Once Great, Boxing is a Dying Sport

There was a time, really not so long ago, where boxing was the ultimate sport - the ultimate trade between two bloodthirsty individuals. It was the sport for the toughest and most prideful of men, where two fighters were not afraid to step between the ropes and put it all on the line to see who the best was.

Here we are, 31 years after Muhammed Ali was defeated by Trevor Berbick and hung up the gloves for good. Why did Ali fight having already secured his spot in history? Pride. 

It has been 15 years since 40 year old Sugar Ray Leonard, already eligible for the Hall of Fame, came out of retirement to fight Hector Camacho. Leonard, who at the time had a record of 36-2-1, suffered the only knockout of his career. Why did Leonard fight after already securing his spot as a legend of the sport? Pride.

It has been 15 years since Holyfield – Tyson II, The Sound and the Fury, where Mike Tyson took a bite out of each of Evander Holyfield's ears. Why did Tyson take a bite out of Holyfield? He was pissed off, a little crazy, and possibly a little hungry. Why did he do it? Because he cared. Because he hated losing. It made him irrational and spiteful. And he was, and remains, bat shit insane.

Good, bad, or downright disturbing, boxing was THE sport for many years. Boxing was the equivalent to seeing gladiators duel in the coliseums. Fights were shown on cable television; fights were discussed at length in bars, around water coolers, and in homes. Now, you're hard-pressed to find a single person interested, willing to discuss, or analyze this once great sport.

There are thousands of reasons why boxing has taken a proverbial beating over the years.  Quality fights are now on Pay Per View as opposed to CBS, NBC and ABC, and increasingly greedy promoters gobble this up by charging over $50 to see a fight. Dominant fighters and dominant personalities, like the Ali's, Leonard's, Mancini's, and Tyson's are absent. And, of course, what some may call the final death blow to boxing: the rise of MMA.

But there is one fight that could reel wandering eyes back to the ring, and that's the same fight that will NEVER happen: Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao - two of the best fighters in the sport right now.

Why won't it happen? Because neither of these men have any sort of pride in their trade. The fighters and their promoters are more concerned with the spilt (50/50 vs. 51/49) than a shot at greatness (apparently $30 million – the amount each fighter could potentially make by taking this fight – just isn't enough anymore). Neither of these men wants to lose. One is afraid of ruining his perfect record and would rather face scrub after scrub that he can bob and weave around for twelve rounds and win by decision. The other has refused to take a blood test 30 days before the fight for reasons that are concerning, but ultimately unknown. The proposed May 5 fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao was ruined by a mix of what Pacquiao's promoters called economic issues with the venue, and Mayweather's greed when it came to the split.

There is a term for this: chicken shit. Football players play football, and they bleed, ache and blow out knees for the chance to be the best on Sunday. Basketball players play basketball. They bounce and bang into each other and can barely walk by the time they are 50 because they want to be considered the best after a 48-minute game. Baseball players play baseball. They take baseballs off their ribs and throw out their arms for 162 games a season because they want to play in October.

And fighters fight. When the bell rings they want their hand raised in the air, recognition that they are, for that moment, the best.

Yes, fighters fight. Except in boxing.