All I want for Christmas is . . .
No, Mariah Carey. Not you.
No, Gayla Peevey. Not a hippopotamus.
No, Spike Jones and then the Chipmunks. Not my two front teeth.
I want people to watch boxing again!
Let me rephrase that: I want people to watch boxing more.
Because with proper matchmaking and promotion, boxing does well.
Don’t believe me?
Terence Crawford vs. Canelo Álvarez was watched by 41.4 million Netflix viewers; 1.2 million people purchased Ryan Garcia vs. Gervonta Davis for $84.99; and four of the five most purchased bouts of all time were fought in a boxing ring — not an octagon.
Boxing isn’t “dead,” and if you think that, you’re not looking at the numbers. Respectfully.
Do you know how big Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury are in England? Canelo and Isaac Cruz in Mexico? Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani in Japan? Oleksandr Usyk and Vasyl Lomachenko in Ukraine? Terence Crawford, Garcia, and Davis in America?
Boxing. Isn’t. Dead.
But it could be bigger . . .
As you probably know, YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul is fighting Joshua — an Olympic gold medalist and two-time heavyweight champion — this Friday on Netflix. It’s bound to be one of the most watched fights of the year (even if it lasts 30 seconds after AJ’s straight right hand).
Look. For boxing diehards (I like to think I am), this is an All-Star game. We’ll watch it, but we’re not counting down the days for it. It’s just on TV . . .
That said, I hope it goes well. It’s still the sweet science and one of the toughest sports on the planet. There will be introductions, ring walks, judges, and highlight-reel haymakers.
Enjoy it! If you like Paul, also known as “The Problem Child,” it’s a chance to witness one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. And if you despise the 28-year-old American, it’s a chance to see his block knocked off.
“Knock his block off!” Mickey Goldmill would’ve said, with even more exclamation points.
I often hear people say boxing isn’t the same as when Tommy Hearns, Marvin Hagler, and Ray Leonard were headlining the sport.
I love those guys. I do. But with all due respect, you’re just not watching the right fights today.
Enjoy this Friday’s Netflix bout, but don’t stop there.
Watch Inoue vs. David Picasso on Dec. 27.
Watch Shakur Stevenson vs. Teofimo Lopez on Jan. 31.
Watch David Benavidez. Jesse Rodriguez. Devin Haney. Jaron Ennis.
I could go all day . . .
If you tune in for those guys, you’ll see warriors competing for belts, pride, and legacy with everything they’ve got. Those fights are on a different level than, say, this Friday’s.
Establish the jab this Friday, but throw punches in bunches for the next year.
