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Did you know that boxing is in the midst of its worst period since, well, ever? If you’re a boxing fan in the purest sense, you’re probably shaking your head. If you’re not shaking your head, or at least employing some other method of objection, you’re probably a more casual fan. There’s nothing wrong with being a casual fan, of course. Indeed, it wasn’t so long ago that I was in your shoes. Few things on “the box’ piqued my interest like a big money heavyweight bout, but a Friday fight between Willie Limond and Craig Docherty held my interest like an episode of Songs of Praise—no offence intended to fans of that show. The point being that, I too had little interest unless the big names were involved. And traditionally, the big names equate to the upper echelon of the heavyweight division: Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson et al. Therefore, is it any wonder that, to the uninitiated, boxing is in such a lamentable state?
Our shining light appears to be Vitali Klitschko, a big fish in a remarkably lackluster pond. Sure, the guy can box and he gets the job done against the likes of Danny Williams. And yeah, he’s a nice guy. Let’s face it, though, he has all the charisma of a 2×4. His one saving grace among the mainstream appears to be the “Ivan Drago’ like rep he has accrued—purely because of his height, European accent and robotic persona, I might add. Hell, they might even end up wheeling him out to the Russian national anthem, accompanied by a huge picture of his face, ala Rocky IV. And when the closest thing to Rocky is John Ruiz, you know things look bleak for the heavyweights.
What I sorely wish the casual fans would realize is that there is much, much more to boxing than 200+ pound guys clobbering each other. The lower weight classes boast a wealth of talent. I very briefly contemplated listing them all, but there are far too many to mention. We have the likes of Bernard Hopkins, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Erik Morales, Manny Pacquiao, Marco Antonio Barrera, Ronald Wright, Kostya Tszyu. The list is nigh on infinite. These men would challenge in any era, in any weight class. The real question is why does the undoubted talent that lies below the big men afford naught but a paragraph worth of coverage, seven pages after you’ve read about Manchester United’s latest transfer target. Don’t get me wrong, I adore football, but I wish boxing was exposed to the same degree. A sport that demands so much physically, and provides so much entertainment deserves to be covered based on the talent of the fighters, not the size.
To say that boxing is on the wane is a notion as false as a boxer’s smile after he’s taken one on the chin. On the flipside, however, some recognition for those below the heavyweight division is long overdue. I’m sure the majority of the fighters don’t care, but they put their body on the line for our entertainment, and for that alone I would like to see more widespread appreciation. One can only hope that the relevant parties see the light and give these athletes, in the truest sense of the word, the recognition they deserve.
James MacDonald can be reached at ac009b5460@blueyonder.co.uk
