The Oscar De La Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather, JR., pay per view was an extreme success, making “The Golden Boy’s” wallet officially heavier than Butterbean, and shooting some life into the sport. De La Hoya is without question the biggest draw in the game and the proof is in the pudding, and the pudding equaled out to over two million buys at 54.95 a pop. People that didn’t even follow boxing got caught up in the hype and called their cable providers to get this event, which ended up in somewhat a disappointment, mainly due to the undercard.
Now, a rematch between these two probably won’t generate the same amount of interest because the intrigue is gone. The cat is out of the bag and we know that we are not going to see a Marvin Hagler-Thomas Hearns-like event. We are going to see two guys not taking many chances and hoping for the best from the judges, which brings me to the conclusion that these two should not be fighting again. There is a lot more to boxing right now than just De La Hoya and who he fights.
So, if “The Golden Boy” rides off into the sunset, who will keep boxing afloat? There are many boxers out there with a real fighting chance. RSR is going to take a look at just a few:
Manny “The Pacman” Pacquiao
Nobody can dispute the fact that the Filipino legend puts people in the seats and is one of the top two best fighters in the world. With his recent track record and opponent quality, it may be fair to say that he is the man to beat at this current time. Pacquiao brings that Mike Tyson feel to the game, where he can take you out with one punch at any time and the men who were at one time seen to be unstoppable typically crumble from the onslaught. Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera were both destroyed and Juan Manuel Marquez was lucky to walk away with a draw with Manny. He is a huge draw and a big asset for the sport in a time when we need them.
When it comes to headlining a pay per view, Manny will be able to. He won’t get the response that a De La Hoya would get, but he could surely sell the event, especially if he is pitted against Juan Manuel Marquez or the best unknown man in boxing, Edwin Valero. If Manny faces Valero, we will need HBO 24/7 to cover it because unlike the Oscar and Floyd dance, we will see a knockout and excitement throughout.
Ricky “Hitman” Hatton
The British Superstar has made a name for himself with signature wins over the legendary Kostya Tszyu and Carlos Maussa and will have another should he defeat Jose Luis Castillo in his next fight. Hatton brings charm and grit to the game and his personality and heart make him a star worldwide, but in the UK, he is as big as they get. If he should outlast Castillo, the sky will become the limit and he will stake his claim as a big player in boxing around the globe.
The fact that Hatton has agreed to stray from his homeland and come to the states proves that he wants to be seen as a legitimate champion and fight the best opposition. This is not merely a money game for the Brit. He is there to make his mark in the game and that makes him more of a draw than Mayweather, JR., and most of the other top pound for pound boxers that are currently in the game.
Miguel Angel Cotto
Miguel Cotto is the total package for a boxing fan. He hits hard, hits the canvas hard, and comes back fighting. He has never lost and has been rightfully called the “Puerto Rican Arturo Gatti.” There have also been comparisons to the great Julio Cesar Chavez because of the body punching that Cotto does and that is another fair comparison. He destroys his opponent. Whomever he faces will never be the same because he beats the hell out of them from head to toe, and if you make it the 12 rounds with him, you are going to be a mess, like Paulie Malignaggi was. It looked like he was in a car wreck and wasn’t wearing a seat belt.
Felix Trinidad could sell a fight and had the fan base, and Cotto has now absorbed those fans and is carrying the torch and running very well with it. He is potentially the biggest draw in boxing if he beats Zab Judah and then goes ahead as planned and defeats the winner of the Antonio Margarito-Paul Williams WBO Title match. Cotto has everything that you look for and he will be a big time PPV draw if he plays his cards right.
Wladimir “Dr. Steelhammer” Klitschko
We all want a dominant heavyweight champion and the current IBF King, has the right stuff to be one, especially with the selective matchmaking of late. There is no better offensive machine out there and he gives the people what they want: knockouts. He can also be stopped, which is an attraction in and of itself. With knockout wins over Chris Byrd, Calvin Brock, and Ray Austin, he is riding a momentum wave and should he stop his old rival, Lamon Brewster and get his revenge, he will be on a new level.
What Wlad needs to do to fulfill his potential is to collect all of the trinkets and be the unified champion and he is the ONLY one that can do it because he is the draw. What he wants, he gets, period. He is the only heavyweight that brings in the money and if he had all the titles, he would be a very big draw. Having 4 heavyweight champions is a joke and that is part of boxing’s problem. Have you ever heard the saying: “Wherever the heavyweight division goes, so too does boxing?” It is true and we need an undisputed champ and Wlad can make it happen and with Oleg Maskaev, Shannon Briggs, and Ruslan Chagaev standing in the way, “Dr. Steelhammer” would be the favorite to take them all. Why he doesn’t enforce his celebrity status and demand unification is beyond me. Well, I have a hunch that he would like to fight Ray Austins for the rest of his career.
Sam “The Nigerian Nightmare” Peter
We are always asking who the savior of the heavyweight division is going to be and it might just be the power-punching, iron-chinned, nightmare that has grown a great deal since his close loss to Wladimir Klitschko. He knocked down the elusive James Toney and was actually in shape for that bout. His knockouts of Jeremy Williams and Taurus Sykes put him on the map and whomever he hits, he will knockout. If he can beat Oleg Maskaev, which he most likely will, and take on the robot, Vitali Klitschko and mop the floor with him, which he probably will, Peter will be knocking at the door of “Dr. Iron Fist’s” little brother, while Wlad is screaming: “Nobody’s home!”
Without question, Peter has limitations, but he is has improved and if he keeps in shape and stays active, he may be the best bet to unify the titles and a unified heavyweight champion is gold and will bring back pay per views the way that they should be.
Joe “The Pride of Wales” Calzaghe
The reputation of Calzaghe was built slowly and many of his opponents have been questionable, but he has shown his true skill and talent when he dismantled fighters like Jeff Lacy, Charles Brewer, and Omar Sheika. Calzaghe is the real deal and has had television exposure on HBO and dominated the overly hyped Lacy over 12 rounds in one of the best boxing exhibitions that I have ever seen. Calzaghe needs to capitalize on that Lacy win very soon with another high profile bout, but Jermain Taylor should be quickly forgotten about. His team doesn’t seem to want him to fight anyone with a pulse and his own size. If Calzaghe can take on the winner of the horrible match with Bernard Hopkins and Winky Wright or even beat up Roy Jones, JR., he will turn into a worldwide attraction. Undefeated fighters always bring intrigue to the game, and a win over Roy, Bernard or Winky will bring him credentials to the casual boxing fan. Remember when Terry Norris beat up an old Ray Leonard? He became huge afterward despite the fact the Sugar Ray had seen better days. Same holds true with Jones, JR., if Calzaghe got the shot to face him in the ring.
Calzaghe also has the option to move up to the light heavyweight division and conquer that, which will also increase his popularity. Calzaghe is a player in the division and all signs point to him getting bigger as time goes by.
Nikolay “The Russian Giant” Valuev
People, I am ready for your comments and demands that I stop writing about boxing with this entry on my list of fighters that have the potential to keep boxing afloat. I may be the only one that thinks that Nikolay Valuev will be champion again and probably hold it for some time. The problem with him is that he attained it too soon. He was learning on the job and still is. He has the size, chin, and balance to give any heavyweight trouble and would probably beat Ruslan Chagaev in a rematch.
A seven foot fighter that weighs 350 pounds and that has a definite chip on his shoulder sells. Am I the only one that thinks a Wladimir Klitschko vs. Nikolay Valuev is a great headliner for a pay per view? Probably so, but it doesn’t change the fact that super size sells. America is not the home of the chubber for no reason. The U.S. loves big things and Valuev, if marketed correctly, could be a very big attraction in the states. I am still expecting big things from him.
Boxing is still struggling for popularity, but the men listed above make up part of what might save it in the near future. Hopefully the promoters and networks learned from HBO’s 24/7 coverage to make these events big again and I hope that the promoters will realize that the under cards are important too. I think that we will see boxing flourish again with the fighters that we have now that want to fight like Antonio Margarito, Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, Manny Pacquiao, Paul Williams, and Kelly Pavlik, and that will overcome the boxers like Floyd Mayweather, JR., and Jermain Taylor that seem to want to take the easiest path possible and not risk anything, which is certainly one of boxing’s biggest problems.
