Don’t Let The Sun Obscure Your View of the Stars
21-Jan-10 23:51
Comment by Paul Upham: A brand new year is upon us, a new decade as well. In boxing, everything is new again, but don’t let the sun obscure your view of the stars. Yes, we have seen this all before in boxing, an out of the ring controversy surrounding the making of a super-fight, but there is still plenty of other positives in the boxing universe.
The Floyd Mayweather Jr-Manny Pacquiao non-fight is a huge disappointment for all in boxing. The biggest match for 2010 would see the sport riding high on a genuine mega-fight between clearly the two best boxers on the planet today. It doesn’t always happen that boxers No.1 and No.2 on the pound for pound rankings, no matter how you rank Mayweather and Pacquiao, happen to be in or around the same weight class.
Whether you support either man on the blood testing issue, or blame them both, it seems that a whole lot of ego is getting in the way of an important match.
That the boxers and their promoters were planning rival pay-per-view cards on March 13th is an even bigger slap in face to all fans. In the end, a little extra drama now in the making of Pacquiao-Mayweather will only maker it bigger if it happens later in 2010.
More importantly, the Mayweather-Pacquiao dispute involves a much bigger issue, performance enhancing drugs in boxing. Brilliantly addressed by Thomas Hauser in his special report “Mayweather-Pacquiao, PEDs, and Boxing” on Monday at SecondsOut.com, new concerns over drug use by boxers cannot be swept under the rug.
But there are other stars to behold. From the wreckage of Pacquiao-Mayweather, it now seems possible that Floyd Jr could fight Sugar Shane Mosley in March or May. If that match had been offered in 2009, fans would have been extremely satisfied.
Just enjoy one fight at a time.
One super positive to look forward to in 2010 is the ongoing “Super Six” super middleweight tournament presented by Showtime Championship Boxing. Jermain Taylor’s withdrawal was necessary after his recent knockout losses. That it seems Alan Green and Sakio Bika will box off in February, or more likely brawl off, to take the vacant place, is encouraging.
Internationally in 2010, the issues and boxers I will be closely following include; Mayweather-Pacquiao-Mosley, David Haye vs. the Klitschkos, Mike Tyson’s life after boxing, Ricky Hatton’s return, Nonito Donaire-Vic Darchinyan 2, Paul Williams and Sugar Shane Mosley.
In Australia, with Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr rematching in April, it will be interesting to see in which direction Danny Green’s career heads. Anyone for Green vs. Antonio Tarver next? Similarly, is there any way Anthony Mundine can get a shot at Kelly Pavlik?
I’m also looking forward to some more big fights this year for Michael Katsidis and charting the rise of Lenny Zappavigna.
The Contender Australia appears to have been a resounding success. The finale last week, which saw Garth Wood upset Kariz Kariuki, was a gripping struggle. Wood, who was only a last minute replacement when another boxer withdrew, made the most of his golden opportunity. He now gets a shot at The Man Anthony Mundine later in 2010 and a payday of $250K.
At the official pre-fight drinks before the final at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, I made sure to thank Foxtel supremo Brian Walsh for giving boxing a chance on the FOX8 channel, when it would have been so easy to run another program with a lot less headaches. The Contender cost a lot of money to produce with many hurdles, but the ratings were pleasing. Here’s hoping that a new series is commissioned for later this year.
The boxers involved this time around will testify to the success of the show by their new found levels of fame. All of the boxers I spoke to commented on being recognised regularly everywhere they go, which is leading to new work opportunities for them both inside and outside the ring.
All of The Contender boxers were in good spirits at the finale as they engaged in some trash talk with a smile. I got caught between Sonni Michael Angelo and Luke Moloney at one stage and ended up with a glass of red wine spilt on my suit! Sonni also told me not to worry about his recent legal issues, which he said had been blown out of proportion.
The departed decade was arguably one of the best ever for Australian boxing. It will take a lot of talented boxers, great matches and three big super fights over the next ten years to get near it.
Paul Upham
Content Editor, SecondsOut.com
uppy@optusnet.com.au
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