Three reasons for a lift in American mainstream boxing in 2015

Let’s be completely honest; boxing is not the sport it used to be. A sport that was ruled by heavyweight kings for most of the 20^thcentury depleted its division with the dominance of the Klitschko brothers in the 2000’s. We were also treated to great bouts in the middleweight/welterweight division with superstar dream matches. Now a day’s politics with promotions and managers are holding great dream matches from being made. These reasons have caused a shift in the boxing landscape. Boxing’s dominance as a top sport to watch has faded, as 2014 showed. There was many mismatched fights, and many fights the fight fans wanted that were not made. But don’t get too gloomy. There are reasons for optimism that 2015 will be the year that boxing reemerges on a mainstream level. Here are three reasons why boxing could return back to prominence this year.

FLOYD MAYWEATHER VS. MANNY PACQUIAO

Now the only reason why I put this reason third is because this match is not official yet. We also have been down this road before and have been teased with the most anticipated boxing match in history. When people ask what fight they would love to see, the first two names that come to mind are Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao. Even the casual sports fan is itching to see this fight made. As much as we want to see this dream match made, until they are both physically in the squared circle when that bell rings it will be hard to imagine the fight coming to fruition. However, there has been a lot of progress between both sides in getting a fight done this year. Both Floyd and Manny have met and Floyd has gone on record saying that he wants the fight to happen. Only time will tell but if there was anytime that the fight is close to being imminent, this is the year.

THE RETURN OF THE AMERICAN HEAVYWEIGHT

I was not around at the time to be spoiled by the presence of Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, and Joe Louis. I was a young kid during the reign of Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield. I never really got to enjoy the heavyweight division growing up because by the time I was truly into boxing all of these great American heavyweights had retired. The reign of the Klitschko brothers have put a dent in the heavyweight division and a lot of people have tuned out. There is reason to tune in now. With the emergence of WBC Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder and title contender Bryant Jennings, things are looking up for the Americans in the heavyweight division. Wilder has this brash personality that he backs up with his boxing skills and talent. Look for him to make an impact in the heavyweight division this year with a possible showdown with the undisputed heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko. Klitschko, however, will have to tend to Bryant Jennings first as they do battle on April 25^th at Madison Square Garden for Klitschko’s four titles. Jennings will look to pull off an upset and bring home all the titles back to American soil. Either way it looks like the heavyweight division will finally get infused with some American flair. This is something I would not want to miss.

AL HAYMON RETURNS BOXING TO NETWORK TELEVISION

The number one reason boxing returns to mainstream is because of the genius that is Al Haymon. In January, Al Haymon and the NBC Network announced the birth of Premier Boxing Champions, a series of boxing events that will take place on NBC in primetime. A great move made since a majority of the boxing matches are on paid cable networks like HBO and Showtime. This is a good way to showcase boxing on a bigger scale and its on free TV. A positive to take away from this is that Haymon’s stable of fighters is strong. Right off the bat we get two great cards. On March 7^th, Robert Guerrero will face Keith Thurman with an undercard of Adrien Broner taking on John Molina Jr. What a way to start with 4 stars fighting on your first card in front of a national televised audience. It doesn’t stop there either because the second card has Danny Garcia taking on Lamont Peterson with Andy Lee and Peter Quillin going at it in the undercard. If Al Haymon continues to put cards like this together there is no telling how far boxing will go this year and into the future.

One thing is for sure. Boxing is on the rise back to where it belongs. Will you hop along for the ride?

– Anthony Rivera / @AntRivera86