The year of living excitingly, dynamically, perhaps stupendously and – yes – dangerously is at hand.
By the end of 2011 the boxing world could be dominated by British prize-fighters along with – yes again – Manny Pacquiao.
If so, it will have been achieved through a succession of some of the most important and thrilling championship battles of recent times.
Bring it on: Heavyweight Haye has set his sights on fighting the Klitschko brothers Vitali and Wladimir in 2011
Of course reaching out for so glittering a prize carries with it some serious hazards. But then who would have thought after the body blows of the year now ending that the ring would be so rich in opportunity for our own blood brotherhood.
As Joe Calzaghe and Ricky Hatton took the long fall from grace and into virtual retirement, Carl Froch lost his world title to Mikkel Kessler and Audley Harrison made a mockery of the domestic fight game, the future looked bleaker than for many a winter.
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Yet, suddenly, we stand at the cusp of mega-fights which can capture not only the attention but the admiration of the world.
David Haye is closing in on a world heavyweight title spectacular against Wladimir Klitschko, perhaps to be followed by another versus Wladimir’s big brother Vitali in a bid to completely unify the ring’s marquee division.
Amir Khan, having signalled a steep rise in British standards by clinging on to win his Fight of the Year against Argentine hit-man Marcos Maidana on his Las Vegas debut, is ready for the January winner of Timothy Bradley and Devon Alexander and the chance to become undisputed world light-welterweight champion.
After that, perhaps even greater things if Floyd Mayweather Jnr turns to Khan as a way, possibly ill-advised, of dodging Pacquiao.
Froch, back in business big-time after regaining his WBC super-middleweight crown by putting on a masterclass thrashing of Arthur Abraham, demands a wider audience as he heads for the semi-finals and, almost certainly, the final of the Super Six series to find the rightful heir to Calzaghe.
With Adam Smith – the dedicated fight lover and brilliant commentator turned influential executive as head of boxing at Sky – be sure that exposure will be forthcoming.
Expect to see Froch move into the TV home of British boxing in a should-win semi against Glen Johnson, then as he journeys on to Vegas or New York’s hallowed Madison Square Garden for a probable, dramatic final against America’s slick WBA belt holder Andre Ward.
Expect Smith, also, to enhance coverage of world featherweight title defences by Scotland’s Ricky Burns, as well as focusing public attention on the raft of highly promising British youngsters now jostling into championship contention.
High hopes: Khan (left) and superstar Pacquiao are set to raise their profiles even higher after a superb 2010
In Frank Warren’s collection of prodigies, Olympic gold medallist James DeGale looks on course for a world title challenge in the coming 12 months and that may not be beyond the realms of Nathan Cleverly, Kell Brook and, if he regains his dedication as well as recovers from eye surgery, Kevin Mitchell.
Britain is also blessed with potentially the next world heavyweight challengers.
Warren has Dereck Chisora champing at the cancellation of his tilt at Wladimir Klitschko. Mick Hennessy reports that Froch’s stablemate, Tyson Fury, is shedding the surplus poundage and gaining respect as well as experience under the tutelage of Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward in Detroit.
Frank Maloney, who steered Lennox Lewis to world heavyweight glory, believes David Price has the beating of both of them….and maybe Haye and the Klitschkos to boot.
Put all that British talent into context with boxing’s first $200milllion super-fight if Mayweather talks his way out of jail and nerves himself to get into the ring with Pacquiao and a thrilling anno domini beckons.
In 12 months bereft of a major football championship or an Olympics, 2011 brings boxing its chance to reclaim sport’s centre stage and to galvanise a whole new, younger and permanent audience.
Here’s to a knock-out New Year.
