I’m in a boxing phase right now. I even spent $82 on a pay-per-view fight in April. For anyone who knows me, I’m as cheap as they come, but after watching the highly anticipated, social media-obsessed matchup between lightweights Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia, I’m going to be buying many, many more throughout the years.
After I watched that fight – Davis won with a liver shot KO in the seventh – thought after thought bounced off my head like a Mike Tyson hook. Who’s the face of boxing right now, Davis or Canelo Alvarez? Do belts still matter? Is pro boxing making a comeback? Is influencer boxing a good thing? And, yes, one that’s bound to get me a few dozen angry emails: Who’s the greatest boxer of all time?
As for the face of boxing, it was Floyd Mayweather before he retired, then it became Canelo, and now the debate is between Canelo and Davis. In the end, though Davis is younger, more conditioned, a knockout specialist, and an athlete, frankly, oozing of entertainment-value, it’s still Canelo. Look, my favorite boxer in the world is prizefighter-turned-social media enthusiast Ryan Garcia, whom Davis just beat. And as much as I love King Ry, he’s not one of the best in the world yet. Davis is going to have to do more than beat Garcia. Period.
To this day, I remember watching Rocky Balboa win the heavyweight championship belt against Apollo Creed – a scene so amazing, 5-year-old me, and even 23-year-old me, are convinced it’s real. Winning the belt was all characters talked about in the Rocky movies, and it was the same way in pro boxing a few decades ago. That said, this isn’t the 1980s. There are four belt companies and 17 weight classes – that’s outrageous. Belts don’t matter. I couldn’t care less. It’s about who you’re fighting, how much your pay-per-views are making, and how big of a following you have.
Personally, I still think pro football is king. I wish that wasn’t the case because I think college football and playoff hockey are the best things in sports, but in terms of what people talk about around here, it’s still the Patriots and NFL. That said, it wasn’t long ago when boxing was in the conversation. Let’s be honest, it doesn’t touch the conversation now, and whether it’s better than UFC is debatable. I, however, think boxing is making a comeback, especially with lightweights and middleweights. Go to Google and search Davis, Garcia, Shakur Stevenson, Devin Haney, and Vasiliy Lomachenko – I’m telling you, you won’t be disappointed. They all bark at each other, all want to fight each other, and are going to share the ring very, very soon. It’s just like the old days.
Is influencer boxing a good thing? As in, when celebrities who aren’t boxers settle things in the ring to provide entertainment. Some people think it ruins the sport’s “integrity,” but c’mon, just look at the boxing economy. The sport has gotten far more popular since people like KSI, the Paul brothers, and Chad Ochocinco – for some reason – challenged each other and settled things in the ring. All of their social media followers became interested in boxing, and hardcore boxing fans want to see these guys get their heads buzzed. Everyone’s a winner.
All right, Muhammad Ali isn’t the greatest boxer of all time. Neither is Marciano, Tyson, Sugar Ray, Louis, or Foreman. Last time I checked, the point of boxing is to hit and not be hit, aka, what Floyd Mayweather did for 20-plus years. He’s 50-0, the best defensive fighter of all time, made the most money, sparked the most interest, and got hurt (maybe) five times in those 50 fights. And this isn’t coming from a modern day fanboy. I don’t think LeBron’s the best basketball player, and I don’t think Mike Trout’s the best baseball player ever. But in boxing, whether you love him or hate him, it’s Money Mayweather.
Anyway…
- Endicott’s football team will have three local quarterbacks next season: Clayton Marengi (Lynnfield), Jesse Maggs (Lynn English), and Shea Lynch (Peabody). Not bad out of our own backyard, huh?
- Do you know what senior assassin is? It’s when high school seniors try to squirt someone with a water gun until there’s a champion. Well, I thought this was funny: St. Mary’s Athletics had its picture day while this was going on.
- Congrats to Peabody’s Abby Bettencourt for throwing four no-hitters and a perfect game, as well as Brooke Lomasney (Peabody), Connor Cronin (Marblehead), and Manny Alvarez-Segee (Fenwick) for surpassing 200 points in lacrosse.
- Marblehead’s Miles O’Neill just received football offers from Boston College, Texas A&M, Maryland, and Pitt among others. The 6-5, 225-pound quarterback better not go to BC – my least favorite sports team that breaks my UMass-made heart year after year.
- Lynn English has the best uniforms in the area. The maroon and white is old-school, the Bulldog patch is just intimidating enough, and they’re not afraid to alternate with some gray and black.
- The Bruins lost because of physicality, or lack thereof. No one played physically along the boards, and no one responded when 61-goal skill player David Pastrnak got decked in game one. I don’t even have to go to the Big Bad Bruins era. Milan Lucic, Shawn Thornton, and Adam McQuaid were probably laughing at this team’s “enforcers.”
- I don’t understand why people think pro athletes are paid too much. In a perfect world, yes, a contract worth $225 million is excessive, but you’re not looking at its impact. It makes other athletes want to compete with that, resulting in better talent, which results in more people watching. And the more people you have watching, the more people you need to write public address scripts, stitch up an injury, produce a segment, manufacture a uniform, and about a zillion other things. It’s creating jobs and bettering the talent on your television – why is that so bad?
