Manny Pacquiao: Bizarre Ruling Is Latest Proof That Boxing's Relevance Is Fading

Can boxing really be irrelevant if everyone is fervently discussing one event for days on end, in this case the unthinkable split decision in favor of Timothy Bradley over Manny Pacquiao?

Yes, it can be and increasingly is. Let me explain.

In every group of friends, there are stories and jokes that somehow stand the test of time and are recycled over and over again. We've all heard them a thousand times, but somehow when they are brought up become the center of conversation for far too long.

It's not so much that those stories and jokes are important or compelling anymore. Hell, they're probably not even entertaining at this point. But they're worth talking about because we know they're a part of our history.

And that's what the result between Bradley and Pacquiao was. It was an old joke the sport has been retelling for years, mired in the sort of controversies and scandals that make you wonder sometimes if you can really trust any result you see.

It's the same old story as well. Young boxer "upsets" the older champion, they set up a rematch, the older champion wins and a rubber match is set up—with the promoter laughing all the way to the bank.

Now, I'm not saying this fight was fixed or the judges were bought. I can't prove either accusation, for one. I hate concocting conspiracy theories simply because I don't agree with a result. Thus, I'll simply live with the fact that two judges really, really got this one wrong.

But the fact that the most natural reaction for many people, given the sport's history, was to cry foul and question the integrity of boxing in general is troubling.

And more importantly, it just shows how few compelling fighters there truly are today. Think about it—there are two truly compelling boxers in the world. One is clearly past his prime and the other hasn't fought elite competition for years and currently resides in prison.

And damn it, we can't even get them to fight one another!

At this point, we're starved for meaningful storylines in the sport. We desperately need a compelling rivalry, a new, exciting superstar—something to remind us that boxing is so much more than simply two men punching one another in a ring.

It's that void that created the buzz after Pacquiao's fight. What else in the sport is worth talking about?

So there you have it. We're not talking about this fight because the result was important, we're talking about the fight because it is proof that the sport is being taken less seriously by the year.

We're talking about it because it's the only thing worth talking about in boxing right now.

And most of all, we're talking about it because boxing is becoming its own punchline, an old joke we reuse from time to time even as its meaning and relevance fade away.

Hit me up on Twitter—my tweets really wanted to have another.