Finally, Tyson Cave and those in his boxing camp are opening their eyes and seeing where they really stand in the Halifax sports market.
They?re coming to the realization that unless Cave becomes a big enough name to contend in major international fights, local interest in his career will remain stagnant. Even if he does manage to fight internationally, there?s no guarantee local interest, and by that I mean fans and financial backing, will ever spike.
The 15-1 Cave has tried, with his outstanding skills inside the ring and his sometimes outlandish antics outside the ring, to draw more attention from fans but it hasn?t worked. And his management has had little luck landing significant sponsorship to help finance his training costs.
For these and other reasons, Cave and his team are pegging their hopes on his next fight, a July 30 clash in the Philippines against highly rated slugger A.J. Banal.
It?s definitely a gamble. So much about this trip will be new, even for a veteran of world amateur travels like Cave.
First, there?s his opponent. The 24-1 Banal is the No. 5-ranked contender in the WBO and the Asia Pacific champion. At age 22, with 19 knockouts, Banal is one of the most promising of the latest wave of great Philippine professional boxers. He?s already rubbing shoulders with some of the best in the business. At a recent Banal sparring session that was open to the public, boxing great Manny Pacquiao and his band backed him with a free concert.
Travel will also be a factor for Cave?s crew. They leave at 6 a.m. Saturday on the opening leg of what?s expected to be a 21-hour trip.
The venue will be hostile. The fight will be held in the new 8,000-seat, air-conditioned Hoops Dome in Cebu, and it?s expected to be sold out, thanks to the wildly partisan Banal fans.
The surroundings will be unfamiliar. The Halifax team will consist of Cave, his father and promoter Robert, head trainer Bunny Phillips, assistant trainer Kelsey Fraser and conditioning coach Kareem Collette. Everything and everyone else will be new. That?s got to be a bit unnerving for a group of local folks who have put on all their fights in comfortable Canadian locations.
And while this bout may draw scant interest in Cave?s home country, it?s a big deal in the Philippines. Given Banal?s stature, his upcoming clash with Cave is receiving tons of media coverage and is expected to be televised across the country.
The media in the Philippines are lining up to interview Cave and those on his team. They?ve offered phone numbers and even the money to cover call costs if Cave will agree to call.
Despite this sudden foreign interest in Cave, it?s obvious that many regard him as a quick stop on Banal?s road to a rematch with Panama?s Rafael Concepcion, the only pro fighter to beat him.
What this fight in the Philippines has hopefully already done, in terms of fan and media interest, is show Cave and his team how complacent they?ve become about selling themselves while remaining so loyal to their Halifax base.
After a taste of the excitement and interest that appears waiting in the Philippines, the Cave camp may decide that a permanent return to a subdued and ever-diminishing Halifax fight community really wouldn?t be the wisest move.
It would be difficult to argue with that.
