As a fan of boxing and someone who loves to bet on the sport, I consider myself a true boxing lover. As such, it’s sad to accept that if it wasn’t for Manny Pacquiao and his showmanship and dominance, the sport would have very few noteworthy headlines.
That said, Bernard Hopkins is another bright spot in the sport of boxing, it’s too bad he’s already 46 years young. Despite his age, that didn’t stop Hopkins from beating up on Jean Pascal to become the oldest fighter to take a major world belt since George Foreman took the heavyweight title with a victory over Michael Moorer in 1994.
It’s an amazing feat for the 46 year old Hopkins and a testament to his greatness as a fighter. But sadly, it also speaks volumes to the current state of boxing. For those people like myself who grew up on the sport of boxing and love every aspect of the mental and physical game, it is hard to bet on, let alone watch some of the boxers these days.
You have guys not showing up to perform for fights, you have guys like Mayweather ducking fights that world wants to see and the Heavyweight division is a joke.
Is it any wonder why MMA has taken a strangle hold? I think it’s safe to say that MMA’s rise to popularity was spurred on in large part by the decline of boxing.
For the gambling industry, this should be a concern, because it’s another revenue stream that should be booming alongside MMA. Instead, most MMA fans aren’t even boxing fans, in fact most couldn’t even tell you who the Heavyweight champion of the world is right now. Part of the problem is that there’s so many belts and unless you’re an avid fan, it’s hard to keep track of who has which belt.
The MMA is simple to understand. You’re either a contender or you’re a champion, and if you’re neither, it doesn’t matter as long as it’s a good fight, MMA fans love it all the same.
What will happen to boxing when Pacquiao decides to fully pursue his singing and political career?
Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko aren’t growing the sport, if they cared about doing that, they would have fought each other, I don’t care if they are brothers, sport is sport.
It makes you wonder, will we ever see another Roy Jones Jr? Another Mike Tyson or Hollyfield? Or will those athletes end up becoming MMA superstars? Or worse yet, wrestling in the WWE.
