I have been very critical of the sport lately and with good reason. The recent Abner Mares ? Joseph Agbeko fiasco didn?t help my growing disgust, but as a boxing fan, you usually get beaten up quite often.
There have always been glimmers of hope for the sport, but the officiating, bad matchmaking, and terrible performances by the fighters have driven much of the fans away. I am not an MMA fan by any stretch of the imagination but I have watched it from time to time, and I see why it?s winning this unofficial war with boxing. The best are typically matched with the best, it?s well marketed, and the fighters are in there ready to go to war. The excitement that boxing fans used to be accustomed to, which is now long gone, exists in the fans of the MMA.
What saves boxing? I have been hoping for the networks to pick it up, some heavyweights to shake up the division and bring back the excitement, better pay per views, and less nonsense, but it?s not looking good. What most people are considering the savior of the sport is a showdown between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, JR., but this is a fight that has a whole lot of ?what ifs? involved.
What if Manny Pacquiao loses to Juan Manuel Marquez? Marquez has fought to a draw in their first fight, lost a split decision in the second fight, and believes he has beaten Pacquiao on two occasions. He has come the closest in recent years and has found a way to control Manny and land his shots. Marquez is the underdog, but he has a chance to upset the boxing world and come away with a decision win.
