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By Cliff Rold - It is one of the rare sports which see its seasons pass only with the turning of the calendar. Judged end to end, this was another strong season for Boxing. As 2007 reached its end, Boxing fans were abuzz about the possibilities for the year ahead, having experienced one of the best years so far of the 2000s. It started with a slow build and culminated with a flurry of action in bouts like Kelly Pavlik-Jermain Taylor I, Joe Calzaghe-Mikkel Kessler, and Floyd Mayweather-Ricky Hatton.
2008 was different; it started with a roar, building on the previous year’s momentum only to hit somewhat of a lull before a powerful finish. The summer months featured sporadic if often excellent action and lots of attention was paid to the increasingly non-contact nature of Olympic Boxing.
Fall fights like Kelly Pavlik-Bernard Hopkins and Joe Calzaghe-Roy Jones found massive hype but did little to stoke public attention. The December battle between Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya, and sensational free cable card topped by Tomasz Adamek-Steve Cunningham, made up for it.
Boxing’s biggest ills continued to be apparent in 2008. The best continue to fight less often than they used to, stunting momentum for new names and making each loss far more cataclysmic than it need be. Worse, short schedules make mis-matches more visible and, given the amount of money involved in television dates, less acceptable than ever. [details]
2008 was different; it started with a roar, building on the previous year’s momentum only to hit somewhat of a lull before a powerful finish. The summer months featured sporadic if often excellent action and lots of attention was paid to the increasingly non-contact nature of Olympic Boxing.
Fall fights like Kelly Pavlik-Bernard Hopkins and Joe Calzaghe-Roy Jones found massive hype but did little to stoke public attention. The December battle between Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya, and sensational free cable card topped by Tomasz Adamek-Steve Cunningham, made up for it.
Boxing’s biggest ills continued to be apparent in 2008. The best continue to fight less often than they used to, stunting momentum for new names and making each loss far more cataclysmic than it need be. Worse, short schedules make mis-matches more visible and, given the amount of money involved in television dates, less acceptable than ever. [details]
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