I enjoy writing to different audiences: older, younger, fans of certain sports, and so forth.
Conversation is good.
That’s what I think is wrong with today’s society, but I’ll let someone in the news department write that one.
Looking back on everything I’ve written, the column that attracted the most diverse audience was about boxing.
Not the Patriots and Mac Jones, not the Bruins falling short to Florida, and not Tatum’s injury in game seven.
Boxing.
Four or five months ago, I wrote that Floyd Mayweather was the greatest of all time, and I stand by that (the goal of boxing is to hit, and not be hit).
Voicemails and angry emails poured in. They were all love (for the most part).
That said, the question most people asked me was: Do you really think boxing is as good today as it was back then?
Now, look, there are subtopics here: entertainment-wise, skill, talent, popularity?
My answer: no, of course it’s not as good as it was back then.
Fighters used to swing like their lives depended on it (true in many cases), would fight six to eight times per year, and the biggest fights weren’t on at 1 a.m. like they are today.
Seriously, can we get these fights to start at 8 p.m. like every other sport?
Let’s rant.
Nicknames were better, fighters were more relatable, trunks were classic in color, and — back when people knew how to dress — fights weren’t games — they were social events.
But…
Boxing could be back — very, very soon.
Say what you want about Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya, but he’s the best promoter in boxing right now.
Currently, he’s working on a Super Bowl-weekend bout between two of the sport’s biggest fighters (Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia) for all of the 140-pound belts.
That’d be awesome.
Other promoters are talking about tournaments. That way, just like the old days, the best would fight the best several times per year.
Don’t believe me?
There may not be tournaments (yet), but the best in the sport are starting to fight each other. This year alone, we’ve seen Garcia-Davis, Haney-Lomachenko, Canelo-Charlo, Crawford-Spence, and we’re about to get Fury-Usyk early next year.
That’s insane.
So, yes, the sport could be like the old days very soon.
But we need fans to start watching. The talent today – talent, not popularity – is just as good as it was back then.
I mean, c’mon, to say Canelo Alvarez, Gervonta Davis, or Tommy Fury couldn’t fight back then is ludacris.
One more thing. Boxers are more exposed now — than ever before. You’ve got podcasts, YouTube clips, TikTok reels, and many more. People are watching.
I’m telling you: we’re almost back to how it was.
What do you guys think? Let me know what the boxing industry could do to get back on top.
Whether you agree or disagree with me, we’d all love to see boxing return to its rightful state.
