Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns had one of the most famous fights of all time in 1985, a slugfest which showcased the two best middleweights of the time. The reality today is far different, as the the big paycheck come before the need to for greatness.
Having mandatory fights between the best would undoubtedly attract the attention of the fans, and would surely generate larger revenues then the current crop of boxers are used to.
Bigger Does Not Mean Better
Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson did not have legit competition at the height of there talents, and where forced to combat lesser opponents until they where forced out of the game, Lewis actually retired as champ as no heavyweights could possibly challenge him on the horizon.
Wladimir Klitchko, Samuel Peter, and the aforementioned Ruslan Chagaev are the current major champions, and while Klitchko might be the most athletically gifted heavyweight of all time, the lack of competition has made the weight class uninteresting to the point of obsolete. While the media clamors for the Next Big Thing, the more exciting and competitive lighter fighter go unpublicised for the most part.
The last eleven Ring Magazine's Fights of the Year, have involved exactly zero heavyweights, and only three of the last thirty. Arturo Gatti, a beloved fighter, was a part of four during his illustrious career, never having fought over the welterweight division.
While the larger boxers can deliver that one punch knockout, the lower division are chock full of more athletic ability and energy, which offers viewers a better show.
Until that "Next Big Thing" comes along, the networks should continue pushing the stars of the lighter divisions, and see the ratings rise.
King Makers
The driving force behind the UFC, Dana White, has become the promoter of our time. Taking uncharismatic men such as Randy Couture, Chuck Lidell, and St-Pierre, and making them household names is a testament to his promoting skills.
With a show like Ultimate Fighter to help build up future names, the UFC has its foot firmly grounded in future success. Taking a sport that was once considered barbaric and bringing it up to a mainstream phenomenon is surely admirable, but it pails in comparison to the achievements of one Don King.
Using a mix of street savvy and ingenuity, he built up a corporation that ruled over boxing for decades. While he mistreated and stole from his fighters, he helped keep boxing in the mainstream even when the interest waned.
While promoters and networks have tried to keep interest up (eg."The Contender"), they have yet to succeed in making us care about the boxers. Before retiring, Floyd Mayweather began to enjoy success from his appearance on a wrestling program, ultimately leading to his walking away from his sport.
The greatest failure of boxing in recent years is the failure to promote the stars, outside the fanbase, the names of Joe Calzaghe, Kelly Pavlik, and company warrant little or no attention, so exposing them to the mainstream would help rejuvenate it.
Final Round
In the past few years, we have become enthralled with the Mixed Martial Arts shows put on by the UFC, and while the media has cast a dark shadow over the future of boxing, the truth is that boxing is alive and kicking, the May 2007 fight between De La Hoya and Mayweather generated 2.5 million buyers, close to 2 million more then the highest ever UFC showing.
With some effort, boxing can once become a dominant force in the sports world.
As a lifetime boxing fan, there would be nothing sweeter.
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