By Jake Donovan

If December 19 was the end of an era, then December 20 was the dawning of a new day.

It was with greatness sadness last Friday when Telefutura presented its final ever episode to the long running Solo Boxeo Tecate series. The series began on Univision in 2000 before transferring to Telefutura in 2002. All told, 410 episodes were produced, with a slew of stars coming through the ranks on the wildly popular series.

The worst was feared when boxing fans were informed of its cancellation following the December 19 telecast. With Wednesday Night Fights already hitting the scrap heap, the removal of Solo Boxeo meant 48 less telecasts to look forward to each year.

Then came Saturday – and the hits keep on coming.

A pessimistic view of December 20 would be to say that boxing fans were subjected to far more quantity than quality. A sport that’s supposed to be on its death bed saw four telecasts perfectly spread out over a ten-hour span, with live boxing action airing on four networks.

Argentinean station TyC offers telecasts almost every Saturday. Most are littered with crappy local club shows featuring a top fighter against an upside down journeyman, though an occasional bone is thrown our way.

The most recent example came last weekend, when the network picked up former lineal welterweight champion Carlos Baldomir’s title eliminator against Jackson Bonsu. The bout aired from South Africa, where hometown favorite Bonsu took a well-earned majority decision.

It’s not the first time that TyC has stepped up in this capacity, or has traveled beyond its Argentinean borders. The network has also featured undefeated flyweight titlist Omar Narvaez, including his March 2007 trip to France, where he successfully defended his crown against 2000 Olympic Gold medalist Brahim Asloum.

Narvaez will once again be featured on the network in February, when he squares off in a dangerous title defense against fellow unbeaten flyweight Rayonta Whitfield of Augusta, GA.

Baldomir’s failed bid against Bonsu was one of four major main events to grace American airwaves on Saturday, all of which aired live from outside of the United States.

The most notable of the day/night also featured the most controversial result. Evander Holyfield traveled to Zurich, Switzerland for what was believed to be one last shot at any portion of the heavyweight title. Awaiting him was 7’0” Russian giant Nikolay Valuev, defending his portion of the splintered heavyweight crown.

There was little to speak of during the 12 rounds of limited action, aside of course from the fact that Holyfield wasn’t just competitive but surprisingly dominating the fight.

The work rate offered was no different than other recent past bouts that had many calling, in fact begging for his overdue retirement. But on this particular evening (though afternoon to those watching on pay-per-view or an illegal online feed in the United States), it was enough to potentially make history as the oldest fighter to ever claim a heavyweight belt.

That was, of course, until the three judges decided to tell a different story. Holyfield wound up on the wrong end of perhaps the worst decision of the year, with Valuev escaping the world’s most famous neutral country with a majority nod that reeked of promotional favoritism (though by no means corruption, in which we’ll get to later).

In the past, such a fight would’ve been limited to hearsay. Many an American has traveled overseas and come up short, only to bitch about being robbed. Because we once lacked the access or resources to confirm their story, we either had to take their word at face value or believe the worst to be true.

Today, it’s a different story. Thanks to pay-per-view distributor Integrated Sports, overseas fighters are more than just names in articles for stateside boxing fans. Ricky Hatton’s first defense of his lineal junior welterweight crown – a 9th round knockout of Carlos Maussa – aired live in the states thanks to the Jersey-based organization. 

In addition to last weekend’s presentation, they were also responsible for allowing Americans live on-screen access to Arthur Abraham’s alphabet middleweight title defense against Raul Marquez this past November. Perhaps even better news than such bouts being made available in our living rooms is the price tag - none exceed $24.95, a number that will most likely never again be attached to a pay-per-view event based on this side of the Atlantic.

While Valuev-Holyfield ended in controversy, Television Azteca America aired a junior lightweight rematch designed to clear up unfinished business. The network aired Humberto Soto’s dominant points win over Francisco Lorenzo live from Tijuana, Mexico.

It’s not the first time TV Azteca stepped up when boxing fans pined to catch a major card south of the border. The Mexican feed regularly features boxing cards, but the American branch has come through in a big way several times in 2008. Prior to Soto-Lorenzo II, a heck of a July doubleheader was aired, headlined by Julio Cesar Chavez Jr’s controversial decision win over Matt Vanda in their first fight.

Rumor has it that TV Azteca will be the one to fill the void left behind by Telefutura. The same water cooler talk has the network presenting 40 boxing telecasts in 2009.

The very first major boxing telecast on Television Dominican came about this past weekend, featuring undefeated lightweight Joan Guzman in his lone 2008 appearance. A troubled year marred by cancellations and weight issues ended on a high note, when the former two-division titlist easily turned back the challenge of Ameth Diaz to put himself in position for a lightweight title shot sometime in 2009.

While the most important question remains “against whom will he receive his shot,” on what network it will land is no longer the concern it once was. Every fighter’s top choices will remain HBO or Showtime, but for fighters like Guzman, who comes from a country that has a major network carried by a satellite provider, there’s an audience to be found.

Perhaps the most important step taken in maximizing boxing coverage outside of the usual suspects oddly enough involves a format where fights air via a considerable tape-delay.

Fox Sports announced earlier this month its plans for a monthly series featuring a significant card from overseas. They couldn’t have selected a better debut entry, as Tuesday night marked the exclusive rebroadcast of the December 6 super middleweight war between Carl Froch and Jean Pascal.

On a December 6 evening where boxing fans had to suffer through a terribly mismatched undercard to the year’s biggest pay-per-view event, it was wondered aloud why the aforementioned fight couldn’t have aired in its place. Of course, it was a rhetorical question as everyone knows the answer. But Fox Sports gave us the next best thing, and their timing couldn’t have been any better.

Recent talks surfaced of a possible Froch-Jermain Taylor matchup. While they sort out whatever it takes to make the fight happen (which for the moment appears to be coming uo with enough money to convince Team Taylor to sign on), stateside fans get a more intimate look at Froch. He’s twice previously appeared in telecasts aired on this side of the pond, once in 2005 on HBO Latino and earlier this year on Shobox.

Obviously, neither bout stuck out in the minds of many that claimed this to be their first look at the undefeated Brit. Chances are, this one will resonate on the brains of many boxing fans. The fight was a bona fide Fight of the Year candidate, with Froch taking a well-deserved decision win and a vacant alphabet title in the process, leaving fans asking for more.

Next month might not leave boxing fans with the same feeling, at least not in the telecast’s top billing. Undefeated lineal light heavyweight champion Zsolt Erdei headlines the next tape-delayed broadcast, as he defends his crown against Yuri Barashian. A better source of entertainment could come in the co-feature, when undefeated super middleweights Denis Inkin and Karoly Balzsay square off for Inkin’s alphabet title.

Whether or not the card turns out to be quality remains to be seen. Ditto for the shows that will come about in the potential long-term deal with Azteca, as well as VERSUS’ revamped boxing schedule.

Considering what boxing lost between ESPN2 and Telefutura, speculation of the quality of any future telecasts certainly beats wondering where to tune in next for our boxing intake. 
 
Jake Donovan is a voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Comments/questions can be submitted to JakeNDaBox@gmail.com .