of 85000 at New York's Polo Grounds. The match-up was so important, it was transmitted to the opponents home land of Argentina, where it was blared through speakers on the the streets of Buenos Aires.
On June 1st 1939, the first ever televised boxing match took place, beginning a love affair the two mediums have shared ever since. From NBC's Fight of the Week, to Howard Cossell's call of Frazier vs. Foreman on ABC's Wide World of Sports, all the way to the USA and HBO Networks reliance on boxing to help build them in the 80s, boxing has been a major influence on the American viewing audience.
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