If the volumes of pre-fight hype are to be believed, May 5th 2007 brings us the most momentous spectacle in the long and glorious history of boxing. Difficult to ignore, the packed schedule of public engagements and the frenzied press attention has garnered the richest stadium gate in boxing history, approximately $19 million dollars. Oscar de la Hoya is hoping to generate pay per view sales of around 2 million buys, smashing the non-heavyweight record of 1.4 million buys set by his (date) clash with Felix ?Tito? Trinidad.
Yet beneath the well-documented surface of this magnificent boxing showcase lies a sad reality, a reality that is slowly eroding the sport from the inside out. Underpinning the sugarcoated exterior of public interest stirred up by de la Hoya-Mayweather is an image crisis slowly and progressively debilitating the sport. For example, the current heavyweight division, in terms of its pool of talent, is less than inspiring.
