Is boxing making a comeback? With Showtime and CBS aligning with Top Rank and Bob Arum there is some resurgence to possibly getting on network television. Still needed is a recognizable champion in the heavyweight division. But Madison Square Garden in New York City, always the Mecca is down for the count the next three years due to renovations and bookings in the adjacent theatre.
So we turn to the screen and television series Good timing with the Academy Awards presentation this Sunday evening, and a time to offer some credit to the directors who helped with a resurgence of boxing the past few months.
The vote here is for ?The Fighter? though not favored to take Best Picture. And a vote for the FX television series, ?Lights Out? which has come in with disappointing ratings that will unfortunately kill any chance for a second season. All in all, it is all good for the sport that needs exposure with a lack of interest that is going on in the ring.
Holt McCallany lead actor that portrays comeback heavyweight Patrick ?lights? Leary said it best at the New York red carpet series premier in early January. ?I am a boxing fan and this can only be good to give our sport some great exposure as to the reality of what can happen to a fighter in and out of the ring.?
For the avid boxing fan, or those not tuned in to the everyday inside world of pugilism, ?Lights Out? provides a perspective of reality. The struggles of a fighter who retires from the ring and has to deal with financial obstacles, the health issue of memory loss, and a decision to make the comeback.
?There is a family issue in the life of Patrick,? said McCallany. ?How to continue to provide for his family and face the reality of one more shot at getting out of financial issues and maybe becoming champion again.? And not like the fight scenes in the fabled ?Rocky? movies, the portrayal of fight preparation in the gym and punches thrown in the ring are realistic.
Six more episodes remain and we discover the outcome. This writer reviewed all 13 episodes via courtesy of FX and will not spoil the compelling finale. Watch if you are a fight fan, or have an interest in a family oriented story that hits home. Old school boxing at its best with the trainer and father, ?Pops? Robert Leary, the actor Stacy Keach bringing back memories of old school boxing. The business of what goes on in a boxing gym and what revolves around the business side of the sport.
Sorry to say, FX was the only network that took a chance at airing the series. It deserves another chance and more to see about the future of ?Lights? Leary. You can gather your thoughts about the boxing industry, and how a promoter can manipulate the well being of a fighter who may have took one too many punches.
Which takes us to ?The Fighter? and boxing will be highlighted on Oscar Night. Perhaps the passion for boxing here says the picture deserves the award for Best Picture. Because Christian Bale was that good in portraying the brother of ?Irish? Micky Ward, and fight scenes were the most realistic of all the other boxing flicks of the past.
HBO Boxing analyst Larry Merchant said it best. On a recent telecast, Merchant alluded to the lack of good fights and will we ever see the one we want, Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Boxing, said Merchant is in need of the exposure.
He concluded with reference to a possible revival with ?The Fighter? and ?Lights Out.? It?s a start, because if the motion picture and television industry care, then the promoters should also be getting a message.
E-mail Rich Mancuso: [email protected]
