There are very few superstars in boxing right now. A novelty act known as the UFC has developed and become a bigger seller in the pay per view market, amazingly enough. Maybe it is not that amazing that the Ultimate Fighting Championship is beating boxing because the sport of pugilism does not really care about the fans…at least the people in charge don’t seem to. The sport is failing due to many factors. One, the lack of airtime hurts it. There was a time when it was on network television every week and appeared in the sports section of the newspapers. You don’t find that anymore. Two, there are too many Pay Per Views. With so few marquee names in boxing, why are there so many pay events? Three, there is no unified Heavyweight Champion. When the heavyweight division is in turmoil, so too is the rest of boxing. Four, boxers, for the most part, do not fight enough. The amount of bouts throughout a career have gone steadily down through time.
Now, does this mean that this is the end of boxing? No, the sport has been around forever and has gone through the highs and lows of popularity, and will surely rebound from this down time. All is not lost though. We do have a group of big names left in the sport, and some boxers that could develop into big names.
Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao
The Filipino Superstar brings that something special to the ring. He has that one punch knockout power and is doing what all great champions do. He is cleaning up the division and sending the guys that have ruled it for a while packing. Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera are huge names in boxing, and are considered two of the toughest men ever to lace up the gloves. These are not guys that get knocked out, but the “Pacman” didn’t get the memo and has stopped them both in impressive fashion, and with a draw that he should have won, he was impressive against Juan Manuel Marquez, who is another very tough customer.
Another thing about Pacquiao that brings excitement is the fact that there is the potential of moving up in weight to the lightweight division, and challenging the likes of Juan Diaz, Diego Corrales, Joel Casamayor, and Acelino Freitas, should he not retire. There is also a possibility of a mega bout with Edwin Valero, which is a huge bout because anything can happen, and a scary bout for the same reason, when you figure in Valero’s health problems.
A star is only as good as potential match ups, and Pacquiao has unlimited star potential when it comes to that.
“The Golden Boy” Oscar De La Hoya
Yes, as amazing as it sounds, “The Golden Boy” is still around and is going to be a big draw no matter what. There is no questioning the skill and talent of this man, but he seems to be more of a name now, then an actual force in boxing. He did go out there against Ricardo Mayorga, and destroyed him, but Mayorga wasn’t nearly at his best and his skills have always been questionable. The knockout win wasn’t a sign that we had a refreshed De La Hoya. It was a sign that Oscar the businessman made another great business decision.
The magic of De La Hoya is that he fills stadiums and brings the casual boxing fans back to the game for just that brief period of time. You cannot doubt his heart either, as he took on the biggest names in the division: Ike Quartey, Felix Trinidad, Bernard Hopkins, and Shane Mosley. Now, the name of the game is to cash in. He is allowing Floyd Mayweather, JR., time to get more established before agreeing to face him in the ring.
I also think that we will see a tune up fight for De La Hoya in the meantime against some hopeless sap that will be quickly disposed of, increasing the demand for a PBF-ODH bout. This comeback may be a charade of sorts, but it’s smart business and brings people to the game, which is a good thing.
Ricky “Hitman” Hatton
The Englishman may not be the most skilled boxer on the planet, but he has guts and aggression, and will do anything to win. He has left a safe place, and has travelled to the United States, where the big bouts await him. Hatton looks beatable, and packs the stadiums, which makes him very attractive to many boxers. It’s the same thing that Evander Holyfield dealt with early in his heavyweight career. Most heavyweights looked at him as easy prey because he appeared to be really vulnerable in bouts with Alex Stewart and Michael Dokes, but the heart that he had bridged the gap, and this also applies to the “Hitman.”
As I stated before, a superstar needs quality opponents. Roy Jones, JR., never had that and his legacy is incomplete because of it. Hatton has it. There are possible matches with Jose Luis Castillo, Miguel Cotto, Diego Corrales, Zab Judah, Floyd Mayweather, JR., Antonio Margarito, and many more. Hatton brings excitement to boxing and he is truly a superstar.
Nikolay “The Russian Giant” Valuev
Are you ready to take away my “boxing expert” title yet? Hear me out first, please. Remember when I said that when the heavyweight division is in turmoil, so too is the rest of boxing? Well, Valuev may not have impressed the world with his knockout of Monte Barrett, but he showed some good things and what he doesn’t have in the ring, he makes up for it out of the ring. An outspoken man like Muhammad Ali is a good thing, but when you get a mean-looking, quiet, enormous man, that is undefeated, approaching Rocky Marciano’s record, and dwarfs most heavyweights, it is marketable to the public at large.
In the states, we like big things. Look at the majority of people: chubbers across the board. Nikolay Valuev has the look and right people behind him when it comes to promotion. Don King has seemingly been bored for years and it shows in his boxing cards. He didn’t have that extra oomph that he needed. Now, with Valuev, he’s excited because he sees the potential. If he beats Marciano’s record, and unifies the titles, which is not out of the question, expect him to bring some stability to the sport.
Miguel Angel Cotto
With Felix Trinidad out of the picture in any serious way, the very strong Puerto Rican fan base for boxing has a replacement that is beginning to fight out of “Tito’s” shadow. Miguel Cotto cannot be called a great fighter at this point, but he is certainly a good fighter with a lot of power, and a lot of heart. He is an aggressive warrior with a questionable chin, but the same thing was said about Felix Trinidad and he fought his way right into the all time greats category.
Cotto needs a defining fight. He has rolled over DeMarcus Corely, and Paul Malignaggi, but a bout with a guy like Jose Luis Castillo or Ricky Hatton would push him right into the big stage limelight. A bout with Floyd Mayweather, JR., would also be a huge bout for him and would be a PPV worth renting.
There are certainly other fighters out there that could bring the casual fans back to the game. Diego Corrales, coming off of two defeats, might have to move up in weight and will probably excel. At his height, he should be fighting at a higher weight, and it should make a big difference in his game. Wladimir Klitschko has a shot because he’s popular and he has the potential to rule the division, and could if managed correctly. If he were to knock out all of the other champions and claim the undisputed title, he is a superstar attraction. Joe Calzaghe needs to step it up after his win over Jeff Lacy to capitalize on his new found fame in the states, and if he did that, he could be in line for a very nice match up with Jermain Taylor, which is an outstanding match up. Speaking of Taylor, he is another man to watch with his fearless approach to the game. Any man that takes on Bernard Hopkins twice and then CHOOSES to face Winky Wright because it was the right thing to do, merits attention and respect.
So, boxing fans, don’t abandon the sport just yet for Tito Ortiz-Ken Shamrock 18. Boxing has potential. You just have to look really, really closely to find it.
