Boxing is down for the count. The odds of it getting up anytime soon rest on the shoulders of two men.
On May 5, boxing’s last hurrah comes to life as Oscar De La Hoya squares off against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Boxing’s last great personality, De La Hoya, takes on its last dominating champion, Mayweather Jr.
Add in the fact that De La Hoya’s former trainer is Floyd Mayweather Sr., and there is no doubt as to why this is the biggest boxing match in years.
But once the victor’s hand is raised, boxing could be dead.
Mixed martial arts, specifically the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization, is the new combat sport of choice in America.
MMA’s wave of success kicked off with a reality show on SpikeTV called “The Ultimate Fighter.” That approach to success has not gone unnoticed by those in the boxing world.
“The Contender” debuted shortly after “The Ultimate Fighter” and drew significantly less attention to the world of boxing. But the sport is giving reality television one last shot.
Now HBO is hyping up its pay-per-view event by airing a four-part reality series, “De La Hoya/Mayweather 24/7.”
The show highlights both boxers as they train for the big fight. I must admit, for the first time I actually look forward to seeing a boxing match.
Both fighters are extremely talented and have impressive resumes. De La Hoya is an Olympic gold medalist with a 38-4 record. Mayweather is 37-0.
The program shows the men behind the fighters in a way that has not been seen since the early days of Mike Tyson.
The show, mainly used to hype the fight, is also a terrifying reminder of one reason many families keep their youngsters away from boxing.
De La Hoya’s new trainer, Freddie Roach, shows the harmful effects a life in boxing can have.
Roach suffers from Parkinson’s disease thanks to his long career as a boxer and now a trainer.
He is not the first, and likely not the last, to suffer physically because of the sport.
Long gone are the powerful heavyweights such as Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis and Tyson. Boxing’s most popular division is now filled with soft-spoken pugilists such as Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko or freak show fighters such as Nikolai Valuev.
There will not be a shortage of viewers for the upcoming Junior Middleweight showdown between the De La Hoya and Mayweather. It could very well end up being the most lucrative fight in boxing history.
But where does it go from here? De La Hoya is likely to retire. Mayweather has no real challengers remaining.
The possibility of a rematch between the two is unlikely. If De La Hoya wins, he would most likely retire on top. If Mayweather wins, he has no incentive to grant a rematch.
The depth that once made boxing so interesting no longer exists.
Gone are the days of Tyson press conferences littered with threats and insults. Mayweather has the flair of former champions, but his lack of competition hinders his popularity.
I prefer MMA to boxing. It would be a shame, however, to see a sport with such tradition die such a meaningless death.
New stars were previously developed on programs such as “Tuesday Night Fights,” which aired on the USA Network from 1982 to 1998.
ESPN’s “Friday Night Fights” has been scaled back with the network’s acquisition of NBA coverage.
Boxing is at a nine-count, one step away from death. The end could come as soon as next weekend.
If all goes correctly on Saturday, the sport could rise up and fight once again.
The road back to past glory is long, but not impossible.
Zack Timmons can be reached at [email protected].
