Aug 04, 2009 – As seen in this recent era of lumbering sloths… bigger is not always better as it pertains to boxing. Some of the sport’s biggest events over the past decade have been just that… bigger.
Bigger than say… Jose Luis Castillo vs. Diego Corrales.
Bigger than say… Mickey Ward vs. Emmanuel Augustus.
Bigger than the non-descript brutality that was Somsak Sithchatchawal-Mahyar Monshipour.
The funny thing is that in looking over the list of the past “Fight of the Year” recipients, one must go all the way back to 1996 to the initial encounter between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield to site the last major Pay-Per-View fight that earned those honors. Other than that, the most exciting fights within the sweet science have taken place on HBO, Showtime, ESPN, and even off American television.
So what’s the big fascination with “FOTY” honors?
It’s quite simple.
These are the bouts that get the general public buzzing after the fight takes place. These are the bouts that suck people into this beautifully ugly sport that we all follow religiously. These are the types of fights that help the sport immensely showcasing the potential entertainment value of this fighting art form at it’s best.
Miguel Cotto vs. Manny Pacquiao has the potential to become the next and most recent Pay-Per-View event that receives those honors.
It is a superfight that many believe will be absolutely brutal due to the path of destruction both men have created over the course of their careers.
The fact that Manny Pacquiao has become the face of the sport is probably one of the greatest things to have occurred over the past decade or so. We have a leading superstar who always comes to put on a great performance and always comes to please the crowd.
The same cannot be said for all those that have carried boxing’s torch in recent times.
I predict that Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto will receive the honor of being annointed “Fight of the Year” when it’s all said and done.
Pound-for-pound sounds nice but a great back and forth war would do much more for the sport as a whole…
I’m crossing my fingers hoping that the fight actually takes place as we are 13 years overdue for a major event that lived up to it’s billing.
