Happy New Year Fight Fans, A Top Ten Boxing List For 2006

Every year we sit and make resolutions for ourselves. We claim that we’re going to quit smoking, spend more time at the gym…etc. Resolutions that we almost never live up to for more than a week or so. I myself am comfortable with my bad habits. I look at my habits as the only things that I own outright and will not give them up for anyone! Besides, after my quit smoking resolution in 02′ lasted just forty minutes, I decided that being a quitter twice in one day was bad for my morale. Instead, this year I’ll make a wish list of things that I would like to see happen. Things like…I wish my in-laws would go home or I hope to see my boss stick his head up…well you get the idea.

I would rather have a wish list, as this way when none of the things on it are fulfilled then I can honestly say that it was not my fault. I know that it’s a cheap way out of responsibility, but hey that’s me. I also have a list for boxing. Things that I would love to see happen during the year but most likely won’t. I figure that if three out of ten things on my list actually do happen then my year as a fan will be a satisfied one, so…here is my 2006 wish list for the sport.

10.) More than one quality PPV. At $49.99 a showing, would it kill these promoters to have more than one title fight on the card?

9.) Oscar De La Hoya. Fighter, promoter, actor or musician; let us know which one of these you are and stick to it.

8.) No more comebacks for aging fighters. Such as the resumption of Tommy Hearns’ boxing career (even though I was his biggest fan during his career) and talk of Joe Frazier making a comeback and Riddick Bowe. Lets have a rule about old age has-beens having fights to fulfill their egos and pockets before someone gets hurt. Not everyone is George Foreman.

7.) A real heavyweight champion. With two legit heavyweight kings in Lennox Lewis and Vitali Klitschko gone in such a short amount of time, we’re left with nothing. Wait, I change my mind on this one and I’ll settle on being able to name and actually see our three current champions on a regular basis (you must crawl before you can walk I guess…)

6.) Women in boxing. Either get us some quality fights or stop trying to milk the Laila Ali angle like it was pro wrestling. It seems that she is the only woman fighter that we hear about. Her fights are one sided bouts against women, who ninety percent of the time have no business putting on gloves in the first place and for the record, Laila is no boxing marvel herself. She has size and a last name but why wasn’t Lucia Rijker, a legit fighter, not given the respect and constant public eye like Laila?

5.) John Ruiz retires. Enough said.

4.) Reality TV. De la Hoya, Stallone, Duva, Leonard and everyone else involved – don’t embarrass our sport with this garbage again, please.

3.) Fighter’s safety. With guys like Riddick Bowe, who is obviously starting to show signs of too many ring wars, still fighting and Roy Jones being knocked out twice badly and on the end of a lopsided loss, Joe Mesi being allowed to apply for a license again… let’s think about these fighter’s health for once instead of there being money to be made.

2.) One title per division. I know this will never happen but with the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, IBO, IBU, IBA, IBC…etc, I can’t keep track of them any more. How can so many people be a world champion? I will settle to going back to the big three – the WBA, WBC and IBF. At least you can keep track.

1.) John Ruiz retires. Seriously, this would make the year for me.

Love it or hate it, that’s my top ten list for 2006 With any luck, one or two may happen. I won’t hold my breath though.

Happy New Year’s SaddoBoxing fans!