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Miranda, Guzman, Cotto.
Younger prospects: Amir Khan, Rey Bautista, Andre Berto, Vanes Martirosyan.Comment
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DONALD HOSKIN
end of the thread...Comment
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If Williams beats Margarito he should be in the list of fighters with the biggest potentials to make it big, and so with Cotto. Valero is 20 and 0, Vic Darchiryan and Rey Bautista has a good chance to make it big too.Comment
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I really feel like boxing's problems have become cyclical. Now, as of 2006 going on 2007, the sport is in a slump. That's not to say that it's dying, but every sport has ups and downs- this is, overall, a down for boxing. No boxer in the current landscape, for example, has a major market endorsement deal. Not a single one- save for Laila Ali based solely on her namesake. We have some good athletes in the sport. Can't a De la Hoya, or a Mayweather, a Pacquiao or a Wright be given an endorsement?
Why is that an issue? Well, because when athletes get endorsement deals they get recognized even more- and bring attention back to the sport. Overall, the point is no boxer has mainstream appeal. None. Oscar has come closest. Recently he has a minor role in Budweiser's "Man-Law " commercials. When you don't have a marketable fighter, a superstar in mainstream America, you don't have someone to draw casual fans and the general public in. Those fighters are the ones that bring the money back in. The endorsements, the attention, the television time, etc.
Without a fighter to bring the sport attention, well, it isn't getting much. Boxing can be seen on ESPN2- not even the flagship station- and no other non-cable channel. Gone are the days of boxing on USA network. Slowly, the sport has been brushed under the rug. Rarely is it spoken about on the news- even the sports news- even when football and basketball, baseball and hockey might all well be mentioned.
The cyclical part comes in when we take notice that the youth of America are less inclined to get involved in the sport. It is less popular than it once was. There is less money to be had. They are turning to football, basketball, baseball- or just never getting into a gym at all, never realizing their potential. When the sport was popular kids with nothing better to do would often wander into a gym. Now, due to the lack of superstar, and therefore lack of popularity of the sport, many cities don't even have a gym. Then we hit the cycle : without a superstar the sport will not flourish and be popular, but without popularity the next big thing may never come about because he may never turn to boxing to begin with.
Boxing's ability to create new powerhouse fighters is being impeded by the fact that the young kids aren't introduced to boxing like they were when it was popular. It's not one of the major sports anymore- it's seen on the same level as MMA and UFC- which is as much a testament to boxing's fading than the rising popularity of these sports. The youth just aren't interested like they once were...and therefore the sport continues to slide into a decline as no fighter is able to bring it back to the limelight.
Boxing needs a change. Will it be a new promoter with new, unique tactics? A new manager or trainer that bring something new to the sport? There's an underlying need for new blood- be it fighters or someone behind the scenes. Because, if a change is made and the sport is reinvigorated, by whatever means, that may in itself bring us the new superstar we seek.
So, who will it be? One of the young up-and-comers mentioned here? A new promotion company or promoter, a new manager...a trainer- or some as yet unheard of boxer?
We do need something, don't we?Comment
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