By Jake Donovan

As 2014 slowly crept towards to a close, the thought process going into this year was that there wasn’t any way possible it could be worse for the sport of boxing.

The worst thing that could have happened in the early stages of 2015 was if the plan had been to simply do better than a bad year. Fortunately, nearly everyone in the industry received the message loud and clear. The storylines that have come from the first month of the year are a strong indication that things are back on the right track, en route to an industry revival.

All of that is WITHOUT the biggest to be made, actually yet being made.

Given all that is going on in the sport of boxing today, it comes with mixed emotions that fans can be that excited about Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao both having attended Tuesday night’s pro basketball game between the Miami Heat and the Milwaukee Bucks.

Pacquiao was already in South Beach, having served as a guest judge for the Miss Universe pageant and extending his stay when plans for a trip to the Northeast were scrapped due to severe blizzard conditions. Mayweather took advantage of the itinerary change, hopping on a plane and surfacing courtside in Miami in his resumed role as a regular spectator.

The occasion marked the first time in more than five years that the two were in the same building together and¬—incredibly—the first time they’ve ever met face-to-face. That moment came at halftime, when the best two fighters in the world gave the media on hand the marketing opportunity of a lifetime when they briefly conversed at half-court.

Social media timelines quickly blew up with still shots and Vines, but it was their meeting after the game and behind closed doors that has the industry believing – for the first time since their initial round of talks fell apart way back in 2010 – that there’s finally a superfight to be had.

Even if it doesn’t happen, though, boxing is in damn good shape for the foreseeable future. There’s enough on the current slate to where fans needn’t worry about what doesn’t happen.

Showtime and HBO both came out with their first offerings of 2015, both drawing strong ratings after struggling mightily in that area throughout all of 2014. The January 17 tripleheader on Showtime was capped by a piece of the heavyweight crown finally making its way back stateside, as Deontay Wilder dominated Bermane Stiverne over 12 rounds.

Not only did the result give the U.S. its first heavyweight titlist is nearly eight years, but the fight was a big hit with fans at home. The headlining act at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas drew an average audience of 1.24 million viewers, the 4th highest-rated fight on Showtime since Nielsen Media Research began tracking data for premium multiplex channels in 2004. 

Never entering the equation was the fact that Wilder’s knockout streak came to an end, having stopped 32 opponents in as many fights since turning pro in Nov. ’08. In fact, that he went 12 full rounds and looked as sharp as he did silenced the critics more so than had he managed another quick stoppage without being tested.

Mike Alvarado drew far more critics than respect following the non-effort produced in a January 24 rubber match with Brandon Rios. The non-effort isn’t in reference to his in-ring performance; there, he was simply outgunned by a far more determined Rios. Poor preparation—which included a pre-dawn arrest three weeks out and evidence (later removed) of partying—leading into a must-win fight was his undoing long before he set foot in the ring in Broomfield, Colorado, just outside of his hometown.

Luckily for Alvarado—and the event handlers—the buildup to the event far exceeded his preparation. HBO kicked off its 2015 boxing season with a show that generated an average of 1.2 million viewers, a strong number for its Boxing After Dark series and without either of its two bouts on the evening carrying title fight implications.

Prior to the sport’s two biggest stateside networks getting into its boxing flow, Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Sports made its long-awaited promotional debut. Prior to its January 9 offering at Madison Square Garden Theatre, the sports agency’s involvement in boxing was limited to threatening any purse bid hearing involving fighters advised by Al Haymon.

Piece by piece, RNS transitioned into the boxing world, securing a three-fight deal with Fox Sports 1, and merging with Gary Shaw Productions to dramatically strengthen its stable and front-office staff. A big splash was made during fight week leading into the January 9 show, when RNS announced the signing of undefeated World super middleweight champion Andre Ward.

The show itself left a bit to be desired on the matchmaking side, but that can only improve with Gary Shaw now richly involved with the company’s day-to-day operations. Growing pains are natural for any rookie company, and the premiere episode offered enough promise to suggest whatever didn’t go as planned will be ironed out prior to its next show.

The other big news surrounding Roc Nation in present form was finalizing terms for its unbeaten heavyweight, Bryant Jennings to square off versus World heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko. Their bout will take place April 25 at Madison Square Garden, marking Klitschko’s first fight on U.S. soil in more than seven years.

ESPN2 Friday Night Fights returned to airwaves to kick off its 2015 season. One of the few networks to watch its ratings rise in 2014 (Telemundo being the other), ESPN2 carried over into 2015 some of the same ideas that worked so well a year ago. Chief among them was the success of its eight-man Boxcino tournaments in the lightweight and middleweight divisions, respectively.

The January 16 edition of Friday Night Fights formally announced two more tournaments to come beginning in February, this year focusing on the super welterweight (154 lb.) and heavyweight divisions. The brackets for each division were also announced on that same show, one that featured last year’s middleweight winner—Willie Monroe Jr.—deliver his best performance to date with a landslide win over battle-tested Bryan Vera in the main event.

Unless Mayweather-Pacquiao is signed, sealed and announced between now and Saturday, the biggest headline to come out of January was one that finally revealed a master plan Al Haymon has been forming for years.

The mid-month announcement of a planned boxing series (Premiere Boxing Champions) airing on NBC had the sport abuzz. Five episodes will air on the flagship station in prime time on Saturday evenings, with the series taking place March 7 in Las Vegas. The episode will end a 30-year drought of boxing in prime time on NBC, who first began showcasing boxing in 1939.

Adding to the good news was that the five prime time slots on free-TV will be accompanied by six more NBC-televised shows on Saturday afternoons, and another nine on NBC Sports Network. Haymon and PBC didn’t stop there; another deal was announced earlier this week for a monthly series on Spike TV—beginning March 13—and with more to come on BET (Black Entertainment Television) and CBS Sports Network.

Boxing, everywhere you look these days.

Maybe, just maybe we finally see the day when Mayweather-Pacquiao becomes a reality; maybe we don’t, and that the fight simply wasn’t meant to be as the past few weeks have provided the most hope that it can happen.

Either way, enough has happened in the past month for fans to know that there exists hope after all for boxing to forever put a 2014 year that wasn’t far in the rearview mirror.

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com, as well as a member of Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox