First off, I would like you to ask yourself a question: When was the last time I watched a boxing match?
For most, the answer to that question is not going to be at any point in the recent past. So why is that? It can't be because of pay-per-view costs, as the standard $50 price point has not stopped the WWE or the UFC from consistently selling their big events. And to be honest, the answer is not that the quality of the sport has declined: if you are not a boxing fan, or even just a very casual one, do yourself a favor and look around the internet for the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez fight, and then tell me that the quality of the sport is falling off. (Here is the fight) The modern boxing landscape has a number of all-time great fighters still going, including Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr., and Oscar De La Hoya, as well as a number of great young fighters coming into their own such as Jermain Taylor, Winky Wright, Ricky Hatton, and Chris John. So if the money is not too much, and the fighting is still good...why doesn't anyone care anymore? Why is boxing at risk of being marginalized at the hands or professional wrestling and mixed martial arts?
Second question: Name three boxers from the past.
For the non-boxing fans and even the casual boxing fans, your answer to that question probably included 1-3 of the following boxers: Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, and Lennox Lewis. Notice a pattern there? The health of boxing in the modern era has been intrinsically related to the fighters in the heavyweight division. Chalk this up to the heightened spectacle of larger combatants, the potential for more electric knockouts, or a public preference for power over finnesse. The point is, for whatever reason, even if the lower divisions are alive and well, boxing will suffer in the eyes of the general sports fan if the heavyweight division is in shambles.
Third question: Name the current heavyweight champion(s).
The answer to this question reveals the core problem that boxing is having at present. The four heavyweight champions are Sultan Ibragimov, Wladimir Klitschko, Oleg Maskaev, and Ruslan Chageav. Now, there are two problems with that list, the first being the fact that there are four fighters on it instead of one or two. Ever since Lennox Lewis left the hevyweight title has been fragmented. The sad reason for this is that fighters today would rather be "a" champion rather than "the" champion. What I mean by that is that boxers, such as Chris Byrd in the recent past, have been content to grab their quarter of the heavyweight title and then hold on for dear life, fighting punching bags and avoiding anything resembling a unification bout. Why? Simple: each fight they keep the title is another fight they can promote themselves as "heavyweight champion of the world...", a phrase which even in today's broken landscape still holds a large degree of marketing cache. Beyond the lack of unification there is also the fact that other than perhaps Wladimir Klitschko, and he only truly through his brother, the American public does not know or care to know any of the current champions. It doesn't help matters that many of them are not only not from the US, but are also not willing to fight in the US at all
Fourth question: Is there any way to stop the decline?
Of course there is a way to fix this mess. The answer, as the past would show, rests in individual personalities. And there are personalities out there in the heavyweight division that could save the sport. So who are these men? Well, since you asked...
Samuel Peter: Peter is the closest thing that boxing today has to Mike Tyson. The granite fisted Nigerian brawls with obscene knockout power, and also happens to be the second best heavyweight fighter today. So why isn't he a champion? Simply put, his one title fight, and sole career loss, was to the best heavyweight, Klitschko. Since his loss to Klitschko Peter has been royally screwed. No other way to put it. He won a title eliminator against James Toney: the WBC decided that the scoring was not legit and demanded a rematch. So Peter fought Toney again, and dismantled him, made Toney look like a complete rookie. And of course, instead of getting his promised title shot, Peter was informed that Vitali Klitschko was going to get the fight with the champion Maskaev instead. The WBC has since changed course, and will allow Peter to face Maskaev in September. The long and short of it is that Peter needs to win against Maskaev for the sake of the sport. And then Peter needs to go after Ibragimov, the newest and, at least in public statements, most willing to unify of the current champions. At that point Peter could then step into the ring against Klitschko with three of the titles at stake, and stand one knockout punch away from becoming the Mike Tyson of this generation. Now tell me, you wouldn't want to watch that?
Joe Mesi: It may shock many people to know that there is an American heavyweight that currently stands with a record of 35-0. Not only that, he is a charismatic and marketable man. So why haven't you heard of Joe Mesi? After a rise through the heavyweight ranks, seen often on ESPN fight cards, Mesi came up against Vassiliy Jirov in 2004. At the time Jirov was a fairly big name, and the fight was Mesi's first big shot at national exposure. Mesi did make the news as a result of the fight, but it was because afterward he was declared to have brain injuries and for two years was denied boxing licenses. Mesi was able to return to the ring in 2006, and since his return has knocked over six tin cans to pad his undefeated record. The problem with Mesi is that he can make a solid living fighting crappy boxers in upstate New York, where Mesi is insanely popular. The promise will remain though, that if Mesi ever becomes motivated to pursue the title that he would instantly become the most easily marketable heavyweight in the United States.
Chris Arreola: Throughout the history of boxing there has been a strange void. Many of the great fighters of the past have been Mexican. There has never however, been a great Mexican heavyweight. That void could be filled in the future by Chris Arreola however, a 26 year old fighter with heavy hands and a 20-0 record. If Arreola were able to succeed in the heavyweight division, he could help draw many of the sports hispanic fans to the weight. Arreola reside in California, and could also help bring in the general American audience. The best thing Arreola has going for him though, is the simple fact that he is good. Truly, the guy is a gifted fighter, and with the right training and management could actually become a force on the world stage.
