The Top 5 Boxers Who Improved Their Popularity over the Weekend

Boxing had a big weekend this past Saturday, and quite a few names were fighting on and off TV.

Though winning is important in the sport, making a great match still stands out as the most important thing for making fans.

Ask Arturo Gatti or Mickey Ward.

Ask Diego Corrales or Jose Luis Castillo.

Ask most fans and they'll tell you that they enjoy fighters who bring it, not glossy records.

This weekend, a lot of boxers came into the ring and, win or lose, acquitted themselves well.

Here are the five boxers who made us want to watch them again.

Pier Olivier Cote

The young boxer hasn't fought a high level of competition throughout his career, but Saturday, he took a step up against Jorge Luis Teron.

Facing an opponent four inches higher than him, he was not only able to win, but to knock his opponent early.

Being on the undercard of the Bute-Johnson fight was a great chance for Cote to alert boxing fans of his skills.

He did just that, and going forward, some fans are going to have their eyes peeled to see when the Canadian makes a return to the ring.

Until then, he can just soak up the fact that he won this weekend and enjoy the relatively bruise-free victory.

George Groves

Groves didn't win any fans with the way he beat DeGale back in May.

It was a close affair and Jim Watt, one of the announcers for the fight, thought that DeGale won.

Whenever a fighter wins a close fight, it makes it harder for them to claim that they are the best. Groves may not want to give a rematch to DeGale, but with how the fight went, he just may have to do it down the road.

Until then though, he can enjoy the fact that he was able to knock out a good domestic fighter in Paul Smith.

Considering his last fight was lackluster, Groves needed to remind fans why he was undefeated and worth watching.  Putting Smith to the canvas and subsequently finishing him did just that.

It will be a while before Groves leaves the British boxing scene, if he doesn't get dethroned.  He will probably have to face a few more challengers and do a rematch with DeGale, but if he keeps fighting like he did against Smith, it might turn him into a superstar.

Lucian Bute

What else needs to be said?

Bute was able to pick apart veteran journeyman turned contender Glen Johnson and did so impressively.

From start to finish, it was Bute's fight, and there was nothing the grizzled veteran could do to stop him.

For Johnson, it might be the end which is a sad finish for the old-school boxer who was nicknamed the Road Warrior for his willingness to travel to his opponent's hometown.

For Bute though, it means big things.

Right now, he is being televised on Showtime and with their Super Six Boxing Classic wrapping up, it's a good bet that the station executives probably want to match him up with the winner.

If that happens, it would not only be a great fight, but a meaningful one too and something that I doubt anyone would be able to match for most of 2012.

Here's hoping that fans get to see it, and with it, more of Bute.

Alfredo Angulo

It is possible to impress fans and grow a star even if the boxer loses.

It certainly happened for Angulo this Saturday.

And he needed it too.  After turning down a $750,000 payday and a guarantee to appear on HBO after that win or lose, to face Sergio Martinez because he wanted a million dollars, he needed to put on a great performance.

He did just that.

In a brawl that just might steal fight of the year, he lost by knockout to James Kirkland.  It was a classic case of losing a battle but winning the war.

He might not get on TV any time soon, but it's a safe bet that when he does, it will be HBO and against another fun fighter.

Or a rematch with Kirkland.

James Kirkland

It's true that a fighter doesn't need to win to become a huge star.

In fact, sometimes a terrible decision in boxing means the loser is seen as the winner and vice versa.

This time, that wasn't the case.

Kirkland who was almost out of the fight in the first round, rallied back to put Angulo on the mat and then out of the fight altogether.

It was an impressive performance that showed that for Kirkland's weak chin, he could still be a great fighter.

It also showed how impressive his trainer, Ann Wolf, is.

In a sport dominated by male trainers, she just may be one of the best.

When Kirkland left her, he was KO'ed in the first round.

With her, he survived and made an incredible comeback.

Hopefully, we will see more of Kirkland, with Wolf by his side.

Honorable Mention: Chris Arreola

It almost seems embarrassing to put Arreola on this list for making a reasonably low weight, but he is, and he did.

Arreola weighed in at 240 pounds  for his stay-busy fight with Raphael Butler before dispatching him.

It was a great way for the fighter to keep himself sharp, and even though he is about four pounds heavier than his last fight, he still is relatively small.

The fight itself and the opponent weren't that impressive.  Butler has lost his last three in a row and was knocked out in the third round.

The fact that Arreola took it seriously is.